e Land. tiv se is MY Na er

I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS KALPANA IN EACH GIRL RECEIVING KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD FROM BIYANI GIRLS COLLEGE. —B.L. CHAWLA The Whole Univ A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA RECENT YOU CAN SUCCEED PUBLICA

Truth & Transparency enhances self confidence and results in a TION stress free life.

THE SUCCESS MANTRAS... Dr. Sanjay Biyani Visit : www.sanjaybiyani.com MAGIC OF ENTHUSIASM FORTHCOMING PUBLICA AND POSITIVE MINDSET ‘‘Enthusiasm and Positive Mindset

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role in your

‘ success, ‘ which can certainly be enhanced. TION The Mantras to Improve Mindset & Enthusiasm Dr. Sanjay Biyani

Visit : www.sanjaybiyani.com A SUCCESS STORY OF

PATRON • Mr. Rajeev Biyani • Dr. Sanjay Biyani KALPANA • Dr. Meena Sogani

ARD • Brig. Randhir Singh • Dr. Kusum Lata CHAWLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Ms. Anu Chaudhary

EDITORIAL SUPPORT BOARD • Mr. Ram Pratap Sharma • Mr. Anish Vyas I n d e x • Dr. Ragini Dey • Ms. Malti Saxena 1. FROM THE DESK OF CHAIRMAN 02 • Mr. Vikas Chunwal 2. FROM THE DESK OF EDITOR 03 • Mr. Rambabu Jangid ORIAL BO • Mr. Vijay Kumar Jangid 3. A FORWARD (SHRI B.L. CHAWLA) 04 4. ABOUT US 05 5. GLIMPSES OF KC MEMORIAL AWARD 07 6. BRAVE COSMOS LADY: KALPANA CHAWLA 11 EDIT 7. EARLY LIFE OF KALPANA CHAWLA 12 8. EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF KALPANA CHAWLA 14 9. KALPANA CHAWLA’S MAIDEN SPACE MISSION 16 10. KALPANA CHAWLA’S FINAL SPACE MISSION 17 11. TRIBUTE TO OUR HEROES 19 12. SOME FACTS ABOUT DR. KALPANA CHAWLA 20 13. KALPANA CHAWLA AS A PERSON 21 14. KALPANA’S HABITS 24 15. FATHER DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP 25 16. FATHER SPEAKS ABOUT HIS BRAVE DAUGHTER 31 17. IMPORTANT QUOTES BY KALPANA CHAWLA 36 18. KALPANA CHAWLA AS A POETESS 37 19. LIST OF SELECTED STUDENTS 38 02 FROM THE DESK OF CHAIRMAN I ASUCCE themselv help those who 'God help the sa R success. w the k s nothing c I c t emember op mear or an, Iwill, SS S ds t e T OR ying y Y OFKALP o es” an s e ANA CHA WLA ultima upon the only success motiv P per the and aspir K Chairman Rajee eople se fir hope futur mak a v a s v Biy tions and t er of w alpana t t ely e with a and ork ance e K t e. tha other t bring alpana e mak empt. ani in f and Ma f r t positiv orts. esults and their Cha the e s y success. success. W another y also and wla positiv y Oft t ou liv e oo e in should es. epit en t a o will f all se or t motiv titude e w It I t omiz endea a c e bring e be is ongr lofty t f titude. f not do indeed ort. t t a es er t not c a laur e v g ommit tula g s our e It girl tr perf oals t eng angr els only our is s t s e ormance. tuden c this t th, annot and the mis pleasur o y e the or s x a t winner trug cel ak ts t achie frus titude na be es t o e themselv gle, tion tr Alw soar t and pr o v a s e t honour edict dedic of and ed. only a them not high y these s But the ed. es r a succeed which emember tion, with the impr b but w W a y orld w e spirit their har y ar ov c c c our an an an ds in in d e , Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not

hen people were busy contemplating how women could be awed by FR be empowered, a simple next door girl from Karnal was that which has OM THE DE Wtotally lost in her imagination; she dreamt to touch the stars and walk over the moon. She achieved her dream and won the been built up race of the life and became the real champion. She faced the challenges that life had thrown to her, she proved her mettle as a space around her; she woman. The world bent before her to honour the brave woman in her. I also salute her. must have It is indeed my pleasure in retelling the success story of Kalpana reverence for Chawla. Kalpana Chawla is a popular name today, everyone idolizes

her, but Kalpana was a very simple girl who had no hunger for fame. the woman in SK OF EDIT She only did what she wanted to, and she became successful because she chased her dream with sincerity. Kalpana always insisted that you her which should do the things of your interest because it makes you passionate struggles for and zealous towards your work. There is a great message in Kalpana's story that parents should not impose their expectations on their expression. children, let them decide their path, and this will make them sincere towards their goal in life. ~ Margaret

Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award holds a special place in my heart for Sanger OR two reasons; firstly that it is associated with the mission of Biyani Girls College which is to make women strong and significant in the society and secondly, it gave me an opportunity to know the great personality of Kalpana so closely. I also take the privilege here of thanking Shri. B.L Chawla for helping me with the incidents related to Kalpana's life. I sincerely hope that the Success Story of Kalpana Chawla will inspire the youth of today to be Kalpana of tomorrow.

Ms. Anu Chaudhary Editor in Chief

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 03 am pleased to know that your esteemed institution is bringing out a newsletter which is to be distributed among the students who are being honored with "Kalpana IChawla Memorial Awards" by your institution. I am quoting here a few lines about Kalpana, which will inspire & awaken the thoughts of young minds who are trying to emulate the good works done by virtuous personalities. I feel the following quote by my daughter Kalpana summarises the essence of her being. ''Material interests are not the only guiding light. It is something you'd enjoy doing in the long run. Take the time to figure out how to get there. The quickest way may not SHRI B.L. CHAWLA necessarily be the best. The Journey matters as much as the goal. Listen to the sounds of Nature. Wishing you the best on your trek towards your dreams. Take good care of our fragile planet.'' She not only said this but lived it in every moment of her life. Content with her simple needs, she encouraged family and relatives to donate time and money to credible organizations (e.g. WPSI) who are committed to protection of Nature and wild life. And she cared for our 'Fragile planet'. She together with her friends would actually carry a big bag to pick up all the trash they encountered during their Birding walks and backpacking treks. In another interview she said 'earth is the only campground that we have. There is no other campground'. ARD It is really hard to convey how remarkable an accomplishment it has been for my daughter to have become an American astronaut just 12 years after migrating to the US as a student with only fire in her belly, focus and fortitude in assimilating knowledge. In 1994, she was in a group of just 20 or so astronauts selected from an application pool W of 4000! She was one of the 6 civilians to have been selected. In her second mission, she was the only civilian astronaut. All the others were from military. That means she qualified herself for the position (Academics, flying experience, research, adventure and physical fitness) without the benefit of being a military person. This would have been amazing enough for someone born and raised in the US, used to that country's educational system, society, culture, customs, work ethic and the professional atmosphere. And she was ever grateful to her teachers right from her school days to her Doctoral studies in US and kept in touch with them all. When national science center Delhi asked her about an idea on what memento she would like to carry to space on their behalf, she

FOR suggested making a banner honoring the teachers of the world. And I, like my dearest daughter Kalpana believe that there is a Kalpana in each of you. You only have to find it! A

04 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA ABOUT US The Biyani Shikshan Samiti was formed by a team of young, dynamic, result oriented and qualified persons. It is registered under the Rajasthan Society Registration Act, 1958 having Reg. No. 500/Jaipur/1997-98. The overall object of the Samiti is Women Empowerment through Technical Education. Param Pujya Shri Kirit Bhaiji laid the foundation stone of college in the month of Feb. 2005. It came into the main stream of education with its affiliation to the University of Rajasthan in 2002 as Biyani Girls College.It has now enhanced its scope of education which includes more specialized and professional courses with the Biyani's Group of Colleges : Biyani Girls College (BGC); Biyani Institute of Science & Management (BISMA); Biyani School of Nursing & Para-medical Science (BSNPS); Biyani Girls B.Ed. College (BGBC); Biyani International Institute of Engineering & Technology

Campus • Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore • Microsoft India Cyber Learning Pvt. Ltd., Delhi Situated in sprawling 1.1 acre of lush green space in the heart of Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jaipur. The College campus Strength has a beautiful state-of-the art infrastructure, with a Biyani Group of Colleges conducts professional & total constructed area of 1,35,000 sq.ft. The campus is technical programmes at Jaipur campus: surrounded by 2.76 acres of lawns and greenery. • Air Conditioned multimedia classrooms. Affiliations • Corporate Training Programmes (CTP) The group of colleges are recognized by the following • Personality Enhancement Programme (PEP) authorities : • Laptop Presentation Training • Approved by the Government of Rajasthan • Education Loan Assistance • The University of Rajasthan, Jaipur • Well Furnished Hostel & Mess • All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi • Experienced & Competent Faculties • Rajasthan Technical University, Kota • Hi-tech Digital Library • Approved by Indian Nursing Council & Rajasthan • 24 hrs. Lease line Internet facility with 01mbps High Nursing Council Speed • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, New • Well Equipped Science Lab Delhi • Gymnasium • National Council for Teacher Education, New Delhi • Transport Facility All Over Jaipur

