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 News
of the Columbia space shuttle crashing in Texas, U. S. A., minutes
before landing, left millions of Indians heart-broken as one of the
seven astronauts aboard included Kalpana Chawla, from Karnal in Haryana.
The 42-year-old Kalpana, was the first female astronaut from the country
and was on her second space mission in five years. Her tragic, untimely
death has shaken not only her family but also the entire nation. A
visibly shaken George Fernandes, Defence Minister, said that the loss of
this brilliant, young astronaut is beyond words. “There is a tragedy
which has occurred. While in India we should feel very strongly for the
family of Kalpana, we should also remember that it is a tragedy for the
whole world and we should send our sympathies to the families of all
those who have perished in this exercise,” he said. Minutes after
the news of loss of contact of NASA with the space shuttle, the whole of
Karnal, Kalpana’s native town, went into deep grief. Hundreds of people
thronged the Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, where she had
studied for six years. Dr. Rajan Lamba, from Tagore School, said that
the people still could not take in the news of her death. “It’s like a
lie to us, somebody has said something just like that. We feel it is not
true. We just can’t believe this has happened, but the tragedy has taken
place,” he said. An old neighbour of Kalpana, Suresh Malik, said that
the fame and prestige that she brought to the country cannot be
forgotten easily.
“When we got the news of the accident, the people started praying that
her life be saved for the nation. But Kalpana remained just a kalpana (a
thought), a name for the country. But I would say that whatever name,
fame and prestige she brought for the country, the State (Haryana) and
the city (Karnal) is unforgettable.
The way she used to take two children every year for training at NASA.
This is our tribute that our children will follow her footsteps and that
is our ultimate homage to her,” he said. With the death of Kalpana
Chawla, the country has lost its daring daughter, who dreamt of the
skies and reached them. |
