After some time in D.A.V. college Kalpana Chawla migrated to Dayal Singh college which had better engineering education facilities, the subject she opted for. In a quick time she adjusted to the environment of her new institution. Everything was going fine when she was again seized with the wish to emulate birds. She wanted to become a member of the Flying Club and take to the wings.
After all, her elder brother already was a member of the flying club. He could surely help. Now he was under training for the licence of a commercial pilot. Kalpana confided to her brother Sanjay her earnest wish. The brother could not disappoint her because, of all the family members, he was the one who knew his sister’s obsession for flying.
One day, during Kalpana’s college vacation, he took her to the Flying Club to enrol her as a member. The club officials were surprised to see a girl wishing to join the flying club. No girl had dared to do it before. Kalpana was the first odd one of the fair sex to evince such an interest. The authorities were impressed with her courage.
But they had some problems about the procedure. To admit Kalpana to the Flying club the authorities wanted a written permission of the guardian who in her case was her father Banarsidas Chawla.
It was a bit of a dampener for Kalpana but she did not give up hope. The father was not in town. He had gone to U.S.A. on a business tour. She contacted her father and sought his permission to join the Flying Club but the father was reluctant.
The father’s orthodox mind could not accept his daughter flying a plane like a boy in the sky that offered limitless scope of freedom. He could understand the girl becoming a doctor or a lawyer to keep herself in the safe confinements of a clinic or a courtroom. But the open sky was that put no restrictions was scary. He could have settled for his daughter becoming an engineer and help in his manufacturing business within factory walls. Banarsidas knew his Kalpana was talented and clever. He refused to give permission.
Chawla family was strictly Punjabi traditionalist and adherent to orthodox Hindu beliefs. Although Banarsidas Chawla was a much travelled businessman and accepted the importance of modern values for the progress of the society and the country yet to some extent only, upto a point where it started hurting the traditional values. Chawlas and their relatives were too old fashioned and Banarsidas could not step out of line.
His wife Sanyogita was deeply religious and blindly faithful to old cultural values. Most of her time was spent in the discourses of holy men or listening to Guruvani. Her favourite haunt was a hermitage called ‘Nirmal Kutia’, literally meaning ‘Pious Hut’ where holy men preached religion.
Thus, the entire family was rooted in orthodox values. Banarsidas was not against higher education to his children in the belief that true education strengthened the cultural roots. The simple logic (although prejudiced), here used was that a girl could go into the skies only after severing her cultural roots.
Not getting permission of her father did not break the heart of indomitable Kalpana. She was sure that her academic prowess would bulldoze all the current hurdles and propel her to the heights she was aiming for. Now she doubled her efforts in studies to overcome the gender handicaps.
Her brother would feed her curiosity by telling her about his flying experiences and aerodynamic mysteries. Then, a minor setback occured in the form of Sanjay discontinuing his training due to illness. It saddened Kalpana.
In 1978, Kalpana passed Pre-Engineering exam with excellent marks. She secured 452 marks out of a total of 600 which worked out to be a fraction more than 75 percent. It was a record for the college, infact. one more blow to gender bias.
So, guided by the Guru, Professer V.S. Malhotra, she sent applications to various U.S. universities seeking admission for Master’s degree in aerospace engineering. To her good luck Texas University accepted her request and sent her a ‘Call Letter’. The letter made Kalpana ecstatic.
Now, for finances and to plead her case with the old folks she made entreaties to brother Sanjay. Although Sanjay had to suspend his flying training due to illness yet he had landed a good job and was doing fine.
Sanjay pitched in for his ambitious sister. In the face of the joint pressure campaign of the brother-sister duo, Banarsidas Chawla had to yield followed by other members.
Now only five days hence Kalpana would be on a plane headed for U.S.A. This time she won’t be running along on ground but sittings inside the plane. She had turned aound thing in an amazing way. Her brother, Sanjay accompanied her to U.S.A. He stayed at Arlington with her for a few days to help her getting enrolled in the Texas University and in making arrangements for her lodging.
Now, Kalpana made up her mind to take up the subject of ‘Aeronautical Engineering’ the facilities of which were available in Delhi or Chandigarh only. An orthodox family of Karnal could not accept Delhi, sprawling and dangerously liberal place. Chandigarh, the capital of Haryana too, posed manageable challenges. The family agreed to Kalpana joining ‘Punjab Engineering College’ of Chandigarh.
The meritorious marks earned in the previous exam helped Kalpana get easy admission in the college. The residence problem was solved when Kalpana got a place in ‘Himgiri Hostel’ of the college.
