Meitei, Kuki-Zo girls from Manipur among crew members killed in Air India plane crash
Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, a Meitei, hailed from Thoubal district in the valley while Lamnunthem Singson belonged to Thadou community. Thadous are part of greater Kuki-Zo community.
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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
When legs gave way, tears kept streaming down her face: A sister pays tearful homage after Air India crash
Ahmedabad: An eerie silence fell over the charred crash site, broken only by the distant wail of emergency vehicles. The scorching sun beat down, and a sickening scent of burnt wire and aircraft debris hung heavy - a constant, acrid reminder of the tragedy. Amid this grim tableau, another sound rose: the raw, heart-wrenching wails of two young Manipuri women performing a sacred ceremony for their beloved lost ones. Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, 20, and Lamnunthem Singson, 26 - bright, promising Air India cabin crew - had vanished into the inferno. As they entered the hostel gate, stepping carefully amid scattered debris and blackened walls, one young woman's legs gave way. She dropped to the ground near a solitary tree, her body shaking with silent sobs that soon erupted into guttural cries, her face buried in her hands. The other knelt beside her, a hand resting gently on her back, her own eyes brimming. Both, in their twenties, wore faces etched with profound grief - a fragile mix of stoicism and devastation. Their glistening eyes held a distant, trance-like focus. Their trembling hands moved with purpose, preparing for the ceremony: an incense stick, a vibrant yellow marigold garland, a pristine white towel, among a few other things. The ceremony was performed by Khenjita Geetanjali Devi, sister, and Ngamlienlal Kipgen, cousin of the air hostesses, sources said. The air, heavy with the scent of smoke, despair, and burnt wreckage, slowly filled with fragrant incense as one of the women, her voice a fragile whisper that swelled into a potent lament, began to chant ancient Manipuri words. It wasn't a soft prayer; it was potent, deliberate wailing, possibly a Thawaimi Kousinba - a calling and collection of the soul, as IB Singh, a Manipuri local, explained to ET. A man, possibly another relative accompanying them, moved slowly, spreading the purifying smoke, his eyes red-rimmed and unfocused. The white cloth was folded with immense tenderness and rocked five times, like a mother cradling her baby - a desperate attempt to coax the departed spirits back. Live Events "In our Manipuri, particularly Meitei culture, if a family member dies in a bus accident, vehicle accident, or plane crash, the family must try to collect the soul from the very spot where the person died. That is called Thawaimi Kousinba," Singh said. Without the ritual, the soul is believed to remain trapped, unable to pass on, possibly causing disturbances and obstructions. The ceremony helps free the soul, allowing it to ascend peacefully and eventually be reborn. Clutching the white cloth to her chest, the young woman sobbed uncontrollably before carefully laying it on the ground. She clenched the brown paper bag that carried the Turkish towel, her head hung low, tears still streaming down her face. Even Air India's support staff found their own eyes welling up. Hardened policemen and women nearby, typically unmoved, quietly softened, touched by the raw, unfiltered grief that filled the air. As she looked back once again, for those present, the scene was no longer distant or procedural - it was profoundly, painfully human.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Manipur unites in grief, across the ethnic divide
GUWAHATI: Divided by ethnic strife for more than two years, Manipur has united in grief in the wake of the June 12 crash of Flight AI-171. Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups, yearning for peace, have mourned the deaths of both 20-year-old Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, who is part of the Meitei community, and 26-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, a member of the tribal Thadou community, in equal measure. The pair were among the 10 cabin crew members of Air India's London-bound flight, which crashed seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad. 'Huge loss for all' 'Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride. Their sudden passing is a huge loss for their families, friends, and for all of us back home. May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones find the strength to get through this unimaginable pain,' former Manipur Chief Minister, Nongthombam Biren Singh, posted on X. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum, which has been seeking a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people since the ethnic conflict with the non-tribal Meiteis broke out in May 2023, said it was pained by the crash that killed 241 people on board, including the two crew members from Manipur. The tribal Thadou Students Association issued a statement with the photos of both Ms. Sharma and Ms. Singson to 'express heartfelt condolences to both bereaved families' while assuring necessary assistance to them during this difficult time. 'Two daughters of our soil' The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, which upholds Meitei pride, said it stands in deep solidarity with the families who lost 'two precious daughters of our soil'. A spokesperson of the Meitei Heritage Society said: 'In death, we are all the same. A tiny State with a population less than many big districts of India, divided on narrow ethnic lines by a few vested interest groups.' Ms. Singson was among those who were displaced from Manipur's capital, Imphal, during the peak of the ethnic conflict. She and her family relocated to Kanggui in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district. Grieving families 'She was the sole breadwinner of the family for the past few years,' her widowed mother, Nemnelihing Singson, said. She said she raised her daughter and three sons with difficulty since their father passed away years ago. Air India recruited Ms. Sharma in Imphal three years ago, while she was studying for an undergraduate course. 'She worked from Mumbai,' K. Khenjita, one of her relatives, said from Imphal. Her last message before take-off: 'I'm going to London. In a few minutes, we'll take off. We may not be able to talk afterwards.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Death of cabin crew members blurs Kuki-Meitei divide
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kolkata: In the heart of Manipur, profound sorrow has woven its way through the fabric of a community long divided by conflict. The tragic loss of the two cabin crew members — a Kuki and a Meitei — in Thursday's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has momentarily eclipsed the strife between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, uniting them in shared grief. Ever since the news of the crash broke on Thursday afternoon, family members began prayers for Lamnunthiem Singson, a Kuki Zo and Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailakpam, a Meitei girl, both part of the 10-member cabin crew on board the ill-fated Air India flight. A day later, civil society organisations and individuals have come forward, offering their support, while social media has become a canvas for heartfelt condolences and prayers for the young souls lost too soon. "People of Manipur are collectively heartbroken, leaving aside the narrow community lines. Our state has been divided for over two years on ethnic lines. Tragically, in their death, the angels of the sky brought together the two communities and left a grim reminder of how precious human lives are and the need for peaceful coexistence, as we have done for centuries," a spokesperson for the Delhi-based Meitei Heritage Society said. Nganthoi's relatives rushed to Ahmedabad on Friday for a DNA test after authorities asked her cousin N Khenjita to fly down. Family members of Kuki cabin crew Lamnunthiem Singson are also in Ahmedabad for similar tests. "In their passing, they have become angels of the sky, reminding us of the preciousness of human life and the urgent need for peace," he added. In a gesture of remembrance, the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) in Delhi announced a candlelight march to honour all victims of the crash. They reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the grieving families, particularly noting the plight of Singson, who was the sole breadwinner for her family displaced by ethnic violence. Her family, now residing in a rented house in Kangpokpi, faces an uncertain future without her. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming. From politicians to everyday citizens, both within Manipur and beyond, expressions of disbelief and sorrow have flooded in. One 'X' user said, "In life, they came from communities divided by conflict, and in death, they remind us that, in the end, we all share the same fate." Manipur Congress leader Lamtinthang Haokip took to social media to honour the young women, offering his deepest condolences to their families. "May their souls rest in peace," he wrote, echoing the sentiments of a community united in mourning by the shared loss of two bright stars extinguished too soon. Former chief minister N Biren Singh tweeted late on Thursday, saying how two young girls from Manipur, a Kuki-Zo and Meitei had possibly lost their lives in the Ahmedabad air crash. "It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, were among those who lost their lives in today's Air India crash in Ahmedabad," he wrote on 'X'. "Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride. Their sudden passing is a huge loss for their families, friends, and for all of us back home," he wrote, adding: "May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones find the strength to get through this unimaginable pain. " Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