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 05 CTP (Corporate Training Programme) sessions with industry personnel, helps clarifying many concepts, issues and doubts of students from all Biyani's Group of Colleges has designed a very unique streams. They benefit greatly as they observe or actively initiative of Corporate Training Programme wherein our participate in industry activity. Our students have visited students have been gaining practical knowledge by Mahindra & Mahindra, Jaipur Ceramics Pvt. Ltd., Saras taking regular corporate training with the industrial Dairy, Coca-cola, AKS-Bearings and institution like CIFE, houses on stipendiary basis. Everyday our students TIFR-Mumbai, NIO-Goa, CPRI-Shimla and many more. devote post college hours to sharpen their practical skills and are preparing themselves to enter the Gymnasium corporate world with the practical experience in their Realising how important it is to encourage health and kitty. This programme has been running very fitness among the students besides academic successfully in the city and college has also tied up with performance, we have a full-fledged gymnasium with Vishwakarma Industrial Area as well as Jhotwara state-of-the art equipments such as—Tread Mill, Industrial Area. Students have been contributing to the Abdominal Exerciser, Upright Bike, Elliptical, organizations like IDBI, Fortis, SSJ Finance, Universal Recumbent, Spinning Bike, Big Steeper & Exercise Foundry, Sankalp International, Miniature Ball and Machine (GYM) within the college campus. Bearings, Satyam Polyplast, Kamtech, Spectrum Events etc. through the CTP. Hostel & Cafeteria PEP & IOP The college has two hostels one with 136 seats and the other with 161 seats available for students in the PEP (Personality Enhancement Programme) & IOP campus with comfortable, well-lit, well-ventilated (Industry Oriented Programme) forms an essential part rooms furnished with wooden tables, chairs, beds and of the curriculum followed at BGC. It aims at wardrobes for all students. Every room is four bedded development of an all-round balanced personality of room with attached toilet, bathroom and balcony students. Eminent persons having expertise in subjects facility. The facility is in sync with our endeavour to relating to personality development are invited to provide a positive frame of mind along with quality interact with the students. The subjects covered in the education of the student. Cool Cafe restaurant has put PEP & IOP module include entrepreneurship skills, up a rich canteen in the college campus with delicious influential communication, table manners, delicacies and provides healthy refreshing food. development of positive thinking, interview skills, seminars, group discussions etc. Auditorium & Conference Halls Gurukpo.com • Utsav : Utsav is a large fully air-conditioned hall with modern multimedia facilities and pleasant Biyani's Group of Colleges has made a unique launch in ambience having a seating capacity of 300 people. the KPO segment by launching gurukpo.com. In this All the important events are organized in KPO, We have vast reservoir of technical and Auditorium Utsav. professional knowledge related to most of the courses existing in the educational area. Students can access and • Manthan : Manthan is a round table conference put in queries on the site and get answers in minutes. A room having a seating capacity of 100 people. It is a unique password and ID is created for every student fully air conditioned and well equipped hall for who accesses the portal. The details on the portal are important meetings and conferences. regularly updated by the competent authorities. Various • Parichay : Parichay is a well equipped presentation new links related to Job portal, Resume, Builder, hall having a capacity of 150 people. It also has a Psychological Counselling, Concentration Test, facility of buffers and speakers required for effective Greetings, Video lectures are being added to presentations. gurukpo.com, accurate and concept based data is available round the clock on www.gurukpo.com Transportation Industrial Visits The Biyani's Group of Colleges understands the need for stress free education. Hence, it provides transportation Industrial visits are an integral part of our course facility for the students coming from long distance. curriculum. Direct exposure to the work place, shop floors and assembly lines, along with interactive

06 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Glimpses of Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award

n today's world, when every body talks started Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award in about equal rights for women in the the year 2007 in the honor of Kalpana Isociety and the need of women Chawla and also with the objective to empowerment, Biyani Girls College believes motivate girl students to be like Kalpana. Sh. in actually achieving the mission of women B.L. Chawla was kind enough to give empowerment through technical permission for using Kalpana Chawla's name education. Biyani Girls College has grown and photograph in the college campus and with this dream of giving greater sense of publication. confidence and self worth to women through advanced education. And it has also Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award lightens achieved this dream successfully as about the spirit of struggle and success among the 1000 girls every year pass out from here with award recipients. Girls get overwhelmed flying colors. receiving the award and blessings from the father of this great woman; they share their Kalpana Chawla has been the role model for thoughts and their objectives in their lives. It Biyani Girls College as this space woman is like exploring their hidden desires and achieved great success in her life and has set discovering themselves and promising the an excellent example for young girls. Her world to achieve great heights. The magic example will inspire the young to have faith moment of the awards kindles hope in the in themselves and plan big in their lives and hearts of students to achieve ‘the strive hard to attain it. Biyani Girls College extraordinary’ in their lives.

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 07 KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2009

08 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2008

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 09 KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2007

10 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Brave Cosmos Lady: Kalpana Chawla

This may sound funny, but when I settle down I hope to live in a colony on Mars.

Kalpana Chawla (17 March, 1962 - 1 February 2003 was an India-born American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist. She was one of the seven crew members of Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-107 when the shuttle disintegrated upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Kalpana Chawla is a posthumous recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. She was born in Karnal, Haryana, India. Kalpana is a Sanskrit name meaning "idea" or "imagination." Her interest in flight was inspired by J. R. D. Tata, a pioneering Indian pilot and an industrialist.

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 11 alpana Chawla was born in the city of Karnal in Haryana, in a home Kof three elder sisters and one elder brother. During her early life, Kalpana was nurtured to an archetypal Indian family in the mid-20th century, with education taking centre-stage. However, she was unusual in every thing she did. Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962 in Karnal. Kalpana Chawla's parents originally came to Karnal (city in Haryana) from the Multan district of West Punjab (now in Pakistan) after the partition of India after Independence. Even as a child, Kalpana Chawla began to show her independent nature and she even selected her own name “Monto” at home. Her parents were always wondering that Kalpana had not been formally named at a proper ceremony. When Sunita and her aunt took Kalpana for admission to a nearby nursery school, the Principal asked her name. Sunita answered that they had three names in mind - Kalpana, Jyotsna and Sunaina, but they were yet to decide. The Principal, therefore, asked the little girl (Kalpana) as to which name would she prefer. And she promptly replied, Kalpana. It becomes pretty obvious that early life of Kalpana Chawla had started with much fun and frolic, with dollops of discipline put in. Like the name she chose, which means `imagination`, Kalpana Chawla was a highly imaginative child. During summer, when the family slept on the roof of their small house in an isolated corner of Model Town colony, she would watch the night sky. Staring at the twinkling stars, she wondered what they were dreaming, they beckoned her and left her wondering whether it was ever possible to reach them. She would often ask questions about space, but would rarely receive a satisfactory answer. Into her early years of life, stars captivated Kalpana so much that once when she and her classmates arly Life of built a physical geography map of India covering the floor of an entire classroom in her school, Tagore Baal Niketan, she covered its ceiling completely with stars - sparkling dots marked on blackened newspapers. E Kalpana Chawla

12 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Like stars in the night sky, the first things in the blue the Club and had a thrilling joyride aboard a Pushpak. morning sky that caught her fancy were aeroplanes. From that day on, flying became her first love. She Karnal is one of the few Indian towns with a flying club. It became as excited as a child whenever she saw planes or was called `Karnal Aviation Club` and is now a part of the talked about them. Early life of Kalpana Chawla can be Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation. Here, small Pushpak termed as an incredible breakaway from typical Indian planes and gliders regularly take off and land. As her girl`s routine life, with variances gradually becoming a house was a few kilometres away from the Club, her regular affair. Although Kalpana never scored the favourite pastime was to climb up to the roof and watch highest marks in her class, she was always among the them go roaring over her head. Bewitched, she would first five. Sincere, hard-working and attentive, she wave her hand at the pilot if the plane flew low over the respected and admired her teachers. She enjoyed house. Since her early years in life, Kalpana Chawla was subjects like English, Hindi and geography, but her fantastically attracted to the blue emptiness above, and favourite subject was science, taught by Nirmala Namboodripad, who took pains to make the subject simple and interesting. Kalpana also wrote poetry and danced at the annual day celebrations. She loved cycling and running and at sports meets she always came first in the races. Friendly and helpful, she often played badminton and dodge ball with boys. As she grew into a young woman, she cut her hair short and never put on any make-up. She refused to cook, never ironed her clothes and began to wear trousers or jeans. In those days, most girls in Karnal completed their education, got married and settled down. But Kalpana`s teachers at school encouraged the girls not to waste their education and do something more worthwhile in life. Belonging to middle or lower middle class families, the girls were also keen on higher studies and earning a living. And here lies the yawning difference between Kalpana and her other counterparts. Since her early life, i.e., by the tenth class, Kalpana had also made up her mind. Whenever any visitor asked her what she wanted to become in life, she would readily reply, `A Flight Engineer!` She thought that a flight engineer designs aeroplanes, as nobody had explained that a flight engineer navigates an aeroplane during its flight. Once she saw a photograph of the Viking lander on the planet Mars in a popular weekly and her imaginative mind woke up to the possibility of was always eager to know more. travelling in space and landing on the Red Planet like her Whenever her teachers asked her class to draw scenery, elder sisters Kalpana was admitted to an exclusive girls she would always draw aeroplanes flying in the sky, college - DAV College for Women for her Pre-University. while the rest made mountains, rivers and houses. She She passed her tenth class from the Haryana Board also loved making models of aeroplanes during craft Examination in 1976. Actually, she was underage and classes. In one such incident during a class, Kalpana got away by changing her date of birth from March 17, asked her teacher Daljit K. Madan whether she had ever 1962 to July 1, 1961. Slowly passing from an early life, flown in an aeroplane. When she said no, Kalpana Kalpana Chawla had moved into the level of college enquired whether she was afraid of flying. At the tiny education, the transition taking place quite subtly. age of eleven, she persuaded her father to take her to

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 13 EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF KALPANA CHAWLA alpana Chawla as a student was hugely interested in Kscience and always desired to make it into engineering and the science of space. Hence her educational life pivoted around that very subject only. Hence, Kalpana took admission in DAV College for Women for her pre-University lessons. Later, she got herself admitted to Dyal Singh College, just to pursue engineering from the illustrious Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. Each of her dreams were answered, owing to her tremendous will power and zealousness towards studying aeronautics. Graduated from Tagore School, Karnal, India, in 1976. She did bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering obtained a Master of Science degree in aerospace from Punjab Engineering College, India, in 1982. and engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington master of science degree in aerospace engineering from (1984). Kalpana Chawla earned a second Master of University of Texas, 1984. And she did doctorate of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1986 and a philosophy in aerospace engineering from University of Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the Colorado, in 1988. University of Colorado at Boulder. Later that year she Kalpana Chawla studied aeronautical engineering at began working for NASA Ames Research Center. Kalpana Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India, in Chawla held a Certificated Flight Instructor rating for 1982 where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree. airplanes, gliders and Commercial Pilot licenses for She was one of the three women in the school at the single and multiengine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders. time. She moved to the United States in 1982 and She held an FCC issued Technician Class Amateur Radio license with the call sign KD5ESI. Kalpana Chawla married Jean-Pierre Harrison in 1983 and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1990. Kalpana Chawla had an indeed redefining educational career, starting from India and extending to the top universities in the United States. She became well- known and admired in every institution she went. However, Kalpana`s move in NASA can be called the most significant and crucial stint, from when her dream to fly beyond the earth took firm shape. In 1988, Kalpana Chawla started work at NASA Ames Research Center in the area of powered-lift computational fluid dynamics. Her research concentrated on simulation of complex air flows encountered around aircraft such as the Harrier in "ground-effect." Following completion of this project she supported research in mapping of flow solvers to parallel computers, and testing of these

14 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA solvers by carrying out powered lift computations. In 1993 Kalpana Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc., Los Altos, California, as Vice President and Research Scientist to form a team with other researchers specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. She was responsible for development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. Results of various projects that Kalpana Chawla participated in are documented in technical conference papers and journals. After finishing her Ph.D. in 1988, Kalpana Chawla joined the MCAT Institute, San Jose, California, as a Research Scientist for a project of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center. Here, she did simulation and analysis of air flows around aircraft using powerful supercomputers like Cray. Five years degree and three year related experience, she decided later, she joined to try. Harrison supported her decision, though it meant Overset Methods Inc, giving up his job of a flying instructor at the flying club in Los Altos, California, as California and shifting to Houston, where the NASA Vice President and trained their astronauts. Later, the couple also decided Research Scientist. not to have children, as it would affect her career as an Kalpana headed the astronaut. team that worked on Kalpana Chawla`s first attempt in NASA was a partial h o w to o p t i m i s e failure. She was not selected when she applied the first designs of aircraft by time. It was only in her second attempt that she passed s i m u l a t i n g t h e the written test, was called for an interview and selected complex air flows for the job. When she received the call letter from the encountered around NASA Astronaut Office in December 1994, she rang up them and studied the Harrison, who was out of town, and left a message on stability of fluids under voice mail. In her excitement she simply said, `I`m in!` conditions of very low For some time Harrison could not understand what she gravity. meant and had to ring her back to check. Although flying was She was one of the five women of total 23 astronauts her first love it was rather intensified in the company of selected out of 2962 applicants that year. She was also Jean Pierre Harrison, Kalpana`s husband. She developed among seven non-Americans and the only civilian to be the inner urge to become an astronaut and travel in selected. She had to undergo a series of medical and space. This was precisely the dream Kalpana harboured psychological tests and interviews. During the process of while in NASA. The walls of her hostel rooms in selection, even a watch is kept on the behaviour of the Chandigarh, Texas and Colorado were always covered applicants during their stay in the NASA hostels. Apart with pin-ups of astronauts, spacecraft and space from qualifications and experience, the qualities that shuttles. Anyone with her computer expertise could NASA looks for in an astronaut are: character, integrity, have easily secured a cosy job in the Silicon Valley, but intelligence, team spirit and even public speaking skills. not Kalpana. When she saw the NASA advertisement for Kalpana excelled in all these. Kalpana Chawla`s initiation the selection of astronauts in aviation and space trade in NASA thus set about a historical beginning, the end of journals, essential qualifications being a bachelor`s which was truly unimagined and unprecedented.

