Twin tragedies in 18 days: Two little girls lose mother to cancer, father to Ahmedabad crash
Kanchan Patoliya, 62, was on her way to Surat from Ahmedabad, where she had gone to see off her grieving son Arjun, 37, a British national who had come to Gujarat to immerse the ashes of his wife who died of cancer, when her nephew called and asked her to get down at Vadodara and wait for him.
Only minutes ago, the family had learnt about the Air India Ahmedabad-London plane crash near the airport.
Within hours, Kanchan was back in Ahmedabad, this time to give her DNA sample to identify the body of her dead son at the civil hospital.
Arjun was flying back to London on June 12 to be with his daughters Riya, 8 and Kiya, 4. The two girls lost both her parents in a span of 18 days, said the grieving grandmother.
'I was in shock after learning about the death of my elder son in the plane crash. His wife, Bharti (35) died due to cancer on May 26. Now both his daughters have become orphans. Arjun had left both the girls at his younger brother Gopal's place before coming to India with the remains (ashes) of his wife, whose wish was to immerse them in the Narmada river,' said Kanchan.
'Either I or my younger son will now take care of Arjun's daughters,' an inconsolable Kanchan told The Indian Express. Arjun's younger brother Gopal has been married for eight years and is settled in London. The couple has no children.
'I gave my blood samples for a DNA test to identify the body of my son at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 12. Gopal arrived at Ahmedabad on Friday evening. Once we complete all the rituals, we will sit down and decide the future of both girls. If needed, I will fly to London to stay at my younger son's place and take care of my granddaughters,' said Kanchan.
The Patoliyas hail from Wadiya village in Amreli district. They moved to Surat a long time ago. Kanchan's husband, Ramesh Patoliya, ran a garment shop and Arjun studied at a Gurukul school run by the Swaminarayan sect at Katargam. The family has their own house in Katargam and Wadiya. After the death of Ramesh Patoliya, Kanchan ran a shop to meet the family's financial needs.
Arjun had been settled in London for 17 years and held British citizenship, running a furniture shop there. He got married to Bharti, who hailed from Kutch in Gujarat.
Sources said that Gopal got married to a Patidar girl in Surat in 2017, and the couple moved to London in 2023. Kanchan would sometimes stay in Surat and sometimes at her house in Wadiya village. Arjun and Gopal were staying together in the same house in London and were running the same furniture business, said the sources.
A relative of Kanchan told The Indian Express, 'We learnt about the plane crash through social media. My aunt's nephew, Nilkesh, called her and told to getdown at Vadodara as he knew that there would be a DNA test and Arjun's mother's samples would be required. Nilkesh reached Vadodara and took my aunt, Kanchanben, to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where she gave her blood samples and then returned to Wadiya village.'
'The DNA test has confirmed Arjun's death and we have started the preparations for his last rites. THere will be a family meeting to decide who will get the custody of the two daughters of Arjun. The eldest one, Riya, studies at a London school. We are all waiting for Arjun's body to be handed over to us,' said the relative.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Almirahs as ‘walls', 2 shifts: In Mumbai school, Classes 1-8 students are in one hall since 2022
For the students of a civic body-run Marathi-medium school in Mumbai's Mankhurd, the biggest concern since 2022 has been the long walk home. Never mind that nearly 100 of them have been 'temporarily' crammed inside one big multipurpose hall — with steel almirahs serving as 'walls' instead of partitions — for almost three years now. A recent video shot by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Ravi Gawas inside the hall brought the issue to light. Under this makeshift arrangement, the students of Mankhurd Marathi-Medium School No 1 have been studying in shifts inside a 1,000-square-foot hall on the sixth floor of the Maharashtra Nagar BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) School, also in Mankhurd. While the morning shift comprises 87 students of Classes 6-8, around 100 students of Classes 1-5 study in the same space in the afternoon. Completed in 2020, the six-floor Maharashtra Nagar BMC School was built under the civic body's new brand name for its schools — Mumbai Public School (MPS). The English-medium school was completed in 2020. Its top-floor hall, originally designed for school functions and events, has been doubling as a makeshift school space since 2022. Mumbai Public Schools offer free education, along with 27 essential items, including uniforms, textbooks, shoes, raincoats, and a mid-day meal. Before moving to their new address, the students of the Marathi-medium school and those from four others — Marathi-medium school no 2, Hindi-medium, Urdu-medium and lower primary school — studied in the same BMC school building near Mankhurd railway station. Declared 'dilapidated', the building was demolished in 2022. Its reconstruction is yet to start. After the demolition, students from all five schools were moved to the Maharashtra Nagar School. While the Hindi-medium students were shifted to the Deonar BMC School, around 4 km away, a year later, four schools continue to function out of the Maharashtra Nagar School building. Three of these four schools have been allotted one floor each at their new address, giving them enough space to conduct separate classes. However, the Marathi-medium school, given its relatively low enrollment, has had to make do with the multipurpose hall, where even the stage serves as a 'separate' classroom. Despite attempts, The Indian Express was denied entry inside the school by the administration. As he exited the premises after the morning shift, a Class 6 student of the Marathi-medium school told The Indian Express, 'My class is near the main door of the hall. My class has three rows — two for boys and one for girls. A few cupboards separate us from Class 8. Students of Class 7 sit on the stage area.' To a question on whether their sixth-floor arrangements caused confusion or distractions during lessons, a group of students walking home after school paused, looked at each other and shrugged. 