Who Is Mahasweta Chakraborty ? Kolkata Pilot Evacuates 800 Indian Students Amidst Ukraine War

Mahasweta Chakraborty is a 24-year-old pilot from Kolkata who has rescued more than 800 Indian students from the border of Ukraine, Poland, and Hungary. She was in charge of operating flights from the borders of war-torn Ukraine. The news was shared by Priyanka Sharma, Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha, West Bengal. The Rotary Club of Calcutta Metro City honoured her with Swayam Siddha award.

Here's everything you should know about Mahasweta Chakraborty

1. She has experience of four years in the aviation sector.
2. She is a resident of Kolkata.
3. She is the daughter of Tanuja Chakraborty, president of the West Bengal State BJP Mahila Morcha.
4. According to DNA, she flew six flights between February 27 and March 7 under 'special military operation'. This was soon after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24
5. There were days when Mahasweta Chakraborty had to fly an Airbus A320 for 13 to 14 hours a day.
6. "It was the experience of a lifetime, rescuing those students in their late teens and early twenties, many of whom had fallen sick and had traumatizing tales of survival," she was quoted as saying by a leading daily.
7. Interestingly, she was also a part of the Vande Bharat mission during the pandemic where she was responsible to fly oxygen concentrators from abroad and vaccines to Kolkata and other airports from Pune.
8. She pursued her graduation from Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi.

According to a report, India has been successful in evacuating over 20,000 of its citizens from war-hit Ukraine under Operation Ganga.

What is Operation Ganga