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 15 KALPANA CHAWLA'S MAIDEN SPACE MISSION alpana Chawla`s maiden their way back on their own. Here, space mission was like an Kalpana`s outdoor adventures with Kimpossible dream coming Harrison came in handy and she true to her, owing to her severe came through with flying colours. perseverance and determination to Becoming a NASA astronaut does make it big in aeronautics. Her first not guarantee a journey into space. mission was to fly in Space Shuttle That opportunity is offered to a few Columbia flight STS-87, which began astronauts depending upon the in the late months of 1997. She was requirements of a space mission. At a p art o f th e s ix - memb er the NASA Astronaut Office, international crew on board. astronauts perform many kinds of Kalpana had many emotional tasks from looking into the moments with her members during her feasibility of scientific experiments journey into depths of darkness. Kept submitted for execution in space, to under strict discipline and control in the liaison with industries, laboratories, maiden mission, Kalpana had to monitor schools and colleges. They take classes, several functions of the planet, including train astronauts and man the Houston zero gravitational activities. After initial Mission Control to share their experience minor malfunctions of Payload Bay, and know how to deal with astronauts in Kalpana`s first mission was a huge trouble in space. These initial hurdle success after touchdown. Overnight stages were smoothly and effortlessly Kalpana Chawla had become a legend. passed by Kalpana Chawla, to begin her In March 1995, Kalpana joined the NASA eventful chapter while in NASA. When on Astronaut training camp at Johnson December 7, 1996, Kalpana received a Space Center at Houston. It lasted for phone call from the former Mission fourteen months and during the training, Specialist and astronaut David Leestma the participants are called `Astronaut asking her if she was interested in Candidates` (ASCANS). It is only after the working for him, she knew she had been completion of the rigorous training that selected for a space mission. Finally, her the candidates are given the Astronaut dream of a space flight would come true. designation. The astronaut training Kalpana had been selected for the Space consists of several parts. Firstly, a S h u tt l e m i s s i o n , ca l l e d S p a c e theoretical knowledge of space flight, Transportation System-87, where 87 was the Flight tail namely navigation and astronomy are imparted. Then, number. It was called `STS-87` in short. Columbia, hands-on experience with various systems of the Space named after the first American ship which circumvented Shuttle, their repair and maintenance; undergoing the earth, was the shuttle selected for the mission. It space-like conditions of vacuum and zero gravity in was due to be launched in November 1997. She was artificial simulators and even high altitude flying. selected as its Mission Specialist and Prime Robotic Arm Undergoing high acceleration conditions experienced Operator. After a lifetime of striving Kalpana knew she during take-off in flight simulators; training in the mock- would become the first Indian woman to travel in space ups of a Space Shuttle, practising various manoeuvres and her name would now be a part of Indian history. It and undergoing emergency drills. Besides, astronauts had been a long journey from Karnal into outer space. are also tested for their physical endurance, stamina and Truly, Kalpana Chawla`s journey into NASA turned survival skills in a crisis. For instance, they are dropped towards a constructive direction, the direction she had into the sea, over mountains and jungles by boats or longed for, only to create further history. aeroplanes without food and water and have to find

16 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA KALPANA CHAWLA’S FINAL SPACE MISSION Columbia accidentally broke down just 16 minutes before landing, burning and annihilating everything and everyone with it. This shocking affair though did bodily terminate Kalpana`s journey in the universe, but she shall always be remembered as that heroic lady who fought every fear to pursue her passion in the world as well as in NASA. Her brother, Sanjay Chawla, remarked "To me, my sister is not dead. She is immortal. Isn't that what a star is? She is a permanent star in the sky. She will always be up there where she belongs.” "None of our astronauts traveled a longer path to space than Kalpana Chawla," U.S. President George W. Bush said. "She left India as a student but she would see the nation of her birth, all of it, from hundreds of miles above.” “When the sad news reached her hometown," Bush said, "an administrator at her high school alpana Chawla`s final space recalled, 'She always said she mission was in association wanted to reach the stars. She went with NASA yet again, on board there and beyond.' Kalpana's native K country mourns her today and so the Space Shuttle Columbia, the one in which she made her first voyage, does her adopted land.” with flight STS-107. In spite of a first flight, she was most eager to resume a space flight, a rare among astronauts. Her mission this time however was purely scientific, with more complex work to be performed. Kalpana was assigned as the Flight Engineer and the Mission Specialist for STS-107. Her She left India as a student, experiments in space would bring about path-breaking but she would see the results for earth and its population. In 2000 Kalpana Chawla was handpicked for her second nation of her birth all of it, flight, as part of the crew of STS-107. This mission was from hundreds of miles stayed back time and again owing to scheduling conflicts and technical inconvenience, like the July 2002 above. discovery of cracks in the shuttle engine flow liners. On January 16, 2003 Kalpana eventually returned to space President George W. Bush aboard Columbia on the doomed STS-107 mission. Everything was cut short quite pathetically, when

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 17 Kalpana, you are not lost. Your dream is alive with us! Tragedy in Space U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia breaks into flames In an unprecedented space tragedy, U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia, carrying India-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and six others, broke apart in flames as it streaked over Texas towards its landing strip on Saturday, 1 February 2003, killing all seven on board. The shuttle lost contact with NASA at about 9 a.m. (19.30 hrs 1ST) as it came in for landing. It was flying at an altitude of over 200,000 feet and traveling at over 20,000 km. per hour when ground control lost contact with the shuttle. Columbia had lifted off on 16 January 2003, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. It had stayed in orbit for 16 days and the seven-member crew conducted 80 experiments before it began its downward journey, which ended in tragedy. This was Columbia's 28th space flight and the shuttle was said to be good for 100 flights.

18 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Our Heroes ! Oh ! Our Astronauts, Our Heroes ! TRIBUTE You Did Complete Wonderful Jobs ! And You Returned On Your Flight But You Disappeared In The Sky TO OUR You All Will Fly More And More High Into The Heaven Plenty Of Light Enjoy Happiness Most Delight You're Around Us, Never Die HEROES Now, You're Angel... You Can Fly.

Rick Husband William McCool Laurel Clark

Kalpana Chawla

Ilan Ramon Michael Anderson David Brown

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 19 SOME FACTS about Dr. Kalpana Chawla • The girls hostel at Punjab Engineering College, is named after Kalpana Chawla. In addition, an award of INR twenty five thousand, a medal, and a certificate is instituted for the best student in Aeronautical engineering department • NASA has dedicated a super computer to Kalpana. • Amar Chitra Katha (Immortal Illustrated Classics) has AWARDS released a comic book biography of Kalpana Chawla's Kalpana Chawla was posthumously awarded: life. • Congressional Space Medal of Honor • One of Florida Institute of Technology's student • NASA Space Flight Medal apartment complexes, Columbia Village Suites, has halls named after each of the astronauts, including • NASA Distinguished Service Medal Chawla. • Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM) • NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission has named seven peaks in a chain of hills, named the Columbia MEMORIAM Hills, after each of the seven astronauts lost in the Columbia shuttle disaster, including Chawla hill after • Asteroid 51826 Kalpana Chawla, one of seven Kalpana Chawla. citations named after the Columbia's crew • Steve Morse from the band Deep Purple created a song • On February 5, 2003, India's Prime Minister called "Contact Lost" in memory of the Columbia announced that the meteorological series of tragedy along with her interest in the band. The song satellites, "METSAT", will be renamed as can be found on the album, "Bananas". "KALPANA". The first satellite of the series, "METSAT-1", launched by India on September 12, • Kalpana Chawla has inspired several young Indians 2002 will now be known as "KALPANA-1". aspiring to be astronauts. "KALPANA-2" is expected to be launched. • First and only Indian-American in space (she was born • 74th Street in the "Little India" section of Jackson in India and became a naturalized U.S. citizen) Heights, Queens, New York City has been renamed • Selected as an astronaut in 1994; first mission in 1997, 74th Street Kalpana Chawla Way in her honour. this was her second mission • The University of Texas at Arlington (where Chawla • U.S. doctorate & M.S. in aerospace engineering and obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace B.S. in aeronautical engineering from India Engineering in 1984) opened a dormitory named • Second Indian in space, after Indian cit izen Rakesh in her honor, Kalpana Chawla Hall, in 2004. Sharma, who flew on a Soviet mission • Kalpana Chawla Award was instituted by the • One of only a handful of Asian American astronauts government of Karnataka in 2004 for young and the only South Asian Married to Frenchman Jean- women scientists Pierre Harrison, a freelance flying instructor.