In the Punjab Engineering College she chose Aeronautical Engineering as her subject. No other girl would opt for that subject. Thus, she happened to be the only girl in that class, another Kalpana oddity. But it did not deter her. She remained resolute.
One day, the principal of the college called Kalpana to his office and asked, “Kalpana, why did you choose Aeronautics as your subject?”
“Because that’s the subject of my interest, sir,” was Kalpana’s simple reply.
“The subject interests no girl.”
“But it does in my case, sir.”
“Well…Kalpana, my advice is that you take up electrical or mechanical instead of aeronautical subject. You are bright and you will do good in those fields.”
“But why not aeronautics, sir?”
The principal said glumly, “Look Kalpana, no other girl has chosen that subject. So, you are lone girl in the class. It could create problems…”
“What problems, sir?”
“The subject is tough. You’ll need friends to exchange notes with. Such problems will creep up as you go by…”
“Please sir,” Kalpana interjected and added, “I am your stuedent and I expect you to encourage me especially because I am not a boy. My choice of aeronautical engineering is final and I will stick to it whatever the price. The subject may be tough but I have come here to meet tougher challenges. Please try to understand.”
The determination of the girl impressed the principal. With such doggedness and willingness to put in hard work could achieve one any goal irrespective of sex. So, he dutifully gave Kalpana some words of encouragement and wished her all the success.
After her departure, the principal pondered. The new girl student had taught him a lesson not to judge one’s capabilities on sex grounds. The incident had betrayed his own gender bias which made him feel embarrassed.
In no time, Kalpana won the respect and the faith of her teachers. No one anymore suspected her cerebral stamina to stay the course. The new girl student was in no way inferior to the boys of the class. Infact, more often than not she outwitted the male students which surprised the Aeronautics Professor, Vasudev Singh Malhotra. In her he found a genuine learner with a burning desire to inbibe the knowledge.
It pleased Professor Malhotra. Many a time one such student could redeem the whole life’s exercise of a teacher. He grew fond of the girl as if she were his own daughter. It led to development of Guru-Shishya relationship between them. Teaching Kalpana or satisfying her curiosities on aeronautical subject gave the professor immense joy and a feeling of fulfilment.
Back on the home front, Banarsidas was going through a lean period. Much before the Super Tyre venture Banarsidas had come together with his brother Amrik and they had been running the ventures as joint family business.
Now Super Tyre was losing hold on the market. It had made good inroads in the North Indian tyre market in earlier period. During the later years many more companies had came up in tyre manufacturing business. Competition had become sharper and profits were going down. Super Tyre was fast heading towards becoming a liability.
Beset with such problems the brothers decided to split. Super Tyre went to Amrik in the division. Later the company was bought by one of its workers named Narendra Bali.
Thus, Banarsidas Chawla was going throught ups and downs of life. But he was determined to fight on nevertheless. He had already married off the elder daughters Sunita and Deepa. The son also had got married and settled down. But Kalpana would not agree to marriage. She wanted to continue her studies further in the subject of her obsession, aeronautics.
In 1982, Kalpana Chawla stunned everyone by topping the success list of Aeronautical Engineering exam held by Punjab University. She had left her male class mates far behind.
Now the facilities of further studies were available in Delhi or abroad. Kalpana discussed the matter with Professor Vasudev Singh who wanted his favourite pupil to achieve greater heights of education.
Kalpana herself preferred to go abroad. She was confident of her talents. Her potential could no more brook any hurdles or restrictions put in her way by the narrow minded society and the orthodox minds. Studying abroad was the best way to get away from the oppressions of medieval environment of the family.
But going abroad posed two problems—One was that of finances and the other was getting permission from the family that stuck to orthodox values. The very thought of sending an unmarried young girl abroad alone to study could shock the old folks. But the determined Kalpana was resolved to turn things around in her favour in some way or the other to realise her dream.
So, guided by the Guru, Professer V.S. Malhotra, she sent applications to various U.S. universities seeking admission for Master’s degree in aerospace engineering. To her good luck Texas University accepted her request and sent her a ‘Call Letter’. The letter made Kalpana ecstatic.
Now, for finances and to plead her case with the old folks she made entreaties to brother Sanjay. Although Sanjay had to suspend his flying training due to illness yet he had landed a good job and was doing fine.
Sanjay pitched in for his ambitious sister. In the face of the joint pressure campaign of the brother-sister duo, Banarsidas Chawla had to yield followed by other members.
Now only five days hence Kalpana would be on a plane headed for U.S.A. This time she won’t be running along on ground but sittings inside the plane. She had turned aound thing in an amazing way. Her brother, Sanjay accompanied her to U.S.A. He stayed at Arlington with her for a few days to help her getting enrolled in the Texas University and in making arrangements for her lodging.
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