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Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Farewell to Clive Kunder: ‘He hasn't left us; he's only flying higher now'
MUMBAI: At the Sewri Christian Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, under grey skies and swaying trees, God was a palpable presence at the funeral of Clive Kunder, the 32-year-old co-pilot of the ill-fated Ahmedabad–London flight. Rain whispered across the leaves and gravestones as mourners gathered beneath a gazebo to remember a man who was, by all accounts, as devoted to his family and faith as he was to the skies he flew. 'Seventeen years ago, we met Clive for the first time. Since then, we watched him grow, evolve, and soar,' said Steffi Miranda, a close friend from Wilson College, addressing an emotional gathering that included Kunder's parents and younger sister, Camille. 'But today, we are here first and foremost for his family—because for Clive, family always came first.' From the early years in Kalina to the cockpit of a Dreamliner, Kunder's life was marked by quiet determination and deep affection. Arun Balachandran, a fellow Air India pilot and long-time friend, offered a glimpse into their shared past. 'I first knew Clive not as a colleague, but as a schoolboy,' he said. 'We used to wait at the same bus stop when he was just 10 or 12. We played football together. To see him grow into the 6-foot man he became—and then to fly beside him—was an honour I will carry with me forever.' After earning his undergraduate degree in science, Kunder trained at the Bombay Flying Club's College of Aeronautics before heading to Miami to complete his pilot training. At Air India, he served as a first officer on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, amassing over 1,100 flying hours. 'Clive was the kind of person who brought both precision and cheerfulness to his job,' said Balachandran. 'He was immaculate in the cockpit and always carried a smile.' Those who knew him best also remembered the deeper currents of his life—his unwavering religious faith and the love he held for his younger sister. 'Clive was deeply spiritual, rooted in a personal, steadfast version of tradition,' said Miranda. 'He was incredibly devoted to Camille.' She concluded her eulogy with Walt Whitman's O Captain! My Captain!—a fitting tribute to a man who had lived with purpose and heart. 'Though grief surrounds us, there is pride too—in who Clive became. He hasn't left us; he's only flying higher now.' The service, steeped in music and memory, was led by Father Sam Munnir of UBM Christa Kanthi Church in Kurla, the congregation Kunder was raised in. 'Clive grew up in the Christian faith. I watched him grow in the church, attend Sunday school, and confirm his faith under my guidance,' said Father Munnir, reading from letters of condolence sent by reverends across the globe. 'He had reverence not just for God, but for all people—a true servant in every sense.' As the church choir accompanied his coffin into the cemetery, mourners sang hymns—soft, solemn notes rising into the stormy air. The service closed with a moving rendition of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, echoing over the final resting place of a young man remembered not just for how he flew, but how he lived.
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
17 from Maharashtra die in Air India crash: First officer weeks away from wedding, 4 of a family
Clive Kunder — the first officer on Air India's London-bound flight that crashed right after takeoff from Ahmedabad — was only two months away from his wedding. The 32-year-old, whose mother was a former Air India flight attendant, recently started flying long haul international flights and clocked over 1,110 hours. Kunder, a graduate of aircraft maintenance course of the Bombay Flying Club, underwent flying training from Florida. Kunder lived alone in Goregaon while his parents and sister are based in Sydney. Beside Kunder in the cockpit was Sumeet Sabharwal (60) from Powai, who was set to retire soon. A total of 17 people from Maharashtra were killed in the tragedy in Ahmedabad. Mulund resident Shraddha Dhawan (44), a senior cabin supervisor with Air India, was also on the fateful plane. She worked with the airline for more than two decades. Her husband, CK Rajesh, is also a cabin crew member and the couple has a 13-year-old son. Aparna Mahadik, a 42-year-old resident of Goregaon, was another senior flight attendant on the plane. Her husband, Amol Mahadik, too, works with Air India as a cabin staff. Aparna belongs to a political family as her husband is the nephew of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. Among the other crew members who died in the plane crash are Saineeta Chakravarty (35), a resident of Juhu Koliwada who was recently recruited into Air India, Maithili Patil (24) of Nhava village near Panvel, social media influencer Roshni Songhare from Dombivli and Deepak Pathak from Badlapur, who had been an Air India crew member for 11 years. Among the passengers were Asha Pawar and Mahadev Pawar, an elderly couple from Sangola in Maharashtra, who were residing in Gujarat. They were travelling to London to meet their son. Family members confirmed that the journey had been planned for a long time. Yasha Kamdar, who hails from Nagpur and is married to a family from Porbandar, was flying with her two-month-old son Rudra and mother-in-law Rakshabhen to London for a prayer and condolence meet for her father-in-law. Her husband, Kishan Modha, who runs a battery business, escaped the tragedy as postponed his travel plan last minute. 'We knew that they were on the flight, but we were not informed of their death. My son has given his DNA samples at the hospital and we are waiting now,' said Manish Kamdar, Yasha's father. Among the other victims were Javed Ali Syed and his family members. Syed, a resident of Kensington in the United Kingdom, had come to Mumbai along with his wife Mariam and their two children to spend Eid with family members in Malad. 'He visited us to see our mother who recently had a heart attack, also coinciding with Eid,' said Imtiaz Ali Syed, Javed's brother from Mumbai. As there was non-availability of tickets from Mumbai, they decided to take the flight from Ahmedabad. All four were killed.
