On the occasion of the birth anniversary of
Kalpana Chawla, the Indian-American astronaut and the first Indian woman in
space, the nation paid rich tributes to her on Friday. Born in Karnal, Haryana
on March 17, 1962, Chawla died on February 1, 2003, over the southern United
States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry into
atmosphere, 16 minutes before the scheduled landing. Because of her special
journey from Karnal to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the
US, Kalpana is a role model for women across the world.

In an interview to Rediff.com,
Kalpana’s elder sister, Sunita Chaudhary said whenever anybody reminded Kalpana
of her Indian roots, Kalpana would assert, “I am a citizen of the world. I
belong everywhere.”

During her last flight, Kalpana
had with her reportedly a special flag designed by art students from
around India. The flag, she believed, depicted the importance of education and
it was a reminder to salute teachers like Nirmala Namboothiripad, who taught
her science at the Tagore Public School in Karnal.

Before embarking on her second,
and what would become her last, space journey, Kalpana was asked during
STS-107 preflight interview what inspired her. She said, “I think
inspiration and tied with it is motivation. For me, definitely, it comes every
day from people in all walks of life. It’s easy for me to be motivated and
inspired by seeing somebody who just goes all out to do something.”