20 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA KALPANA CHAWLA AS A PERSON

alpana Chawla was a strict vegetarian. On her Aeronautical Engineering for her studies at the college mission, she carried a white silk banner as part of despite the fact that the aeronautical branch of Ka worldwide campaign to honor teachers, as well engineering was not that popular at the time even with as nearly two dozen CDs, including ones by Abida men students what to talk of the girls. There were not Parveen , Yehudi Menuhin , Ravi Shankar , and Deep many openings in the area which could promise good Purple . She went to her first rock concert, a Deep Purple salaries to prospective graduates. But for Kalpana this show, in 2001 with her husband. "Kalpana is not was hardly a consideration for selecting profession to necessarily a rock music aficionado," her husband said engage herself in her life. The size of the pay cheque, of a Deep Purple show they went to in 2001. "But (she) prestige and status in society were of absolutely no nevertheless characterized the show as a 'spiritual consideration to her. She came into aerospace e x p e r i e n c e . ' " T h e engineering not because she administrator for the Hindu saw the prospect of high temple in Houston where salaries but because she had Kalpana attended when her developed a special liking for schedule permitted said "She the flying machine and had was a nice lady ... and very fallen in love with the blue pious." skies above. "Kalpana, or K.C. to her These however were not the f r i e n d s , wa s a d m i re d only qualities that Kalpana p e r s o n a l l y f o r h e r p o s s e s s e d . S h e w a s extraordinary kindness and committed and devoted to technically for her strive for her job at hand, hard perfection," he said. "She working, ever aspiring to had a terrific sense of humor higher performance, soft and loved flying small spoken, honest and truthful, airplanes with her husband ever smiling, unassuming, and loved flying in space. always ready to help others, Flying was her passion. She sacrificing and caring. You would often remind her crew as her training would be name any desirable trait and delayed and become extended, she would say, 'Man, you will find it manifest in the person of Kalpana Chawla. you are training to fly in space. What more could you As an example of her honesty and love for truth, here are want?'" Kalpana Chawla was a motivated person who some factual instances related to her life. made an impression on others. 1) When she had been selected to go on board the Kalpana was beyond doubt a person with a peculiar shuttle mission STS-107, she wrote to the Administrator independence of mind, strong determination and great Chandigarh who was also the Governor of Punjab, will power. These qualities were easily discernable from informing him that she was due to go on a space mission the way she went ahead to select the discipline of and that she would like to carry with her, a memorabilia

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 21 of the city of Chandigarh where she had stayed for four we all are proud of. years during her studies at the Punjab Engineering Here are a few other things her friends knew Kalpana College. The Administration was greatly moved by her was able to live up to: affectionate remembrance of the city and immediately Buy paper products made from recycled paper. requested the local College of Architecture to design mRe-use old paper for writing notes. and prepare a suitable memento for the purpose. When mHave cloth towels handy (and thus use fewer paper the design was ready it was thought that it would be very towels). useful for inspiring the future student community to be m exposed to it later after the completion of Kalpana's Don't buy “overly packaged” or already prepared space mission, It was therefore thought that Kalpana foods-spend quality time cooking with the family. should be requested to return this banner with a mUse old calendars, maps and magazines for message to the future students. Consequently they took wrapping paper (you can be quite creative). the liberty of drafting a message and sent it to her for mIn the winter, keep homes heated to a lower approval. In reply she had very politely said that though the message was superb but it would not be ethical for temperature and wear more sweaters. her to put her signatures on it because she had not mIn the summer, allow homes to stay at a higher written it. Instead she sent her own version of the temperature so the air conditioner cycles on less message to be put on the banner. That was the extent of frequently; wear cotton and go barefoot. her unflinching concern for truth and ethics. 2) As an mDon't use electric appliances unless needed-let your example of her readiness to help others , when she was hair dry naturally get a great workout using a push studying at the P.E.C. Chandigarh she used to save some part of her money received from her parents to pay for mower, and don't iron clothes that are just slightly the fees of needy students. This aspect of hers was seen wrinkled! by the whole world on the T.V. when during the flight STS mDon't use a clothes dryer….in good weather, hang 107 she volunteered to forego her rest time so as to your laundry outside and it will smell fresh and complete an experiment for which the earmarked flight lovely…. In rainy or cold weather hang it inside (on time had expired. That was the extent of her devotion to work. hangers, on a closet pole) and it will contribute to 3) Her devotion to the job at hand was so great that she humidity to make the house more comfortable! always wanted to devote maximum time to it. When she mRe-use old containers, especially water bottles. was at the P.E.C during her undergraduate studies, her mRecycle! Deliver paper, glass and plastic to the city professor once handed over to her class in 1982, a recycling collection station. proforma containing some questions to be answered to m serve as a feed back to him as to how the students Don't eat “fast food,” not only for its ecological cost themselves felt about their performance in a test that he (read “Fast Food Nation” for all the facts), but also had given to them in the subject that he was teaching for the cost of debasement of human lives. them. Kalpana's responses were very interesting and mCarry a cloth bag in your car for purchases. special. She had then said that she was not completely mBuy local produce and products whenever possible, satisfied by her performance in the test and felt she to cut down on transportation of goods. could do better if she had been able to devote more time m to contemplate on the subject in the hostel. These are Buy in bulk and save money. some instances to demonstrate just a few of the great mEat lower on the food chain. qualities of head and heart of this special girl for which 22 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Kalpana was a vegetarian eating lower on the food aerospace engineering. The department chair kept chain. This requires fewer resources to produce trying to channel me into electrical or mechanical, and I sufficient nutrients for each person. For example, the thought this is weird, why is he trying to do that?" National park Service has estimated that in the United Finally, the professor got the message that she was States 2500 gallons of water are needed to produce a determined to pursue aerospace engineering, and he pound of beef, compared to 25 gallons needed for a pound of wheat. A feedlot-raised cow requires grain, hay and water, and complex cleaning of the environment to remove waste products. This puts a strain on already limited Western water rights and availability, as well as contributing to water contamination and acid rain. Overgrazing by livestock causes soil compaction and erosion, leading to a loss in water storage capacity. Kalpana always believed in the power of women. She believed that mothers, even those living in a traditional society, can make things easier for their daughters by not pressing them to conform to society's norms. Says Chawla: "I think I wouldn't even call my mom conservative, though she is from a conservative family, and I think everyone thinks of her that way. But as far back as I can remember, she's always said that you really must do what pleases you." Kalpana continued her association with her school in Karnal. On her first space flight in 1997, she asked the school to send a T-shirt to carry with her as a souvenir. In 1998 the International Space School Foundation at NASA asked Kalpana to suggest some Indian students for would tell his other students, all males, "She's here a Kalpana continued her association with her school in because this is what she wants to do." She adds, "That's Karnal. Namita Alung and Sanpreet Kaur, who were the message I'd want to give other women: do selected for the programme, fondly remember Kalpana something because you really want to do it. So even if it didi. Sanpreet recalls, "When we were at NASA, I was is a goal which is not necessarily within reach--it may be sick of eating American food. One daya Kalpana didi took something which only a handful can do--but if you really us home and cooked chole, aloo gobi and paranthas." like what you do, then you've never really lost anything. "To be with her was an experience of a lifetime and we But if you're doing it just for the goal, and don't enjoy the carefully heard every word she said," the girls said. path, then I think you're cheating yourself. Kalpana Chawla had successfully blended her Indian values with her Western education. She didn't have any "Do something because you really want to do it. If role models in the workplace while growing up, so how you're doing it just for the goal, and don't enjoy the did she believe enough in herself to go in for something path, then I think you're cheating yourself.” which was considered totally a man's job? She says, "I honestly didn't think of it that way. When I joined —Dr. Kalpana Chawla engineering, there were only seven girls in the whole engineering college. I was the first girl to go into

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 23 KALPANA'S HABITS

the latter option. Once again the drainage in her bathroom choked up and the investigation by the plumber revealed that the old trees in the backyard had sent too many roots that had entered the drainage pipe and the advise was to cut the trees around to avoid the problem. Kalpana said 'No Ways'. Kalpana was so particular about personal hygiene, that she would hand wash her own clothes in the hostel bathroom, not on the floor but using the walls as the floor was too unclean. She would not eat in the hostel canteen but cook her own food in the tiny little cubicle that she had in the hostel even though it meant using her precious time out of studies for buying veggies and cooking. Her friends and acquaintances from those days in Chandigarh recall Kalpana biking towards the hostel with veggies from a vendor on her bicycle- unmindful of what her peers might think of this.

alpana simply loved gardening and flower Even as a kid, she loved Nature and solitude. When the arrangements. She had designed the backyard entire household would be asleep in the mornings, she and frontyard with almost 40 kinds of different would sneak out on her bicycle into the wilderness K around. The younger cousins loved her as she would at flower beds in her Karnal's house. Perhaps her house had the maximum no of types of flowers in the whole times let them also accompany her for little makebelieve city. She would not pluck young flowers from the plants adventures into the unknown. and would look for flowers that were about to fall off in Kalpana was never like other girls of her age spending any case. She would every year, before the winters, send money on clothes, accessories etc. She cut her own hair an elaborate drawing of the backyard showing the till she got her first job at NASA Ames. As she felt it was a shapes of the flower beds and the type of flowers that waste of money to pay somebody just for cutting your would be planted. And once the season was over, would hair. daintily save the flower seeds for the next season, wrap them up, neatly label them and store them - despite her Her clothes lasted her forever as she did not discard various other preoccupations then such as reading, them just because they were old fashioned. The simple learning Karate and of course studying for her degree. solution she found was not to buy what was in fashion as that would surely go out of fashion. She went to U.S. for further studies, but her genuine concern for nature remained alive there also. When she Even after she started earning, she would rather repair bought a house after being assigned for the second her shoes than buy new ones even though that would mission in late 2001, the insurance company eventually cost her more. She had a very solid reason for that; she asked her to get rid of some trees that were bending too did not want to take from mother earth for her survival dangerously towards the roof of the house or else be more than was absolutely essential. willing to pay a higher premium. As expected, she chose

24 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA FATHER DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP

alpana, daughter of Banarasi Lal Chawla was very much like her father. Kalpana's father Kwas forced to flee his home (now in Pakistan) during the Partition; he had seen the worst. When he came to India with his large family and settled in Karnal, Haryana, he worked hard to establish himself. It is evident that Kalpana acquired his attitude of never giving up and not knowing failure. "People were packed into the open wagons from 8am like potatoes. Hardly had it moved a few 'The Odyssey of the Chawlas” kilometres than the train was stopped at Shahdra, On February 1, just 16 minutes before the Columbia on the outskirts of Lahore. While my family, space shuttle was to make its scheduled including my mother, was sitting inside the wagon, I touchdown at the end of its 28th mission, it had to be content with a perch on top of a joint exploded over Texas, at a height of 200,000 feet. between two wagons. That is where I got a place." Lost in that explosion were seven lives, including As the warm morning made way for a blistering hot that of Kalpana Chawla, 42 -- a horrific end to a life noon and faded to evening, people began a that had its genesis in horror of a quite different desperate search for water. Food, by then, was a kind. luxury not even thought of. Chawla joined hundreds It was sultry, and dark, on an August evening in 1947 of other men, women and children lining up to sip when Banarsi Lal Chawla, then 14, lay on a railway the dirty water that had filled the pits near the track track, thirsty, hungry, unconscious, and bleeding. -- water from the rains the day before. Around him, open coal wagons echoed with the He then returned to his perch, and that is all he cries of children, most of whom were living the final recalls. Around 10pm, his uncle found Chawla hours of their lives. unconscious, precariously close to the wagon wheel -- he had fallen off his perch in his stupor. Chawla remembers that day in August 1947, when a fifth of the world's population was convulsed by His uncle took him to yet another pit, gave him Partition and forced to flee their homes. more dirty water to drink, and washed the deep

