Indian astronaut takes comic form

By Monica Chadha
BBC News, Mumbai

The comic will chronicle her life from her birth in a small Indian town

The life and achievements of an Indian-American astronaut who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 has now been illustrated in comic form.

An Indian publishing house has released the comic book based on Kalpana Chawla, the first American female astronaut of Indian origin to have gone on a National Aeronautics Space Administration (Nasa) mission.

She was one of the seven members aboard the space shuttle that disintegrated minutes before landing.

The comic book is aimed at children between seven and 14 years and chronicles Chawla's life from her birth in the small town of Karnal in the northern state of Haryana to the time she became an astronaut.

Contemporary heroes

The comic book is part of a popular Indian comic series, Amar Chitra Katha (Immortal Illustrated Classics).

We should teach [our children] that they should be somebody that people are proud of Manisha Samant, parent

A spokesperson for the publishers, India Book House, told the BBC they were attempting to bring a new focus to the series, better known for simplifying Indian myths and classics for their young audience.

"Over the last 35 years we have created comics on various mythological figures, down to historical figures and now, contemporary heroes who will one day go down in history as important people to have known and remembered," the spokesperson, Pooja Vir, said.

"We are just trying to capture stories that children today should know and children 20 years from now would like to read about."

The comic is aimed at children between seven and 14-years

She added that children needed role models they could relate to and this is a major reason why they are focusing on contemporary heroes rather than historic figures.

"If Kalpana Chawla inspires even two more students to go out there and achieve what they are dreaming for, well, then that's our job done really," she said.

About 437 titles have been released under the comic series and 90 million copies sold.

Inspiring

Manisha Samant has bought the book for both her children.

"I have been telling them about her," she said.

"Kalpana Chawla is definitely a role model. To come from a small town and go places in life and especially be someone that the whole India is proud of. I guess we should teach [our children] that they should be somebody that people are proud of."

Meghna Pithadia has dreams of becoming an astronaut too

Meghna Pithadia, 15, says her ambition is to become an astronaut.

She says a comic on Chawla's life is a great way of introducing her to small children.

"They can come to know about her, what was her life, what was her history. It's a good thing, they can learn from her."

Nine-year-old Sakina Machiswalla said she read a little of the comic book and realised that girls can do everything that boys can do.

"She wanted to become an astronaut and she went out there and became one. If boys can do it then so can girls. Now I have a goal that I must do something big in life."