‘Please Come Back, My Good Girl. Mumma Is Waiting’ — Grief and Survival After Air India Crash

In a narrow alley of Juhu-Koliwada slums in Mumbai, the home of Saineeta Chakravarti is heavy with grief.

The 34-year-old Air India crew member was among the victims of the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad that has claimed multiple lives and devastated countless families.

“Please come back, my good girl. Mumma is waiting,” her mother, Rema Chakravarti, repeats through uncontrollable sobs.

The pain is raw and constant. Each time someone enters the small house—be it a neighbour, friend, or journalist—Rema breaks down again, according to the BBC's Archana Shukla.

Saineeta’s father, Abin Chakravarti, sits silently nearby, eyes vacant.

“Saineeta really took care of us, feeding the family and supporting her mother’s cancer treatment,” he manages to say before emotion overtakes him.

Their home is now a revolving door of mourners and well-wishers. Friends and neighbours have stepped in to help—bringing food, taking calls, handling the media.

One friend said he would accompany Abin Chakravarti to Ahmedabad for DNA sampling to help identify Saineeta’s body.

A plastic aeroplane model still hangs from their front door, next to Saineeta’s bags and guitar. Her passion for flying, which once brought her family so much pride, now hangs as a haunting symbol of loss.

“She loved flying—that was her passion,” said Hemant Chandan, her friend and former colleague.

A Life Spared by Minutes

For Bhumi Chauhan, a British student, a late arrival may have saved her life.

Chauhan was supposed to be on the ill-fated Air India flight but missed it by just five minutes due to traffic in Ahmedabad.

Speaking to the BBC’s Gujarati Service, she said: “Earlier I thought that Ahmedabad's traffic would cost me my ticket money and my job, but now I consider Ahmedabad's traffic a blessing.”

“Even though I lost my money, I am happy that my life was saved.”

She recounted how she had reached Ahmedabad from Ankleshwar on time, but the traffic delayed her just enough that airport security wouldn’t let her through.

'My Brother Is Gone'

Among the victims not on board the plane was 15-year-old Akash, who lived and worked in one of the buildings the aircraft crashed into.

He had a part-time job at a nearby cafeteria where his mother, Sita Ben, also worked.

When the plane went down, Sita Ben ran into the burning building in a desperate attempt to save her son. She sustained severe burns and is now hospitalized.

Akash’s older brother, Kalpesh, was inconsolable when we met him at the hospital. He sat clutching a photo of his mother and younger brother, sobbing uncontrollably.

His father, who was near the crash site, said he heard the explosion and rushed to the scene.

By the time he arrived, the area was engulfed in smoke. His wife had already been taken to hospital. Then came the news that Akash had not survived.

A Long Night of Waiting

At Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, relatives of the deceased continue to pour in. Many are waiting in line to provide DNA samples; others wait for news—any news—of their loved ones.

A police official at the post-mortem unit confirmed that six bodies have so far been released to families who were able to identify them visually. However, most of the deceased will require DNA testing for identification.

“No DNA-matched bodies have been released yet. That process takes time,” the officer said.

A senior health official confirmed that at least eight of the deceased were not passengers on the plane. Four were medical students who lived in one of the buildings the plane hit. The other four were their visiting relatives.

As families across the country reel from the impact, the reality of this tragedy is most brutal at the personal level — a mother whispering for her daughter to come home, a student narrowly missing death by traffic delay, and a father facing the unthinkable loss of a child.

The official investigation continues, but for many, the search is now one of closure, not answers.