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 25 gash in the same water. Chawla returned to his her parents, especially that of Banarasi Lal Chawla, perch, his feet dangling down the side of the who landed in the wilderness of Karnal a few days wagon's cabled joint, and continued his vigil along after August 15. with several hundred others. Chawla's father had been awaiting his family for As night progressed, a mob that had gathered days at the Amritsar railway station. It was a began firing, with the intent of avenging itself for hopeless wait, since a group of refugees from the killing of Muslims in India. One bullet whistled Lahore had told him that his children and brother past Chawla, brushing his ears. That hiss, of death had been killed. Later, he was told they were alive -- passing within inches, remains a landmark sound and he did not know what to believe. among the many that comprise the noisy, eventful, On August 18, at about 2am, when the open coal maverick life that Chawla went on to lead. wagons sidled into Amritsar carrying hundreds of He was 14 then -- and it was not even his first brush refugees, many of them dead, Chawla was into his with death. sixth day of waiting. The family, now reunited, took A few days earlier, as news of the massacres of a train leaving for Delhi, then the ultimate Hindus in Pakistani villages began pouring in, destination for the millions of refugees fleeing Chawla, his mother, two brothers, and a sister had Pakistan. moved to Choorkana Mandi from their village The Chawlas -- the extended family at this point Shehupura. With his father away in Bikaner on numbered 20 -- did not go all the way, but preferred work, it was left to Chawla to lead the family's to hop off at Karnal in Haryana, some 130 exodus from their ancestral village. kilometres from Old Delhi. Despite moving to the safety of his uncle's house in The family moved into the first available vacant Choorkana Mandi, Chawla couldn't get over the building: a mosque approximately 15x18 feet, with thought of his cattle, which were left unattended in no doors and just a dirty well in one corner. Chawla the village. So he coerced his uncle to accompany and his father set out to seek food. him to their village to rescue the cattle. En route, an Chawla recalls cleaning up the 60-foot well and acquaintance met them and warned of mass searching for a job, while his father teamed up with killings, and pleaded with them to go back. a relative and set up a small shop. However, the Chawla's uncle sent the boy back and went forward strain told on the elder Chawla, who fell ill a few on his own. He never returned. months after the family settled down in Karnal. "I was saved because I returned to town," Chawla For Chawla junior, that was when life began in recalls, with little show of visible emotion as he earnest. talks of a past that changed his life forever. Chawla's He remembers his first job, as an attendant in a exodus from the dusty outskirts of Lahore into shop that sold chutney and such. "I was to carry the northern India where he rebuilt his life was to peak big chutney containers from the rear of the shop to when his daughter Kalpana became an astronaut. the front when customers required it. On my first Chawla saw Kalpana's achievement as vindication, day on the job, a big jar fell from my hand and broke. as the final sign that the wounds of Partition had I was fired." healed. When he talks of those days, he is emotionless -- it is Kalpana's story is incomplete without the story of almost as if, having seen it all, having endured it all,

26 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA he can no longer be roused by mere memories. baby of the family, Kalpana, in 1961. His next job was as an assistant in what was then Sunita remembers the box-manufacturing shop. Karnal's only automobile workshop (the town, in "The shop was there till I was in class 8," Sunita, who fact, had only a couple of motor vehicles), on a went on to secure a master's degree from Punjab lordly salary of Rs 10 a month. University with a gold medal, recalls. He worked eight months without receiving a naya Chawla tried his hand at running a textile shop in paisa. On the eve of Diwali, Chawla asked his partnership, but that did not last long. The employer for his salary. He remembers the disdain experience, however, helped him set up an on the face of the man as he thrust a Rs 5 note into exclusive showroom of Binny Textiles, which his hand. "I didn't take the money. I ran away dominated India's retail textile market before crying," Chawla recalls. Dhirubhai Ambani came on the scene with Amidst such gratuitous cruelty came brief moments Reliance. of respite -- a colleague in the garage, for instance, The Binny's showroom was a major success, and gave him Rs 5 to buy new clothes. Chawla admits earning "much beyond my Chawla's restless mind hit upon an idea: to expectations". It was during this period that Chawla manufacture small and cheap metal boxes for bought a secondhand scooter for himself -- a rarity storage. He started making three to four boxes each in Karnal. day, an endeavour that fetched him around 10 A tyre burst, one day -- and again, the seemingly annas. innocuous incident was to prove a turning point in After some months, he gave up box-making and the saga of the Chawlas. started selling soap. "I carried them on my head, "I went to Punjab for a new tyre. But they said it was and went around the locality, " Chawla recalls. But not available," Chawla recalls. He asked his younger when that too failed to click, he shifted to selling brother, who was staying in Delhi, to get him one, groundnuts and, later, dates. but failed again. Finally, Chawla went to Delhi and He wouldn't give up -- that was not in his nature. began scouting the capital's markets for a new Chawla moved on to selling toffee at Karnal station, scooter tyre. his customers the refugees who continued to pour Near Gurdwara Rakabganj, Chawla finally found in from across the border. someone who could get him a new tyre, but on two It was then that he finally found his niche -- Chawla conditions: he had to deposit the amount in went back to making boxes, this time for the hordes advance, and wait for a few days. It was weeks of refugees who had thronged Karnal with nothing before Chawla finally managed to procure the tyre to store the rations the government was he needed. distributing. He began selling five to 10 boxes a day, Most people, in such situations, would have fumed. and the business boomed as shops too began Chawla, tempered by his trials, pondered the demanding his wares. shortage of tyres in Indian markets, then Shortly thereafter, he married Sanjogta Kharbanda, dominated by foreign brands such as Goodyear and the educated daughter of a doctor who, too, had Dunlop. fled the horrors of Partition. As the business "Immediately after returning to Karnal, I advertised prospered, the family expanded -- daughters Sunita for people with the technical knowhow of tyre and Deepa came first, then son Sanjay, then the manufacturing." Many applied, fully as many

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 27 scoffed at his idea of setting up a tyre- Son Sanjay joined the Karnal flying school, and manufacturing plant with self-designed machinery Kalpana, engineering classes. Ironically, by then and told him only international companies could do Chawla was so busy he was unaware his youngest it. daughter had opted for aeronautical engineering -- Chawla, however, found two young engineers of no use to the owner of a flourishing tyre willing to buy into his quixotic idea -- and that was business. "I thought my son and Kalpana would join the genesis of Super Tyres. me in the business," Chawla recalls. The new factory was located a few kilometres from During a break from studies, Kalpana accompanied Karnal, on the road to Delhi. "After about one and a her brother to flight school, but the authorities half years, when the machines were being demanded she get the written consent of her assembled, both the engineers left the job." guardian. Chawla refused consent. As Sunita remembers it, Sanjay was to give Kalpana some By then, Chawla had sunk all his money into the valuable advice: "Everyone fights their own project, his children were growing up, and he was battles." out of funds. Chawla was in the US when Kalpana learnt that she His younger brother came visiting from Delhi. "Your had topped Punjab University in the engineering ship is sinking," the brother said. "When the ship finals, and was offered a job in her own college. But sinks, the captain also goes with it," Chawla she had already begun applying to several responded. American universities, and was accepted by the The younger brother returned, in tears, to Delhi -- University of Texas for a master's in aeronautical then called his brother and told him to go ahead engineering. and not worry about the money. With his brother's Her father was away and in the male-dominated support and his family's backing, Chawla pushed household, no one else could take a decision. So ahead. He hired new engineers, continued Kalpana went back to Punjab Engineering College designing machinery, and refused to give up when and took up a teaching job. the early prototypes failed. "I returned after two months and reached Karnal Finally, in 1969, Chawla's machines began late one evening," Chawla recalls. "Kalpana was functioning. supposed to be home, but she wasn't. I asked about Chawla believes his was the first company in Asia her. She is in Chandigarh, I was told. And then, that produced tyres with "indigenous technology". someone said, anyway why are you asking? You Whatever the merit of that belief, Super Tyres don't have time for her." began cutting into the market share of the majors. It triggered a family revolt, with his wife, whom Meanwhile, his children were growing up, and Chawla calls “liberal and advanced” and the three proving to be intelligent. In fact, Chawla saw elder children ganging up on behalf of their baby of nothing special about Kalpana, in that respect -- the household. eldest daughter Sunita is a gold medallist from "I asked them what she was doing in Chandigarh. Punjab University. They said, why don't you go and find out?" Chawla by then was leading a hectic life, travelling Early next morning, on August 26, Chawla reached extensively within India and outside, visiting his Kalpana's hostel in Chandigarh, but she wasn't offices around India and attending tyre exhibitions there. So he went to the college to visit the in Europe and the US.

28 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA principal, whom he knew. "Yes. I will go on my own money," Kalpana replied. "Chawla, you have only money, nothing else," the "You can do that, but I can fund you, as well," principal said, and told the astonished father about Chawla said. how brilliant Kalpana was, and that time was "Anyway, now I can only go next year," his dejected running out if she was to get into a US college. daughter said. "I have no passport, no visa, Chawla and the principal walked over to where nothing." Kalpana was taking classes. "She was writing on the blackboard, with her back to the class. After a while, If his life had taught him one thing, it was to never she turned, wiping the chalk dust off her hands, and give up. Do you want to go this year, Chawla asked as she turned, she saw me. his daughter. Yes, Kalpana said. “She walked up to me in tears and said, Papa, you "Then come with me," he said, telling her to resign have destroyed my career. You never have time for from her job that instant. me." Kalpana was reluctant, fearing that her father The date was August 26 -- and the last date for would force her to join Super Tyres. "She thought I admission to Texas was the 31st of that month. was trying to trick her into coming back to Karnal, Kalpana had no passport, no visa, no tickets, and once there, I wouldn't let her leave," Chawla nothing. recalls. Chawla cried, tears of genuine distress. And Pulling every string he knew, drawing on all his through his tears he asked his daughter, "Do you accumulated goodwill, Chawla got his daughter's want to go to the US?" passport the same day. A day later, the visa was

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 29 organised. On August 28, Kalpana, accompanied by Nirmal Kutiya continues to be run by his disciples, brother Sanjay, boarded a British Airways flight at providing succour to Karnal's poor. midnight. "My mother was old and weak, but she would work The story was to take another twist, when the flight several hours with my father, preparing rotis for the was first delayed, then cancelled. poor," Chawla says. When she died, over 10,000 people -- many of whom had eaten the food she The Chawla family, which had gone to see Kalpana had so lovingly prepared -- turned up for her off, was in tears. But Chawla, even then, did not funeral. know the meaning of failure. He began calling friends in the US, and finally arranged for Kalpana to The family tradition of serving society is now being be admitted behind schedule -- in fact, the carried on by Chawla's younger brother, Amrit university even organised a pickup for Kalpana and Chand Chawla. The industrialist from Mumbai has her brother from the airport. left his factory to managers and spends his time in Karnal, where he runs a well-furnished old age home for some 160 people, and a school where around 2,000 poor children are provided education and basic necessities free. He also provides some 700 poor families a monthly allowance to meet their needs. Meanwhile, a second generation was growing up -- and taking inspiration from Kalpana's odyssey from Karnal to outer space. Megha, a standard five student, told this correspondent shortly before Kalpana took off on what was to be her last voyage, that she wanted to be an astronaut like her aunt. Shortly before Kalpana took off on her ill-fated last flight her father, now deeply into religion, Till the evening of Saturday, February 1, the story philosophized about his youngest daughter's was pure Horatio Alger -- a man who survived achievements. Good things happen in families untold horrors and went on to make a fortune; and where good people are born," he said. his daughter who, against the odds, went on to make her name in one of the most challenging of He recalled how, when his father Lala Labhamal was careers. around 45 years old and still struggling to establish himself after the trauma of Partition, he met a guru Today, that daughter's life, her achievements, and became his disciple. He built a matth in Karnal ended in a fireball that destroyed her spacecraft. and ran it till he was 85. He died in 1997 -- the same And left behind, by that explosion, is an old man year that Kalpana took off on her maiden space who, finally, finds a tragedy too great for even his sojourn. innate stoicism to withstand.

