Six months after the Ahmedabad plane crash killed 260 people, time has stalled for the family of 14-year-old Akash Patni, whose death has left his parents unable to return to the life they once knew.
The silence inside their home has become unbearable. Akash’s mother now spends most nights outdoors, while his father says no compensation can ever fill the void left by their youngest child.
"It has only been six months since the tragedy, but for us, it feels like six years," Akash’s father, Sureshbhai Patni, told PTI.
Sureshbhai no longer runs the family’s tea stall, and his wife is still recovering from burn injuries sustained during the crash. For the couple, life has not moved forward since that June afternoon, and they are now planning to leave Ahmedabad altogether.
Akash had gone to deliver lunch to his mother at the family’s small tea stall near the BJ Medical College hostel in Meghaninagar when disaster struck.
Moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, Air India flight AI-171, bound for London, crashed, killing 260 people. Of them, 241 were onboard the aircraft, while 19, including Akash, died on the ground where the plane fell.
The youngest of four siblings, Akash is survived by three elder sisters.
His mother, Sitaben, who still bears visible burn marks, recalled the moments after the crash in a choked voice. "I tried to save my child, but he succumbed to his severe burn injuries."
Unable to sleep indoors, she spends most nights outside, sitting on an old bed placed in a parking area near their residence. "I cannot sleep inside the house anymore. My child is not there," she said.
The family lives at Laxminagar settlement in the Ghoda Camp area, barely 5 km from the airport.
As an aircraft flew overhead during the conversation, Sitaben looked away. "I no longer look at planes passing overhead. I hate them now," she said.
Akash's father, Sureshbhai Patni, said the family is preparing to leave Ahmedabad.
"We cannot live here anymore. We are planning to shift to Patan, away from this airport and the city that took away our child," he said.
Asked about compensation, Sureshbhai said that Air India and the Tata Group have paid the promised amount.
"But nothing can bring back what we have lost. It has only been six months since the tragedy, but for us, it feels like six years," he said.
A portion of the compensation was used to clear debts, while some has been set aside for the customary rituals after 12 months, Sureshbhai said. "Most of the amount has been saved," he added.
