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A year after 12 Air India crew members lost their lives in the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, a memorial service for colleagues, friends and loved ones filled Pioneer Hall in Bandra on Friday morning.
Around 100 former Air India crew members gathered along with families of the deceased, including parents and friends of senior air hostess Shradha Dhavan and the husband of crew member Aparna Mahadik, Amol Mahadik, to pray for their departed souls and celebrate thelives cut short of colleagues with whom many had once shared flights.
Introduced as “One Year in Darkness” by organiser and MC Neil Pais, the memorial service opened with hymns by the Air India Crew Thanksgiving Choir, a 25-year-old collective of former crew members.
An interfaith service, followed by prayers offered across Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Zoroastrian traditions, culminated in a collective prayer that brought the gathering together.
“We honour them and their service. It could very well have been any one of us,” said Pais, capturing a sentiment that echoed across the hall.
Speaking about his batchmate Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, Captain Rajneesh Sharma said the former’s 91-year-old father continues to seek justice and clear his son’s name.
“This is a time when difficult questions are being asked, and people are waiting for answers,” Sharma said.
Captain Cyrus Edekar said members of the aviation community struggled with how public conversations unfolded after the crash.
“Following the incident, the crew, especially the captain, came under blame even before facts emerged. Knowing him, many of us find it difficult to believe there would have been shortcomings on his part. The probe is nearing its end, and people hope there will be clarity,” he said.
Poonam Bangera, a close friend of Shradha Dhavan, said the loss had initially left her numb.
“It is hard to believe this happened,” she told HT.
“Now we have channelised that love into responsibility, making sure her 15-year-old daughter does not feel her absence. We also have taken up the responsibility of supporting her elderly parents in the absence of her elder brother, who lives in the USA.”
Dhavan’s father, Madhav, said seeing so many former colleagues present offered comfort. “It is encouraging to see so many of her colleagues have come today. It makes us feel we are not alone,” he said.
Amol Mahadik, Aparna’s husband, said he has devoted his time and energy over the past year to challenging what he described as the smear campaign that followed the tragedy.
As the service drew to a close, the hall observed a minute’s silence. Then Kanchan, a friend of Dhavan, addressed the gathering through tears.
“Sometimes it feels she will return one day and surprise us, saying she was never on that flight,” she said. “But I know that will never happen.”
The ceremony included an individual remembrance for each crew member. As every name was announced, a bell was rung and the crew member’s photograph appeared on a screen, displayed within a floral frame, as those gathered in the hall joined in unison to say, ‘Rest in Peace’.
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