shuttle tragedy

[Guest guest]

One of the astronauts killed in the Columbia space

shuttle was an Indian-American, Kalpana Chawla. She

was profiled in the April 1997 Hinduism Today

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/1997/4/1997-4-13.html

(the article doesn't mention whether she is a

practicing Hindu)

 

Chawla was the first South Asian woman to become an

astronaut, though there were an Indian cosmonaut who

flew on one of Russian Soyuz missions circa 1980. I

saw his space suit exhibited at the Nehru museum in

New Delhi.

 

 

Keval

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

dear Keval, the cosmonaut you are talking about is

Rakesh Sharma. He travelled into space when Indra

Gandhi was prime minister. I was a kid, it must be

1983 or 1984.

 

But what ever happend today was really unfortunate.

Amazing part is that entire expedition was successful

and it has to happen only while landing, this is

simply absurd. I learned that the crew member Laurel

Clark has 7 year old kid, she even said yesterday that

they were doing fine, she also sent an email to her

sister that they were doing fine and was willing to

return to Earth and she is no more.

 

Yes Kalpana Chawla was from India and from Punjab. Her

parents were survivors of Hindu-muslim Communal

conflicts during partition of India when atleast

million people died. India was eagerly waiting for her

landing, entire India was eyeing her and she is no

more. Just like the Isreali soldier who is a hero in

his country.

 

The Crew really represented men,women. People from

different religions and different races.I am really

sorry for the death of all these crew mebers, but

still I am optimistic that it only the body which

died( which is perishable by nature) but not their

Atman( which is eternal by nature). I bow to that

Atman.

 

Let us remind what Krishna as to say about our

Self(Atman)

Weapons do not cut It, fire does not burn It, water

does not mositen It, and air does not dry It.(gita

2.23)

 

It cannot be cut, It cannot be burnt, cannot be

moistened, and surely cannot be dreid up. It is

eternal, omnipresnt,stationary, unmoving and

changeless. (gita 2.24)

 

Om

 

Avinash

 

 

 

 

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