Astronaut Sunita Williams to participate in Kerala Literature Festival 2026
New Delhi (PTI): Former NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is set to participate at the ninth edition of Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), starting January 22, announced organisers on Tuesday.
Williams, 60, who has spent over 300 days in space, is expected to reflect on her journeys beyond earth and speak about science, exploration, leadership, resilience, and the enduring power of human curiosity.
“The Kerala Literature Festival has always believed in expanding the idea of the fest to include science, discovery, leadership, and the human spirit. Sunita Williams represents the courage to explore the unknown and the discipline required to stretch human boundaries.
"She has also been a well-wisher of DC Books and KLF, which makes her presence at the festival especially meaningful. Her participation will inspire audiences across generations," said Ravi DeeCee, Managing Director of DC Books and chief facilitator at KLF.
On her third mission to the International Space Station in June last year along with Butch Wilmore, which lasted for 286 days, Williams created history by setting a record of most time spent spacewalking by a woman.
ALSO READ: Congress and NCP (SP) to contest separately in Nagpur civic polls
She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and she underwent training at the Johnson Space Center. She also worked in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the International Space Station.
KLF 2026 will host over 500 speakers from across the world and will feature Germany as the guest nation for this year’s edition.
The festival’s speaker line-up include Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk and Abhijit Banerjee, Booker Prize-winning writer-activist Banu Mushtaq, Olympian Ben Johnson, former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, artist Cheyenne Olivier, economist Arvind Subramanian as well as noted writers Gabriela Ybarra, Peggy Mohan, Shobhaa De and Amish Tripathi.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Tension during Shivaji Jayanti procession in Karnataka's Bagalkote, prohibitory orders imposed
Bagalkote (Karnataka) (PTI): Tension prevailed briefly during a Shivaji Jayanti procession here after stones were allegedly hurled at the rally, officials said on Friday.
The incident occurred on Thursday in the old city when the procession, which began around 3:30 pm, was passing through the mosque area, they said.
Superintendent of Police Siddharth Goyal said adequate forces were deployed for the procession.
ALSO READ: Netherlands PM Dick Schoof visits Bengaluru
"We were all present at the spot. The procession began around 3:30 PM (yesterday), As it approached the mosque, two stones were thrown from a distance toward us,” he said.
According to the SP, based on preliminary information and videos reviewed by the police so far, one stone struck a police constable while the other fell on his shoulder.
“No one sustained any major injuries. After that, the procession continued smoothly, and the atmosphere remained peaceful,” Goyal said.
Police said adequate security arrangements have been made in view of the procession and the situation remained under control.
"The area where the incident occurred has been covered with CCTV cameras. We had also recorded the procession. We are reviewing the video footages. Strict action will be taken against those involved in this," he added.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been imposed in parts of Bagalkote from midnight of February 19 to midnight of February 24.
According to officials, under the restrictions, assembly of more than four people in public places has been prohibited. Carrying dangerous weapons, engaging in activities that may endanger public safety, and organising meetings, ceremonies or sit-ins without prior permission have also been barred.
Measures were taken to maintain law and order in the affected areas.
