Perhaps even greater than the honour of being awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, was the spontaneous standing ovation the 1500-odd delegates who had gathered at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi gave her.
Kalpana Chawla was the only one of the Pravasi Samman awardees to find a specific mention in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speech at the inaugural function. Her award was accepted by husband Jean Pierre Harrison.
Kalpana was one of the seven astronauts in the Columbia space shuttle, which disintegrated just 16 minutes before its scheduled landing.
Conferring the award, Vajpayee said, "She epitomised the values that are so laudable in overseas Indians."
After the ceremony, Harrison was congratulated by almost everyone who spotted him and most said Kalpana was an inspiration for them.
Photos: Sondeep Shankar/Saab Press | Text: Priya Ganapati