30 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA FATHER SPEAKS ABOUT HIS BRAVE DAUGHTER "THE PATH FROM DREAMS TO SUCCESS DOES EXIST. MAY YOU HAVE THE VISION TO FIND IT, THE COURAGE TO GET ON TO IT, AND THE PERSEVERANCE TO FOLLOW IT?” alpana could say this with so much would be carried away by the earnestness shown conviction because she herself had lived by my father and in order to retain good students, Kout this path. he would accept for us to continue to pay a very Traits such as curiosity, adventure, fun and minimal amount. God bless his soul! As you can complete belief in fond dreams are usually imagine the consequences if he had not agreed to associated with children. Growing up, most adults waive off the fees. lose these qualities and in short change themselves Perhaps in this incident, one can trace Kalpana's going through life with an occasional long sigh. wish to support students who are desirous of Kalpana retained them and lived life to the fullest. getting education but can not afford it. Mind you Kalpana, my daughter was the youngest of four my friends, this is different than supporting siblings in a joint household of about 16 members education of the poor! with a total family income of perhaps less than Kalpana, a small-town girl dared to dream big and 1000 Rupees per month at that time. As a result had the self-belief to chase that dream. She chased she was enrolled at the age of 3 in school where it half way across the globe, caught up with it and already 6 children from our household were then, lived it. getting their education. But it was not an easy path. At the young age of just Not many people know and the media doesn't sixteen, she dared to choose 'aeronautical branch' care to report that this School was just a small four in Engineering degree course at Panjab Engineering room school with less than 100 students in total college, Chandigarh; becoming the first girl student and where 2 classes were held in one room at the in this subject in that college, while all her girl same time. friends followed the more traditional degrees like My father would every year visit the principal in Medicine, arts etc; needless to say, in the face of every new session to plead that we could not opposition from all around. afford to pay the annual increase in the tuition fee P.E.C. did not have a girls Hostel at that time but she for 7 children which at that time amounted to a did not let that deter her. She practically lived out of royal sum of 5 rupees. Every year the Principal a small suitcase for those 4 years shifting endless

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 31 times from one hostel to another where she could find a place for a few weeks. While simultaneously following her other hobbies like biking, learning karate, extensive reading, nature walks, flower arrangements, writing for the college magazine, participating in college debates, stamp collection, stone collection etc, she let her academic performance argue her case to one and all. She did not let my refusal to sign as guardian authorizing her to learn flying when she was still in India, stop her from secretly harboring the desire and started learning flying planes as soon as she could when she reached the United States. Along with her academic pursuit of her Masters and Doctorate, she was also learning flying various kinds of small planes. At only five-feet three inches tall, my daughter had the challenge of her feet reaching the pedals of the plane while keeping good visual of the runway. As a result, extra cushions were a permanent feature in her car. She paid for her flying lessons out of the scholarship money that she got for her Masters at Arlington university, Texas and later for her Doctorate at Colarado University at Boulder. She eventually became a certified flying instructor. As she said, this way you could afford to fly different kinds of small planes into different kinds of small airports all over US, while teaching flying. My daughter Kalpana lived an absolutely simple life-style with no frills whatsoever despite various kinds of peer pressure, expectations of her

32 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA family from India and her friends and colleagues in Tagore school, P.E.C and the administatration of US. She believed in taking only the absolutely Chandigarh requesting for mementos to be carried essential from mother earth for her needs. She onboard the shuttle as a mark of her respect and remained vegetarian all her life not because of any gratitude. religious or cultural beliefs but because she Before her second flight when National science believed that it was more eco-friendly to be a centre, Delhi asked her about what kind of vegetarian. memento she would prefer, she suggested In an interview when she was asked: 'You hold something that would honour the profession of Certificated Flight Instructor's license and teachers the world over, in order to draw the Commercial Pilot's licenses for single- and multi- attention of the world on the very important and engine land airplanes and single-engine seaplanes, transformative influence the teachers played in the instrument rating and Private Glider. How do you intellectual growth of the students. maintain all of these licenses?' she responded by She arranged for students from her old school in saying, ''It's very expensive. I have a very cheap India to come and visit NASA and even hosted them lifestyle in everything else. I hope NASA doesn't find at her home. out about the car I drive''. She loved nature with all its manifestations, the Kalpana my daughter supported short hair and earth, the stars, the sky, the forests, the rivers, the wore jeans even when she lived in India, before she birds the wild life, the insects and the butterflies. set abroad as a part of her general, no nonsense She felt completely at ease in a forest by herself, or attitude. In her life she translated that, as being on the mountains or high in the sky while flying focused on what matters most and disregard the small planes. inconsequential. In the high school, as a part of science project, she You see, my daughter just gently refused to be made huge, colourful charts and models depicting 'mainstreamed' whether it was in the life style the sky and stars. A globe, a World map and a sky (fancy gadgets, dishwashers, household Globe were the most cherished possessions in her accessories, flashy cars) or the individual thinking home or in her office. (following the ever changing current fads or any gurus present or past). My daughter was very modest about her accomplishments. When attention was drawn to She drew lot of support from a very small group of her about her being the first Indian woman close friends and her college professors. While Astronaut, she replied, '' There are hundreds of continuously widening her circle of friends and scientists and engineers who work for years and associates over next 20 years of her hectic and months on some of the experiments and on the adventurous life in the United states pursuing shuttle systems. We are lucky that we get to fly higher education, career and eventually her dream them.'' And '' God has given all of us two hands and job as an astronaut, she continued to remain in two legs and a brain and I do the best that I can'' close touch with them. She knew well that Indians, whether in India or She felt indebted for the contribution of her America, had a special place in their hearts for her. teachers and therefore, when she was assigned to She gave that place her respect, but never used it to her first space flight in 1997 as Mission specialist in- further any agenda. When some blamed her for a charge of Micro gravity experiments, she contacted

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 33 botched experiment on her first flight, she didn't It's so natural, it's not anything special. cry racism, call Indian-American dailies or hold a On the tenth or eleventh day, I wanted to do one full press conference. She just went on doing her job. pass and sit by the door and watch the earth. Doing My daughter simply revelled in multi ethnic that was mind boggling. It really instilled this huge environments. She lived her multiculturalism with sense of how small earth is. An hour and a half and I grace and dignity. During the first mission STS 97, could go around it. I could do all of the math and she had two white Americans, one black logic for why this was, but in the big picture the American, one Japanese and one Ukranian as crew thing that stayed with me is this place is very small. I members. All of them had to do 80 hours of Russian felt that every person needs to experience this language course besides their usual rigorous because maybe we would take better care of this training for the mission so that they could speak a place. This planet below you is our campsite and little bit of Russian to be able to communicate you know of no other campground. I didn't think during the training and the mission. this view would be something so philosophical-I In a published interview she has explained why she thought I would just go around and see the went to US and her Philosophy of life: “In the back continents and the oceans, but it was much more of my mind I knew that the US would have more than that.'' airplanes than we would at home. It was very In another interview she said "We are all campers simple. It was so simple that I had my own definition together on this earth--just not in the same tent at of what a flight engineer would be. This person flew the same time”. When asked about a message for and fixed problems in the airplane while flying.” young children by a correspondent from India “When I got to engineering school I realized that a Today on the eve of her second mission, she said, flight engineer doesn't fly, he just sits and navigates. ''take care of our fragile planet''. [Deciding to come to the US] was more of a concept When asked how did she get inspired in life, her sort of thing: this is what I really want to do. In the reply was: ''I am in general inspired by explorers. meantime, I had fun [studying aerospace Different times during my life I've read books. More engineering]; it wasn't boring. I like to tell people recently, say about Shackleton, the four or five that now because I know people who want to be books written by people in more recent times, and astronauts who sort of suffer through their course then during the expedition. And then some of the work. I say that enjoying what you are doing now is incredible feats these people carried out; like the most important thing. It is important to me to making [it] to the Pole almost, but making the wise work hard and have fun doing it. When I came to decision to stop a hundred miles short and return. Colorado for my Ph.D, I was first directed to work in Lewis and Clark's incredible journey across America combustion, but I really didn't enjoy it. I talked with to find a route to water, if one existed. And, the Dr. Chow [her thesis advisor] if I could work with perseverance and incredible courage with which him, so I switched back into aerospace.'' they carried it out. Patty Wagstaff. You know, she On being asked about her experience of the Space started out kind of late flying aerobatic airplanes. flight, she said: And then had the where-with-all to say that she was going to take part in the championships. And then, ''The only thing I feel is my thoughts. There is became an unlimited U.S. champion three times in nothing else touching me, telling me I have limbs. a row. And, that's not men's or women's; that's The

34 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA Champion. There are so many people out there that one of us can attain with determination and just how they have done some incredible things. dedication. And how they inspire. You know, in explorers, Peter Her example will inspire the young to believe in Matthiessen and how he has explored the whole themselves and set up such high goals and strive world and chronicled life, animals and birds as they hard to attain them. It will act as a reminder to the exist. And, he's done it by simply walking on his feet. parents to encourage and support their children in You know, across [the] Himalayas. Across Africa. achieving seemingly impossible goals, irrespective When I read about these people, I think the one of whether the child is a boy or a girl. thing that just stands out is their perseverance in how they carried out what they wished to carry Next generation must carry Kalpana Chawla's out.'' torch, the torch for the quest of knowledge handed over to them. My dear friends, Kalpana through her life has proved that there aren't any shortcuts to stars (literally and figuratively) without perseverance. She has demonstrated what youth can achieve, what women are capable of, what each and every

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 35 IMPORTANT QUOTES BY KALPANA CHAWLA

“Do something because you really want to do it. If you're doing it just for the goal and don't “I never thought while pursuing my studies or doing enjoy the path, then I think you're cheating anything else about being a woman, I am a person from yourself.” a small city, or a different country. I pretty much had my dreams, like anybody else and I followed them. People around me fortunately always encouraged and said "if that's what you want to do, carry on".”

