Despite being a scientist who would engage in intense technical discussions with her peers, Kalpana had a poetic soul and a fondness for music.
Her mother Sanjogta Devi recalls that Kalpana believed in the principles of dharma and karma, and that the best individuals are those who fulfill their karma.
Her friends at college recount that she read poetry and often dragged her roommates into endless cultural and political debates over tea.
One of her schoolmates who stayed with her remembers that she loved to listen to flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. She was also fond of Indian classical music and Hindi film songs by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi and Mukesh. She also listened to singers like Begum Akhtar.
Kalpana in 1982, during her first winter in America. The note in her handwriting on the back of this photo explains her mission to save the ducks.
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Photo: Courtesy Kalpana Chawla's family