India TV Fact Check: A video of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is going viral on social media platforms with claims that she credited the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads for her safe return after nine months in space. However, a fact-check by India TV has confirmed that this claim is misleading and the video is from 2013.
What is going viral?
A video of a press meet where Sunita Williams is saying that she takes Bhagavad Gita, Ganesh Idol and the Odyssey to space with her is going viral. In the video, Sunita Williams can be heard saying to the media, "I really appreciate my Indian heritage and was glad I could bring part of it with me to space. Ganesh has always been in my house, everywhere I’ve live,d I had Ganesh and so he had to come with me to space, of course. And Indian food, you can never get enough of Indian food. I always make sure I have samosas in space with me."
She added, "Bhagavad Gita, this last time I brought a small copy interpretation of Upanishad with me. I also brought along the Bhagavad Gita, the Odyssey and I thought that was also quite appropriate to be in space and have those types of things to reflect and read."
Sharing the video clip on Facebook, a user wrote, "I took a statue of Ganesh ji and Bhagavad Gita with me to space. These two things supported me, kept me away from mental stress:- Sunita Williams at a press conference in the USA…Sunita Williams credits the Bhagwad Gita and Upanishads for her safe return. She stayed in space for 9 months."
Another X user wrote, "Sunita Williams credits Bhagwad Gita & Upanishads for her safe return. She stayed in space for 9 months."
India TV did investigation
As the video was going viral, we decided to investigate the claim. To verify the authenticity of the claim, we conducted a Google keyword search and we found an extended version of the video uploaded on NDTV YouTube channel dated April 2, 2013. The video was uploaded with the title, "I had samosas in space with me, says astronaut Sunita Williams."
As per the video description, it was recorded during Sunita Williams' visit to India when she addressed an audience at the National Science Center in Delhi. The segment that has recently gone viral starts at the 0:39-minute mark of the original YouTube video.
While speaking to the media about the personal items she carried to space, Sunita Williams mentioned that she took the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and The Odyssey. She explained that such spiritual texts provide an opportunity for self-reflection and help one see life and the world from a different perspective.
A Hindustan Times report published on the same day, titled "Samosas, Ganesh idol in Sunita Williams' space kit," also confirms that Williams shared with students at the National Science Centre in Delhi that she carried a Ganesha idol and samosas along with her to space.
What came out in the fact check?
The claim is misleading. The video in which Sunita Williams talks about the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads dates back to 2013. People are advised to be cautious of any such claim.
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