74th street in Jackson Heights, New York was renamed as ‘Kalpana Chawla Way’ on July 11. Seen in the picture is Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY). (Photo: Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia)

NEW YORK: From a mere number, the 74th Street here has been transformed into a veritable memorial to the late Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who lost her life along with six others in the February 2003 crash of space shuttle Columbia. Popularly known as ‘Little India,’ the street in Jackson Heights was pronounced ‘Kalpana Chawla Way’ on July 11 in a poignant naming ceremony attended by several dignitaries as well as the leading lights of the Jackson Heights Merchants’ Association.

“She was everything that is wonderful not just about America, but about what we can do in this world if we work hard. The thing that is most impressive is that when people walk by and see the sign, someone will know and someone won’t know who she was. But hopefully they will look at it and say ‘That must be somebody who made a difference. I want to be like them’,” New York Mayor Michael. R. Bloomberg said.

The Mayord his remarks with a ‘Namaste’ and went on to say that “A year ago I marched in the India Day Parade... I marched with a young lady who was an astronaut.” He obviously meant Chawla, but she died on Feb. 1, 2003, much before the parade. “Bloomberg had confused Dr. Chawla with another Indian-American astronaut Sunita L. Williams,” The New York Times reported.

Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, who was among the dignitaries at the function, said, “74th street, now Kalpana Chawla Way, exemplifies the resilience of the (Indian American) community and is a testament to the strong presence of Indian Americans in Queens. I am proud of Kalpana Chawla, the first-ever Indian-American woman to fly in space.”

Council member Helen Sears, who has been a friend of the Indian-American community and who had championed renaming the street, said, “Kalpana was very courageous. It is very fitting that we honor a woman today who not only showed skill and knowledge and wisdom, but I believe phenomenal courage.”

New York State Senator John D. Sabini said, “In spirit of cooperation between the nations of India and the United States, Dr. Chawla took on this assignment and died under the American flag over American soil. We salute her today as a uniquely Indian and American heroine.”

Shiv Dass, president of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association, said, “After the Columbia disaster, we decided to name the street

after Dr. Chawla. She is most representative of all of us and her memory serves as a beacon of light to everyone in Jackson Heights.”

The street-naming brought together a large number of Indian-American community leaders and dignitaries, including Consul General of India P. Rath; Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman police officer and current Police Adviser to the U.N. Secretary General; Commissioner Robert Walsh, Jeff Simmons from NYC City Comptrollers Office; Richard Cessars, chairperson, Community Board No. 3; Givana Reed, district manager, Community Board No. 3; Archana Jayaram, Mayor’s personal staff; Deputy Inspector Rolston, Commanding Officer, 115 precinct; and 20 Community Board Members, Board No. 3.

The function also saw a strong presence from Air India, including regional director Seema Andhare, regional manager P.K. Gupta, and regional sales manager Andy Bhatia.

The street between Roosevelt and 37th avenues, which the merchants’ association for many years considered naming ‘Little India,’ is a

bustling hub of Indian merchandise that draws a large number of the city’s 180,000 Indian Americans regularly.

(Compiled by V. Thacker from news dispatches)