Kalpana Chawla’s father dies at 94, body donated to KCGMC

Karnal, October 3

Banarsi Lal Chawla (94), father of the late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, died at a private hospital here today. As per his wish, his body has been donated to Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) for medical research and education purposes.

Family members handed over the body to the director of KCGMC, Dr Jagdish Dureja, and faculty members. “Banarsi Lal Chawla had expressed his wish to donate his body, for which he had filled a form in 2014,” said Raj Kumar Arora, a social activist.

Born in 1929, Banarsi Lal was a renowned businessman and lived a simple life. He used to live at Nirmal Dham, an old-age home constructed by his family, and also take care of those who lived there.

Residents of the district expressed condolences on his demise. Expressing his grief, CM Manohar Lal Khattar said on X: “Came to know about the sad news of the death of Haryana’s daughter Kalpana Chawla’s father Banarsi Lal Chawla. He gave his daughter the freedom to dream and reach the stars, who glorified India across the world and became an inspiration for other daughters. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed soul and provide strength to the family to bear the loss.”

Kalpana Chawla was killed in 2003, when her space shuttle Columbia crashed just before landing.