“It was starting to get dim outside, so you got to see your own reflection. And there is the Earth and you can still see the Earth's surface “Just looking at Earth, looking at the stars during the and the dark sky overhead. And I could then night part of Earth; just looking at our planet roll by and see my reflection in the window and in the the speed at which it goes by and the awe that it retina of my eye the whole earth and the sky inspires; just so many such good thoughts come to your could be seen reflected. So I called all the mind when you see all that... Doing it again is like living a crew members one by one and they saw it, dream a good dream once again.” and they said, "Oh, wow."

“When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”

36 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA KALPANA CHAWLA AS A POETESS

ON OCTOBER 27, 1980 KALPANA CHAWLA WROTE A POEM TO HER FRIEND, WHICH SHE TITLED 'TOWARD THE GOAL'. REDIFF.COM REPRODUCES THE POEM AS A TRIBUTE TO T H E BRAVE ASTRONAUT.

Dive deep down An aim awaits Pearls peep For your hands to reach Just yours For years, decades and ages A door lies locked A pearl in the shell A secret in the brain Open it Break it Reveal it A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 37 KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2010 LIST OF HIGH ACHIEVERS TROPHY AWARDEES (CBSE)

S.NO. NAME OF STUDENT NAME OF SCHOOL % 1. Diksha Gupta Maheshwari Girls Public School 97.00% 2. Anukriti Gupta Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 96.80% 3. Prerna Agarwal Maheshwari Girls Public School 96.70% 4. Kanika Bindal Maheshwari Girls Public School 96.70% 5. Richa Gupta Maheshwari Girls Public School 96.50% 6. Chitrangada Shekhawat Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 95.80% 7. Nishtha Janu Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.80% 8. Tanya Choudhary Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 95.60% 9. Palak Jain Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 95.60% 10. Kanika Khetan Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.50% 11. Archita Juneja Candlewick Public School 95.40% 12. Srishti Garg Subodh Public School 95.40% 13. Monam Agarwal Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.30% 14. Isha Bali Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.30% 15. Mansi Singhal Subodh Public School 95.20% 16. Geetika Garg Step By Step High School 95.20% 17. Somya Mathur Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 95.20% 18. Priya Agarwal Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 95.20% 19. Apoorva Mittal Subodh Public School 95.00% 20. Ishana Shekhawat Step By Step High School 95.00% 21. Anisha Gupta St. Anselm's Pink City Sr.Sec. School 95.00% 22. Kalpana Rajotia Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.00% 23. Swati Gupta Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.00% 24. Sakshi Gupta Maheshwari Girls Public School 95.00% 25. Lavina Chandwani Maheshwari Girls Public School 94.80% 26. Narayani Gupta Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 94.60% 27. Saloni Kapoor Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 94.60% 28. Deepali Kumawat Maheshwari Girls Public School 94.50% 29. Saumya Gupta Maheshwari Girls Public School 94.50% 30. Aditi Pareek Maheshwari Girls Public School 94.50% 31. Disha Bangard Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 94.40% 32. Sakshi Khandelwal Maheshwari Girls Public School 94.20% 33. Kuntal Panwar Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 94.20% 34. Saloni Sharma Ryan International School 94.20% 35. Praneet Kaur Saint Soldier Public School 94.20% 36. Ravina saini Step By Step High School 94.00% 37. Gurbeet Sandhu Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 94.00% 38. Ishita Paliwal Ryan International School 94.00% 39. Himalini Sharma Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 93.80% 40. Nidhi Kabra Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.80% 41. Swasti Gupta St. Xavier's Sr. Sec. School 93.60% 42. Tanisha Kalra Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 93.60% 43. Nikunj Shekhawat Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 93.60% 44. Bhumika Maheshwari Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.50% 45. Priyanka Sharma Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 93.40% 46. Sucharita Charaya Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 93.40% 47. Komal Sharma Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.33% 48. Nehal Singhal India International School 93.30% 49. Aishwarya Sharma Subodh Public School 93.20% 50. Gazal Dandia Sant. Edmund's School 93.20% 51. Varsha Maheshwari Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.16% 52. Sonal Sharma Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.16% 53. Nikita Goyal India International School 93.16% 54. Rakshita Vijay Subodh Public School 93.00% 55. Bhavini Bargotya St. Xavier's Sr. Sec. School 93.00% 56. Mansi Malhotra Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 93.00% 57. Yashasir Panday India International School 93.00% 58. Prachi Maheshwari Maheshwari Girls Public School 93.00% 59. Ruchi Jain Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.83% 60. Raveena Dhingra India International School 92.83%

38 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA 61. Somya Dhamiji India International School 92.83% 62. Anjoori Joshi Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 92.80% 63. Ria jain Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 92.80% 64. Anchal Sharma Ryan International School 92.80% 65. Pushpinder Kaur Saint Soldier Public School 92.80% 66. Prachi Kedia Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.67% 67. Mallika Chaudhary India International School 92.66% 68. Anamika Yadav Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 92.60% 69. Kausha Sharma Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 92.60% 70. Ranu Mehta Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 92.60% 71. Shwetakshi Singh Sant. Edmund's School 92.60% 72. Chirpi Agarwal Candlewick Public School 92.60% 73. Tarushree Gupta Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 92.40% 74. Raveena Khanwani Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.33% 75. Nidhi Choudhary Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.33% 76. Rashmi Jain Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.33% 77. Shilpi Gupta Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 92.20% 78. Mahima Rungta Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 92.20% 79. Roshni Jain Maheshwari Girls Public School 92.16% 80. Shraddha Sharma Jaipur School 92.06% 81. Jaishree Khandelwal Mahaveer Public School 92.05% 82. Akshara Goyal St. Xavier's Sr. Sec. School 92.00% 83. Neha Sharma Kendriya Vidayalaya No:1 92.00% 84. Neha Sharma St.Angela Sophia Sr. Sec. School 92.00% 85. Ankita Saxena Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 92.00% 86. Ragini Singh Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 91.80% 87. Varsha Choudhary India International School 91.80% 88. Megha Gupta Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 91.80% 89. Kriti soni Ryan International School 91.80% 90. Ankita Jain Subodh Public School 91.80% 91. Aditi Agarwal Maheshwari Girls Public School 91.66% 92. Anukriti kabra St.Angela Sophia Sr. Sec. School 91.66% 93. Alisha Goyal Step By Step High School 91.60% 94. Shefali Dusad St.Angela Sophia Sr. Sec. School 91.60% 95. Nupur Bansal Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 91.60% 96. Apurva Swarnakar St. Edmund's School 91.60% 97. Vasudha Sharda Maheshwari Girls Public School 91.50% 98. Sonia Jamtani Mahaveer Public School 91.50% 99. Seepe Jain Maheshwari Girls Public School 91.40% 100. Nandini Badaya Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya 91.40% 101. Aditi Panwar Bright Land Girls Sr. Sec. School 91.40% 102. Sneha Rahar Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School 91.40% 103. Sejal Daga MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 91.40% 104. Fauzia Akhlaq MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 91.40% 105. Ankita Bajpai RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 91.40% LIST OF HIGH ACHIEVERS TROPHY AWARDEES (RBSE) S.NO. NAME OF STUDENT SCHOOL % 1. RIMPY MEENA ST. EDMUND SCHOOL 91.33% 2. ANJALI SHARMA S.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.33% 3. SHIPRA MITTAL SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 91.17% 4. DIVYA JAIN ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 90.50% 5. KOMAL KUMAWAT SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 90.33% 6. ANSHU JAIN S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 89.83% 7. PRIYA SHARMA S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 89.33% 8. ANURADHA CHAUDHARY KENDRIYA VIDAYALAYA N0. 3 88.67% 9. ANUBHUTI MATHUR S. V. PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.00% 10. ROHINI TAK SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 87.55% 11. ANKITA RAJAWAT S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 87.33% 12. POOJA KENDRIYA VIDAYALAYA N0. 3 87.33% 13. VARSHA ADWANI S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 86.67% 14. ANKITA KUMAWAT SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 86.67% 15. SHAZIYA NAAZ S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 86.50% 16. ANJALI JANGID S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 85.80% 17. SAKSHI GUPTA S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 85.67% 18. SMRITI VIJAY MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 85.57% 19. VAISHALI GOYAL ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.33% 20. RUPAL KUDIWAL SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.33% 21. BARKHA SINGH MOTHERLAND PUBLIC SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.33% A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 39 KALPANA CHAWLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2010 LIST OF OTHER HIGH ACHIEVERS (CBSE) SECOND ROUND S.NO. NAME SCHOOL %AGE 1. Khushboo katta MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.33% 2. Shreya Mathur INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 91.30% 3. Anjali Agarwal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.30% 4. Khusbu Khothari MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 91.20% 5. Juhi Kanjani RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 91.20% 6 Sapna Choithani MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.16% 7. Shubhi Kala SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.00% 8. Gargi Rao SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.00% 9. Mitali Khandelwal TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.00% 10. Cheena Middha ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 91.00% 11. Garima Butani SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 91.00% 12. Poorvi Agarwal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 91.00% 13. Radhika Mittal BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 91.00% 14. Sakshi Goyal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.87% 15. Surbhi Khandelawal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.86% 16. Bhumika Marolia MAHAVEER PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.83% 17. Darshika Khandewal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.83% 18. Isha Pareek MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.83% 19. Sonal Verma MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 90.80% 20. Shruti Ganeriwal BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 90.80% 21. Khushboo Maheshwary RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 90.80% 22. Neha Singhal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.70% 23. Swarnima Krishna Treya TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.60% 24. Heena Khanchandani KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 90.60% 25. Neevansha Verma KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 90.60% 26. Madhu Lata Meena KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 90.60% 27. Manpreet Kaur ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 90.60% 28. Jailaxmi Shekhawat MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 90.60% 29. Preeti Verma ST.ANSELM'S NORTH CITY SCHOOL 90.60% 30. Shweta Chaturvedi BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 90.60% 31. Aditi Gupta SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 90.60% 32. Kanika Goyal CANDLEWICK SCHOOL 90.60% 33. Anupriya Bihani STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 90.40% 34. Ayusi Jain KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 90.40% 35. Apeksha Natani MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 90.40% 36. Jotsna Arora MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.33% 37. Shreya Bharti KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 90.20% 38. Akansha Sharma RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 90.20% 39. Bhavya Gupta MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.20% 40. Garima Gupta MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.20% 41. Vinita Sharma MAHAVEER PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.16% 42. Anya Agarwal ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 90.06% 43. Prakrati Chaudhary TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 44. Ayushee Khandelwal KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 90.00% 45. Sakshi Kanoongo MAHAVEER PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 46. Madhuri Dinakar INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 90.00%