'Not really. Each class is focused on its own lessons,' said one. Another student chimed in, 'You can hear bits from the other classes, but if you're paying attention to your teacher, it's fine.' However, both parents and students had one complaint — the distance. The Maharashtra Nagar School is located nearly 3 km from their Mankhurd Gaon homes, while the now-demolished school was barely two minutes away for most. Though parents acknowledged this inconvenience, most were hesitant to speak out against the administration. One parent said, 'I am scared that my child will face the consequences at school if I say something. All of us feel that this temporary arrangement is better than opting for a private school, something that most of us cannot afford.' A parent who had come to drop off her child, a student of the primary school at the now-demolished building, said, 'My sister's children studied there (at the demolished school) and praised its teachers. That is why I got my child enrolled there. While the current situation is not ideal, we know it's temporary.' MNS leader Gawas, who shot the viral video, says he has submitted a formal complaint to the BMC's Education Department and the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. He said, 'Just because education is free, should children be crammed into a hall? What's the point of free education if there aren't enough classrooms?' Calling the delay in the reconstruction of their school building a 'violation' of their right to education, he added, 'The situation raises serious questions about the BMC's intent to rebuild these schools, especially since the old building was in a prime location.' Taking cognizance of the issue, the BMC's Education Department had sought a review report from local officers. The report states that 87 children attend classes in the morning session and around 100 children in the afternoon session in the same hall. Education Officer Rajesh Kankal said, 'The hall can accommodate 300 persons at a time, which means the students have not been crammed inside. The school also has an adequate number of teachers. It was supposed to get real partitions, which never happened. Wooden partitions to separate the classes will be provided on priority.' Calling this a 'temporary arrangement', he added, 'Another BMC school is almost ready for handover in the locality. Some of these schools will be relocated there soon, reducing the number of schools housed in the Maharashtra Nagar BMC school building.' To a question on the status of the original building at Mankhurd Gaon, he said it will have to be reviewed. 'The relocation of the school is a cyclic process since some buildings require heavy repair works or complete restructuring,' he said.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Last DNA match done, 260 bodies handed over: Min
Ahmedabad: A gruelling fortnight-long exercise to identify all victims of AI flight 171 finally ended on Friday, with forensic experts finding a DNA match for 32-year-old passenger Anil Khimani. His was the last sample out of 241 passengers and crew that perished in the tragedy, which the experts were toiling to match. Khimani was a native of Dahisara village near Bhuj. His mortal remains were handed over to the family on Saturday, confirmed Civil Hospital officials. With the update, state health minister Rushikesh Patel, in a release, stated that bodies of 260 victims of the air tragedy, which includes 241 passengers and crew and 19 killed on the ground, have been identified and handed over to their kin. Those on board included 181 Indian nationals, 52 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. Out of the total, 31 were flown for the last rites, whereas the rest were sent by road. "Out of the Indian victims, 73 are from Ahmedabad, 29 from Anand, 24 from Vadodara, 14 from Diu, 13 from Maharashtra, 12 from Surat, and 11 from Kheda among others," the minister stated in the release. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Health department officials said that none of the samples given by relatives remain unmatched. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "In case any remains are found from the crash site, identification will be carried out," said a senior official. Meanwhile, sources saidthat Khimani, who had travelled to other countries for work, was flying to the UK for the first time. His family had been desperately praying for the match. Khimani is survived by his wife and children, the sources said.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
F-35 jet remains grounded as UK repair team yet to arrive
Thiruvananthapuram: The UK's HMS Prince of Wales-led Carrier Strike Group has reached Singapore for joint exercises — but without one of its F-35 fighter jets, which remains grounded at Thiruvananthapuram airport due to a hydraulic snag. The expert team to carry out the repairs is yet to arrive. Sources said that if on-site repairs are not successful, the fighter jet may need to be moved out in a military transport aircraft. The fighter jet on a routine flight made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport after facing difficulty landing on its aircraft carrier due to low fuel. However, it subsequently developed a snag, preventing its departure. The pilots have since returned. Efforts by the aircraft carrier's crew, who flew in multiple times by helicopter, failed to repair the jet. A statement from the British High Commission said that a specialist team from the UK is expected to arrive to carry out repairs. However, they have not yet reached the site. The aircraft will remain in the airport's parking bay until the team arrives. Only then will it be moved to a hangar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The rest of the Carrier Strike Group has proceeded to Singapore with 11 other F-35 jets. Airport sources had earlier said the airport will calculate a parking fee for the fighter jet and that they are yet to calculate the amount that needs to be charged. The fighter jet is parked in Bay 4, used by VIP aircraft. It is not hampering aircraft movement at the airport because the flight traffic is low. Usually, the airport operator charges a parking fee based on the aircraft's weight. But the fighter jet is lightweight and it is not a scheduled flight. So the same yardstick may not be applicable in this case.
