Ahmedabad: What survives a tragedy is often ordinary, yet unbearably heavy. Seven months after the ill-fated Air India 171 flight crashed in Ahmedabad, families continue to confront their loss through personal belongings salvaged from the wreckage and catalogued by the airline. A prayer book, a child’s toy aeroplane, a single gold earring, or a pair of shoes: For some, these items offer a fragile connection to loved ones lost; for others, they reopen wounds that have barely begun to heal.Among the recovered items is a slightly damaged prayer book containing “Mangal Mandir Kholo…”, a poem written in 1934 by Gujarati litterateur Narsinhrao Divetia after the death of his grandson Premal. The verses urge the Almighty to shower blessings on the soul that crossed the “forest of life” too soon and now stands at heaven’s gate. Its recovery from the AI171 crash site has struck a deep emotional chord with families still grappling with loss.The Gatwick-bound Boeing aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12 last year, killing 260 people, including 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board. In the aftermath, recovery teams collected personal belongings from the aircraft’s storage areas and the crash site.Addressing the process of returning personal effects, Air India said it has approached the task with “utmost respect, dignity and accuracy”. “Returning the belongings is a sensitive step. Teams, working with a qualified external partner, have spent considerable time cataloguing and documenting recoverable and returnable items,” an airline spokesperson said.Over 22,000 personal belongings have been preserved, said the Air India spokesperson. Of these, around 10,000 were identified using names or other markers — largely passports, identity documents, permits and personal effects — and are being returned to families. The remaining roughly 12,000 unassociated items have been uploaded to a dedicated online portal, allowing registered relatives to attempt identification through photographs and descriptions.The spokesperson said, “Information about the items has been shared with families through email and a dedicated website, and once details are confirmed, belongings are handed over physically after regulatory clearances.”The digital catalogue, organised into categories, reads like fragments of interrupted lives. A toy aeroplane marked ‘Kids Airways’, religious idols including one of Lord Ganesha, jewellery, footwear and books: Each item reflects a life interrupted and plans left unfinished. It gives a peek into the world of the passengers — some of whom were travelling to unite with family, some flying to pursue higher education, and some starting a new life in a new country.“Going through the items was a really emotional experience,” said Mukti Vansadiya from Surat, who lost both her parents in the crash. “There are objects that connect directly with the incident. When I saw a page with ‘Mangal Mandir Kholo’ and ‘Prabhu Sau Nu Karo Kalyan’, it overwhelmed me.”Sources said Air India has opened a 45-day window from Jan 5 for families to claim both identified and unidentified belongings. While the process is largely digital, a facilitation centre has been set up in Ahmedabad where families can collect items by appointment. Mohammad Rafiq from Diu, who lost his son Faizan in the crash, said navigating the system remains difficult. “The telephonic helpline is no longer functional. I went to the Ahmedabad centre but was not allowed to see any items because I did not have an appointment,” he said.Several families, however, have chosen not to collect the belongings at all. A close relative of one victim from Mumbai, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the victim’s mother has remained ill since the crash and has not recovered emotionally. “In such a situation, what would we do with the belongings? His memories are with us, and that is enough,” the relative said.“These items are memories of loved ones lost forever,” said Ayush Dubey, part of the legal team assisting AI171 families across multiple countries. “It is difficult to identify everything because families may not know what all was packed. Many are not comfortable with email-based systems. So, phone support would help reduce emotional distress.”According to Air India sources, recovered items have been classified as associated and unassociated. Associated items are clearly linked to a specific passenger or crew member, and in such cases, families do not need physical re-verification at the collection centre, which functions only as a facilitation point. Sources also clarified that the helplines used earlier remain operational, and the airline is working to support passengers in navigating the digital process as smoothly as possible.