40 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA 47. Prachi Mathur BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 90.00% 48. Bhawana Tirthani MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 90.00% 49. Charvi Mathur MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 90.00% 50. Apoorva Tiwari ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 90.00% 51. Deepshi Agrawal SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 90.00% 52. Mansi Sharma MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 53. Kusum Bajaj MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 54. Riya Maheshwari MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 55. Pranjal Singh MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 56. Priya Gupta S.V.M. PUBLIC SCHOOL 90.00% 57. Prakrati Chaudhary SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 89.90% 58. Pragya Joshi KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 89.80% 59. Aakanksha Sharma ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 89.80% 60. Aditi Agarwal INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.80% 61. Apoorva Agarwal INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.80% 62. Sonika Jain BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.80% 63. Disha Surolia MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.71% 64. Taruna Jakhar STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 89.69% 65. Harsimran Pahwa ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 89.66% 66. Pooja Choudhary INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.60% 67. Sheetal Mishra BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.60% 68. Tayyaba Shaikh BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.60% 69. Palak Agrawal ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.60% 70. Ankita Mohata MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.50% 71. Payal Chauhan KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 89.40% 72. Arushi Saxena KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 89.40% 73. Shreya Maheswari MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.30% 74. Riya Agarwal MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 89.20% 75. Sana Khan BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.20% 76. Jahnvi Sharma BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.20% 77. Garima poddar MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 89.20% 78. Swati Sharma SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.00% 79. Damini Sinha STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 89.00% 80. Nehal Sharma STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 89.00% 81. Garima Makhija ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 89.00% 82. Akhila Ajmera MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 89.00% 83. Silvi Sharma INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.00% 84. Priyangi Vashiatha INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.00% 85. Surabhi Shrivastav INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.00% 86. Abhilasha Kumari BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.00% 87. Sonal Khandelwal BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.00% 88. Rini Bhatnagar ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 89.00% 89. Divya Yadav RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 89.00% 90. Radha Kumari Yadav SAINT SOLDIER PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.00% 91. Sameeksha Saxena MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.00% 92. Kanishka Sharma MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.00% 93. Supriya Somani MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 89.00% 94. Jyoti Meena KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 88.80% 95. Komal Sharma BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 88.80% 96. Mnibha Kaushik ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 88.80% 97. Himanshi Sharam MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.67%

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 41 98. Mitali Khandelwal KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 88.60% 99. Harshita Agarwal ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 88.60% 100. Rojshee Ajmera MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 88.60% 101. Sukhpreet Kaur Virdi ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 88.60% 102. Renu Choudhary RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 88.60% 103. Neha Gupta SAINT SOLDIER PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.60% 104. Shilpi Nigam MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.50% 105. Prachi Sharma BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 88.48% 106. Roli Jain SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.40% 107. Shefali Shekhawat STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 88.40% 108. Rishika Saini STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 88.40% 109. Tanya Kapoor MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 88.40% 110. Palak Khetan MAHAVEER PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.06% 111. Angela Jain KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 88.00% 112. Srishti Raha MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 88.00% 113. Shefali Gupta ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 88.00% 114. Shipra Saboo MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.00% 115. Priyanka Joshi MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 88.00% 116. Nitya Kaushik ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 87.90% 117. Mudita saboo INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.83% 118. Mitushi Jain MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 87.80% 119. Aditi Khandelwal INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.60% 120. Sparsh Gupta MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 87.60% 121. Deepti Punjabi TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.40% 122. Ankita Joshi STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 87.40% 123. Priya Singh KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 87.40% 124. Aayushi Jain BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 87.40% 125. Kriti Batra INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.30% 126. Vaishali Sharma KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 87.20% 127. Jyoti Pansari MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 87.20% 128. Supriya Diwedi MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 87.20% 129. Akshi Agarwal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.20% 130. Salony Agarwal INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.16% 131. Ankur Katara MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.16% 132. Radhika Agarwal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.16% 133. Ankita Agrawal MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.10% 134. Ajeta Chauhan STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 87.06% 135. Sagarika Sarolia KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 87.05% 136. Khusbu Jain SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.04% 137. Sneha Mann STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 87.00% 138. Deeksha Chaturvedi KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 87.00% 139. Arti Sharma JAIPUR SCHOOL 87.00% 140. Shaivi Kochar ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 87.00% 141. Nikhar Jain MAHAVEER PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00% 142. Adati Srivastav INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.00% 143. Ayushi Mittal BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 87.00% 144. Aarohe Jain ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 87.00% 145. Divya Jain ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 87.00% 146. Surabhi Mathur RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 87.00% 147. Karuna Jakhotia MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00%

42 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA 148. Vinita Gangwani MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00% 149. Gunjan Pareek MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00% 150. Mihika Rathore MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00% 151. Radhika Bajaj MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 87.00% 152. Mansi Wadhwa ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.86% 153. Nidhi Prakash KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 86.80% 154. Nivedita Gautam KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 86.80% 155. Sugandha Pareek KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 86.80% 156. Deeksha Pahilajani ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 86.80% 157. Anushka Sharma INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 86.80% 158. Vishakha Yadav BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.80% 159. Varsha Chalavarya BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.80% 160. Parul Assudani ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.80% 161. Harshita Singh SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 86.80% 162. Samragya Singh Tomar ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.70% 163. Khyati Shah MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.67% 164. Anpayani Gupta SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.60% 165. Komal Verma SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.60% 166. Saumya Gupta ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 86.60% 167. Kajal Garg MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 86.60% 168. Aarushi dugar MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 86.60% 169. Grija M. Singh MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 86.60% 170. Kusha Sharma ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.60% 171. Preeti Lohiya MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.50% 172. Nandani Patidar KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 86.40% 173. Kanu-Shree-Chaudhary ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 86.40% 174. Avni Mehta MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 86.40% 175. Bhumika Hasani SAINT SOLDIER PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.40% 176. Diya Agarwal SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.20% 177. Palak Agarwal MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 86.20% 178. Krishana Singh MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 86.20% 179. Palak Raj STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 86.00% 180. Richa Sharma KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 86.00% 181. Pritha Fauzdar MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 86.00% 182. Anjali Badera INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 86.00% 183. Priyanka Maggo BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 86.00% 184. Komal Thawant S.V PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.00% 185. Sunanda Sharma MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 86.00% 186. Varsha Sahay RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 86.00% 187. Akanksha Sanha RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 86.00% 188. Riya Mendiratta MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.00% 189. Vimal Gehlot MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.00% 190. Vartika Gurdaswani MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.00% 191. Yamini Gupta MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 86.00% 192. Deepika Yadav TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.80% 193. Mahima Sharma ST. XAVIER'S SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.80% 194. Poornima Upadhyay KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 85.80% 195. Bhawana Meena KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 85.80% 196. Anshul Bhatt ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.80%

A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA I 43 197. Parul Kaljamet ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.80% 198. Payal Mishra BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.80% 199. Surabhi Kumar SANT. EDMUND'S SCHOOL 85.71% 200. Ankita Biswas KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.3 85.60% 201. Gargie Gupta KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 85.60% 202. Prachi Arya ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.60% 203. Nikita Bhardwaj ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.60% 204. Siji Abraham RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 85.60% 205. Aastha Kasat MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.60% 206. Utkarsha Sharma MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.59% 207. Purnima Sharma MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.50% 208. Aakriti Bhatia ST.ANGELA SOPHIA SR. SEC. SCHOOL 85.40% 209. Monika Mishra BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.40% 210. Jayati Jain S.V PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.40% 211. Sunaina Singh Gahlawat MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 85.40% 212. Richa Parasrampuria MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 85.40% 213. Ushma ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.40% 214. Akanksha Surana INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 85.30% 215. Meenal Kukreja ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.20% 216. Reha Batta ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.20% 217. Laxmi Jhalani MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.13% 218. Purva Swami KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.1 85.06% 219. Himantika Yadav MAHARANI GAYATRI DEVI GIRLS SCHOOL 85.06% 220. Juhi Chhabra JAIPUR SCHOOL 85.02% 221. Neha Gupta SUBODH PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.00% 222. Yashwant Parmar BRIGHT LANDGIRLS SR.SEC. SCHOOL 85.00% 223. Anchal Thakur RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 85.00% 224. Apoarva Johari RYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 85.00% 225. Kanika Sharma MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.00% 226. Stuti Choudhary MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.00% 227. Tanvi Punjabi MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.00% 228. Mudita Golya MAHESHWARI GIRLS PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.00% 229. Shipra Bartariya ST. ANSELM'S PINK CITY SR.SEC. SCHOOL 84.80% 230. Dilisha Jain SAINT SOLDIER PUBLIC SCHOOL 84.80% 231. Meghna Sharma SAINT SOLDIER PUBLIC SCHOOL 84.80% 232. Aditti Jakhar ST. XAVIER'S SR. SEC. SCHOOL 84.70% 233. Priyanka Singh STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 84.67% 234. Rashi Akar MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 83.00% 235. Deeksha Kalra MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 82.20% 236. Vinita Jain MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH VIDYALAYA 81.60% 237. Sakshi Poonia STEP BY STEP HIGH SCHOOL 81.00%

44 I A SUCCESS STORY OF KALPANA CHAWLA LIST OF OTHER HIGH ACHIEVERS (RBSE) SECOND ROUND

S.NO. NAME SCHOOL %AGE 1. Preksha Jain CANDLEWICK PUBLIC SCHOOL 85.17% 2. Nainika Agarwal SHREE VEER BALIKA SR.SEC.SCHOOL 84.67% 3. Priyanka Singh STEP BY STEP 84.67% 4. Charul Bagotia SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 84.33% 5. Priyanka Khandelwal SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 84.33% 6. Divya Ladha MGPS 84.33% 7. Charu Verma SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 84.17% 8. Lata Keswani SHREE VEER BALIKA SR.SEC.SCHOOL 83.33% 9. Pooja Shrivastav SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 83.33% 10. Priya Mandia SHREE VEER BALIKA SR.SEC.SCHOOL 83.17% 11. Iti Sharma SHREE VEER BALIKA SR.SEC.SCHOOL 82.83% 12. Vaishali Jangid S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 82.83% 13. Rachna Kushwah S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 82.57% 14. Dikshtia Kumawat S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 82.17% 15. Nikita Maheshwari SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 82.17% 16. Anuradha Bansal SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 82.00% 17. Priyanka Pansari SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 81.83% 18. Himani Agrawal GOVT. MHARANI SCHOOL 81.33% 19. Neha Sharma S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 81.33% 20. Shalu Khandelwal SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 81.33% 21. Rashmi Sharma SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 81.17% 22. Akansha Rajawat SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 81.17% 23. Sakshi Poonia STEP BY STEP 81.00% 24. Mamta Sharma S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 80.83% 25. Anmol Bohra MOTHER LAND PUBLIC SR.SEC.SCHOOL 80.67% 26. Anmol Bohra MOTHER LAND PUBLIC SR.SEC.SCHOOL 80.67% 27. Gunja Gupta S.S.JAIN SUBODH GIRLS SR.SEC.SCHOOL 80.50% 28. Renu Rathore SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 80.34% 29. Nidhi Pareek SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 80.33% 30. Prabha Kanwar Khangarot SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 80.17% 31. Neeta Ramani SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 80.00% 32. Neelam Yadav SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 79.50% 33. Anju Yadav SR. SEC. GIRLS ADARSH VIDYA MANDIR 78.67%

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