Anil Ambalal Patel, a 60-year-old widower from Ahmedabad, India, is grappling with the immense sorrow following the loss of his son, Harshit, and his daughter-in-law, Pooja, in a catastrophic aviation disaster. On June 12, Air India Flight 171 tragically went down shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 260 passengers and crew members, including 19 individuals on the ground.

On the morning of their funeral, Anil found solace in the quiet of his upstairs room, reflecting on the joyful moments he shared with the couple during their recent two-week visit from Britain. They had brought a sense of purpose back into Anil's life, a light that intensified the shadows of years marked by hardship. As he prepared to scatter their ashes in the Narmada River, a symbolic act at the merging of three streams, he tenderly kissed their photographs, mourning that the love they had breathed into his life was extinguished in an instant.

For many within India's sprawling landscape, stories like the Patel family's encapsulate profound loss and resilience. In a nation of 1.4 billion, voices are often lost among staggering statistics, but for Anil, Harshit and Pooja were more than mere numbers; they were his everything, the foundation of his hopes for a better tomorrow. As communities unite in remembrance, the tragedy of Flight 171 becomes a poignant reminder of life's unpredictability and the cherished connections that define our existence.