The inspiring story of 24-year-old Mahasweta Chakraborty who rescued over 800 Indian students from war-struck Ukraine is enough to make the chest of every Indian reading this swell with pride. Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, Indian students were left to fend for themselves.
Indian government quickly initiated Operation Ganga, thanks to which, we have all been looking at pictures and videos of smiling Indians in large airline carriers, waiting to return India. Off all those flights, 24-year-old Mahasweta Chakraborty flew six such evacuation flights to bring back exhausted and shell-shocked Indians.
A student of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Mahasweta flew the Airbus-320 for about twelve to thirteen hours every day. Speaking to TOI, Mahasweta claimed that she always wanted to become a pilot and feels proud of having played her part in the Operation Ganga.
A difference maker to her core, she was earlier part of the Vande Bharat mission which saw the evacuation of Indians in abroad who were left repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Facts of the Matter
To say pilots are modern day superheroes would not be a huge stretch by any means. They take the responsibility of the lives of hundreds of passengers who are aboard their airplane, and help them reach their destination that is hundreds, sometimes thousands of kilometers away. Like pretty much anything in the world, the value of talented and exceptional pilots is also felt the most during a situation of crisis.
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Rescuing 800 Students in Six Evacuation Flights
24-year-old Mahasweta Chakraborty is one such pilot. She was given the responsibility of flying to the neighboring countries of Ukraine, help scared and jittered Indian students, and bring them back to India. While a 24-year-old person is barely enough to understand the direct consequences of their actions, Mahasweta knew the stakes, and came through the test with flying colours.
The Kolkata based pilot ended up rescuing over 800 Indian students from the Polish and Hungarian borders. She flew as many as six evacuation flights that were the part of Operation Ganga, and brought back the said Indians between the period of February 27 and March 7.
“Salute to Fighting Spirit of Students..”
In an interview to TOI, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akedmi graduate said that the rescue operation was an experience of a lifetime for her. She further noted that the students she rescued were in their late teens and early twenties. “I salute their fighting spirit and am extremely proud of having played my part in their journey back home”, she was quoted saying.
The Mission Begins
Speaking about the experience, Mahasweta explained that she received a call from the authorities and was told that she was chosen for the evacuation operation. In two hours, she managed to pack for her upcoming turbulent days, flew to Istanbulthat is two hours from Poland, and then went about the rescue mission at that point.
Flying 13-14 Hours Everyday
Further, she narrated that she flew the Airbus A 320 for 13-14 hours every day and felt the physical exhaustion due to the tedious task of flying the airplane consecutively for days in the high-stakes situation. However, she added that this was hardly comparable to students who were drained and shocked because of the war they witnessed.
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She Was Also Part of Vande Bharat Mission
The 24-year-old Auxilium Convent student always wanted to become a pilot. Further, she has now been part of two major emergency evacuation programs – Operation Ganga and Vande Bharat mission. For the unversed Vande Bharat mission was conducted by Indian government who flew thousands of Indians stranded in different countries during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020.
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