If Sunita Williams had an Indian husband – Mission Impossible

They say, behind every successful man, there is a woman. But behind every successful woman, there is a man who actually lets her be successful.

Take Sunita Williams, for example. If she hadn’t married Michael J. Williams, would she still hold the record for the longest time spent in space? Hard to say. This isn’t even the first time she’s been away from home for ages—she previously spent 195 days in space during Expedition 14/15 (2006-2007).

Now, imagine if Michael J. Williams wasn’t progressive enough. Would he have “allowed” his wife to go on another space mission? Granted, she initially went for an eight-day test flight, but due to a technical malfunction, her stay got extended to over nine months. If Michael J. Williams were like many husbands we see around us, he might have burned NASA down in frustration. He’d have stormed into their office, made an emergency call to Sunita, and demanded she return—or worse, booked himself on the next available flight to space to bring her back!

Indian Wife’s “Space Mission”

In an average Indian household, if a wife wants to visit her maike (maternal home) for even a week, she first has to:

✔ Pack up the kids and take them along (because leaving them with the husband? That’s a joke).
✔ Cook multiple meals in advance, label each container, and provide detailed instructions on what to eat, when to heat, and how not to burn the house down.
✔ Prepare to return to chaos—a messy kitchen, a disaster-struck bedroom, and a house crying for her attention.

Now, Sunita Williams was gone for nine months. Nine. Whole. Months. So, the real question is: How did Michael J. Williams survive?

• Who fed him?
• Who made sure he was sleeping on time?
• Who washed his clothes and folded them?
• Who ensured the house didn’t turn into a disaster zone?

These are mysteries for which I am still awaiting a response from Michael J. Williams.

No Kids – Is That Even an Option?

Oh, and let’s not forget the most important part—they don’t have kids.

• If Sunita had married into a typical Indian family and hadn’t conceived within three months, the entire household would have gone into panic mode.
• If she dared to say she didn’t want kids, she’d be hit with the ultimate question: “Are you even a woman?”
• If she had trouble conceiving, she’d be put through an endless cycle of treatments until she produced not one, but at least two or three children.
• And once the kids arrived? Space? Career? Personal life? Forget it. Her world would revolve around her husband and children, with maybe a small job—because, you know, “she should contribute, but not too much.”

If you ask me who my favourite people are, it’s Michael J. Williams and Doug Emhoff—two men married to incredibly successful women with Indian roots. How are you both such selfless husbands?

I closely follow some Indian women who have outshined their husbands. Most of them avoid joint appearances—probably to prevent a domestic cold war. But when they do show up together, the media ensures maximum damage:

📸 The photographers zoom in on the wife, treating the husband like an unfortunate extra in his own marriage.

📸 The cameras then pan to the husband—arms crossed, jaw clenched, looking like he just lost a Best Supporting Actor award.

📸 And then comes the grand finale—the wife running after him, whispering frantic apologies while he walks off, dramatically questioning his entire existence.

Because, let’s be real—The Indian Gharana (household) wouldn’t tolerate a man being an accessory to his wife’s success. 😂