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Kalam expresses concern over Columbia tragedy

New Delhi Feb.1. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, tonight expressed deep concern over the fate of the space shuttle Columbia, with seven astronauts, including Indian-American, Kalpana Chawla, on board.

``The President is very concerned over this and he is closely following the developments,'' a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said here.

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, tonight mourned the death of Ms. Chawla. Ina message to the U.S. President, George W. Bush, Mr. Vajpayee said, `'We convey our heartfelt sympathies at the tragedy which has overtaken the space shuttle Columbia. We mourn with you in this moment of grief and our hearts go out to the families of the bright men and women who worked on the spacecraft.'

The Former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, tonight expressed shock at the death of Ms. Chawla.

``India has lost a great daughter and the world a adventure scientist who could have made a great difference to the world in the time to come,'' Mr. Gujral told a TV channel.

``It's a sad moment for all, especially for the science world. Kalpana was a brave girl who did her country proud,'' he said recalling his association with Ms. Chawla after her first trip on the space shuttle.

Mr. Gujral said that during his meeting with her, Ms. Chawla told him how the world looked beyond stars.

He described her as a ``brilliant, brave and courageous woman who was like a daughter'' to him.

The Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, expressed deep shock at the shuttle tragedy described Ms. Chawla as ``a worthy daughter of India.''

``It is an irreparable loss,'' Dr. Joshi, who was boarding a train to Allahabad tonight, said in a statement.

``I share the grief with every fellow countryman in this hour on the untimely demise of Kalpana Chawla, a worthy daughter of India.'' — PTI, UNI

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