Captain Sumeet Sabharwal — who was commanding the Air India flight AI-171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed last week in Ahmedabad killing 241 passengers and several others – was cremated here on Tuesday, as his 88-year-old Pushkaraj Sabharwal led a large number of mourners in bidding a tearful farewell to his son.
Hours after his body was brought to his Powai home in Mumbai where he had lived most part of life, Sumeet’s mortal remains were consigned to the furnace at the nearby Chakala electric crematorium in north Mumbai.
Captain Sumeet (56), who was single, was a resident of the F Block of JalVayu Vihar in the upscale Hiranandani Gardens area of Powai. Capt. Sabharwal is survived by father Pushkraj Sabharwal. Sumeet’s mother had passed away two years ago.
Earlier, his octogenarian father Pushkraj, who was in tears but maintained a stoic silence, led the prayers held near a building temple, standing beside his son’s coffin with folded hands amid chants of ‘Om Namah Shivay Mantra Har Har Bhole Namah Shivaya’,
His family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues and people from different parts of Mumbai had turned out to bid a goodbye to Sumeet, who was among those killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday last.
Apart from Sr Sabharwal, Sumeet’s aunt and his two nephews, who too are pilots, were present at the prayer meeting. Sr Sabharwal placed flowers at the casket and stood in silence and then chanted prayers with others with family members and friends. He broke down while chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay Mantra Har Har Bhole Namah Shivay’ in front of the casket, which had a photo of the late ace pilot in a Captain’s uniform. He was helped by close family members.
Hiranandani Group co-founder and Managing Director Niranjan Hiranandani and Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Mama Lande were among those who visited Sumeet’s house to have a last glimpse of him.
“Very sad, a young life was taken away ( in the crash). This is a thoughtful moment, we need to study this thoroughly. We cannot afford to go like this again. The family is devastated. The only justice now is to ensure this moment leads to answers, to reforms. Safety and security must be a priority, not just in aviation, but in every sector,” Hiranandani said.
“Sumit had spoken to his father just three days ago prior to his tragic death, He had told me that he wanted to retire early so that he could come home to care for him,” Lande said.
“We had known each other for several years. We had flown together many times on the same flight. He maintained a low-profile. A thorough gentleman. He was always smiling. He was such a sweet person,” Usha Talwadekar, a former colleague of the pilot, recalled.
“Whenever he was at home, he would take his father out for a walk in the mornings and evenings,” a JalVayu Vihar resident said.
Captain Sumeet along with First Officer Clive Kundar was piloting the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London when it crashed within minutes after its take off from Ahmedabad bad airport on June 12. A senior pilot, Capt Sumeet had 8,200 hours of flying experience, while first Officer Kundar had clocked 1,100 hours.