Brandon81T at 23:13, 17 July 2025

2025-07-17T23:13:19Z

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{{Short description|Indian pilot}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox aviator
| name = Mahasweta Chakraborty
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| birth_date = 1998
| birth_place = India
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| education = [[Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi]]
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'''Mahasweta Chakraborty''' is an Indian aircraft pilot from [[New Town, Kolkata|New Town]], [[Kolkata]]. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India]], she assisted in the [[Vande Bharat Mission]] that transported [[oxygen concentrator]]s from China and [[Hong Kong]] to several Indian cities. During the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]] in 2022, she helped evacuate around 800 Indian students from the borders of Poland and Hungary as part of [[Operation Ganga]].

==Early life and education==
Mahasweta Chakraborty was born in 1998, the only child of [[Tanuja Chakraborty]], president of West Bengal's [[BJP Mahila Morcha|women's wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party]].<ref name=Bhasin2022>{{cite news |last1=Bhasin |first1=Swati |date=13 March 2022 |title=Kolkata woman pilot, 24, flew back 800 Indian students amid Ukraine war: BJP |language=en |work=Hindustan Times |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ukraine-war-kolkata-pilot-mahasweta-chakraborty-flew-800-indian-studentsbjp-101647143235379.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026100629/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ukraine-war-kolkata-pilot-mahasweta-chakraborty-flew-800-indian-studentsbjp-101647143235379.html |archive-date=26 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=Jha2022>{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Dheeraj |title=कौन है देश की ये बहादुर बेटी, जो यूक्रेन-रूस युद्ध में फंसे 800 छात्रों को ले आयी सुरक्षित वापस? |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/hindi/india-news/story-about-pilot-mahasweta-chakravarty-564487.html |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=IndiaTimes |date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029163400/https://www.indiatimes.com/hindi/india-news/story-about-pilot-mahasweta-chakravarty-564487.html |archive-date=29 October 2023 |language=hi-IN}}</ref> Having listened to stories of her parents growing up in [[Ashoknagar (North 24 Parganas)|Ashoknagar]] in [[North 24 Parganas]], where there are World War II hangars, she aspired to becoming a pilot.<ref name=Marik2022>{{cite news |last1=Marik |first1=Priyam |date=22 March 2022 |title=The inside story of the Kolkata girl who flew 800 Indians back home from Ukraine |work=www.telegraphindia.com |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/people/the-inside-story-of-24-year-old-kolkata-girl-and-pilot-mahasweta-chakraborty-who-flew-800-indians-back-home-from-ukraine/cid/1857064 |access-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026100838/https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/people/the-inside-story-of-24-year-old-kolkata-girl-and-pilot-mahasweta-chakraborty-who-flew-800-indians-back-home-from-ukraine/cid/1857064 |archive-date=26 October 2023}}</ref> She attended [[Auxilium Convent School]] and later graduated from the [[Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi]] to become an aircraft pilot.<ref name=Banerjee2022>{{cite news |last1=Banerjee |first1=Tamaghna |last2=Kanjilal |first2=Subhojyoti |date=11 March 2022 |title=Meet the 24-year-old Kolkata pilot who flew out 800 students from Ukraine war zone |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/meet-the-24-yr-old-city-pilot-who-flew-out-800-students-from-ukraine-war-zone/articleshow/90136914.cms |access-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026095726/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/meet-the-24-yr-old-city-pilot-who-flew-out-800-students-from-ukraine-war-zone/articleshow/90136914.cms |archive-date=26 October 2023}}</ref>

==Career==
Chakraborty made her first flight at the age of 17.<ref name=Marik2022/> During the COVID-19 pandemic in India, she assisted in the Vande Bharat Mission that transported oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment from China and Hong Kong to several cities in India.<ref name=Marik2022/>

By 2022, she had been flying with a private airline company for four years.<ref name=Banerjee2022/> That year, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she helped evacuate around 800 Indian students from the borders of Poland and Hungary as part of Operation Ganga.<ref name=Marik2022/>{{efn|Over 20,000 Indian students were evacuated in the first few weeks of the invasion.<ref name=Bhasin2022/>}} The evacuation was accomplished in six [[Sortie|sorties]] between 27 February and 7 March.<ref name=Banerjee2022/> It was operated from [[Istanbul]], from where she flew the [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320]].<ref name=Marik2022/> She told ''[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]'' that "Operation Ganga has shown me the things that really matter in life. When you see people who've made it through after walking for miles in sub-zero temperatures without food, shelter or support, you realise how trivial most of our everyday problems are."<ref name=Marik2022/> On returning to Kolkata, her story was widely told on social media in India, and she received favourable comments from police officials, politicians, journalists, and the cricketer [[Sourav Ganguly]].<ref name=Marik2022/> Her response was that she was no exception and that "several other pilots are doing the same job and theirs is no less of an achievement. Then there are the other staff members who make a mission possible, everyone from the cabin crew to the loaders. Without a proper team, none of this can happen."<ref name=Marik2022/>

==Other work and personal==
Chakraborty has worked with [[Non-governmental organization|non-governmental agencies]] linked to women's rights and assisting abandoned children.<ref name=Marik2022/> Her interests as noted in an interview include [[Rabindra Sangeet]], pottery, and [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]].<ref name=Marik2022/>

==Honours and awards==
In 2022, the [[Rotary Club]] of Calcutta Metro City awarded Chakraborty the [[Swayam Siddha award]], for her actions being a role model for empowering women.<ref name=FS2022>{{cite news |title=Women Achievers in Diverse Fields Recognised at the Swayam Siddha Awards |url=https://financialsamachar.com/women-achievers-in-diverse-fields-recognised-at-the-swayam-siddha-awards/ |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=Financial Samachar |date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029161349/https://financialsamachar.com/women-achievers-in-diverse-fields-recognised-at-the-swayam-siddha-awards/ |archive-date=29 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=Konar2022>{{cite news |last1=Konar |first1=Debashish |title=Mahasweta Chakraborty, pilot who brought back Indian students from Ukraine, gets Swayam Siddha award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mahasweta-chakraborty-pilot-who-brought-back-indian-students-from-ukraine-gets-swayam-siddha-award/articleshow/91188066.cms |access-date=29 October 2023 |work=The Times of India |date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029153940/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mahasweta-chakraborty-pilot-who-brought-back-indian-students-from-ukraine-gets-swayam-siddha-award/articleshow/91188066.cms |archive-date=29 October 2023}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|3Eir3odrzlA|Mahasweta Chakraborty 24 year old Pilot from Kolkata who brought 800 students from Ukraine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakraborty, Mahasweta}}
[[Category:1998 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian women aviators]]

Mahasweta Chakraborty - Revision history

Brandon81T at 23:13, 17 July 2025