NDC DESK
When Air India Flight AI-117 took off from Ahmedabad on June 13, carrying students, professionals, couples, elders, most heading to the UK to reunite with families or begin new lives. But minutes after take-off, the aircraft began losing altitude and issued a distress call. It crashed near Meghaninagar, turning what was meant to be a journey of hope into a national tragedy.
Among the 241 lives lost were women whose stories spoke of quiet determination, long journeys, and futures that were finally beginning. Their deaths are not just personal losses, they mark the end of hopes nurtured by entire families and communities.
Payal Khatik, 22, was boarding her first flight. A bright student from Himatnagar, she had earned a place for postgraduate study in London. Her father, a rickshaw driver, had taken loans to fund her dream. “She wanted to lift the family out of hardship,” a neighbour said.
Payal used to tutor her classmates for extra income. Her teachers from Rajasthan described her as focused, humble, and exceptionally sharp. She left that morning with a handwritten list of things to do once she landed, open a bank account, find a part-time job, buy warmer clothes. By evening, her name was among the confirmed dead. Her father, who had proudly filmed her at the airport, now waits for her body to return.
In Kerala’s Kottayam district, the home of 39-year-old Ancy Joseph had been repainted for her return. After working as a nurse the middle east, she had shifted to UK and had returned to Kerala for some paperwork.
She was planning to settle down and find work locally, to be with her aging mother and her children studying in 10th and 7th Standard. “She wanted to be there for her kids,” said her friend. Her mother has refused to speak since the news arrived.
In Visnagar’s Ganji area, 25-year-old Ankitaben Patel had just been married. Her visa to join her husband Vasant in London had come through weeks earlier. There had been a small celebration at home, sweets, temple offerings, and tearful goodbyes.
“She had packed everything with such care,” her sister recalled. Vasant was waiting at the airport with roses when he heard the news. Her luggage arrived in charred fragments. “We wanted to welcome her with rituals,” he said. “Now I’m doing her last rites.”
Each of these women had prepared for a new beginning. The plane crash has left behind homes that will never be whole again.
