Co-pilot laid to rest in Sewri, Dombivli bids goodbye to young flight attendant
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Mumbai: Air India co-pilot Clive Kunder, 32, who was killed in the Ahmedabad air crash on June 12, was buried in Sewri cemetery on Thursday. His family accorded him a ceremonial farewell complete with a formal invitation card, funeral band, black hearse and floral wreaths.
And in Dombivli, throngs of people converged to mourn young flight attendant Roshni Songhare, 26, whose death has left her parents bereft of their main breadwinner.
Around 9am, Clive's family brought his coffin to his residence at Sunteck City Avenue 1 at Ram Mandir, Goregaon West. A small ceremony unfolded in the lobby and after an hour the coffin was taken up to his house.
Capt Kunder's parents Clifford and Rekha and sister Camille sat by his body.
A neighbour said, "He was a kind soul. Such a tragic incident should not have befallen him."
Executives from Tata Trusts, the owner of Tata Group of companies, gathered at his funeral service. They stood alongside his family and friends to pay their respects and share in their sadness. A large wreath of white flowers with his name was placed on his coffin by Tata Trusts executives.
At 1pm, the hearse drove to Sewri Christian Cemetery accompanied by a funeral band.
Under the grey, drizzling sky, the ceremony began at 3pm. Clive's remains arrived in a white-silver casket with white rose wreaths and bouquets of red roses.
Lifelong friends Stephie and Raya spoke of his selflessness and his loyalty to his family. "Let us take a moment to gather our anger, sorrow, frustration, but mainly, our pride in Clive. He has not died, he is only flying higher." Then, like a mantra against despair, they intoned Walt Whitman's 'O Captain! My Captain!'
Next came Arun Balachandran, who knew Clive as a schoolmate he bumped into at Kalina bus stop.
"We used to play football together," he recalled. Pastors of UBM Church Kurla and Ambernath followed with the remainder of John 11:30-44, reminding the mourners that even Jesus knew the sting of sorrow. The choir struck up Horatio Spafford's 'It Is Well with My Soul' accompanied by guitars and violins.
In Dombivli, flight attendant Roshni Songhare was cremated in Dutt Nagar. At 9.30am, the coffin reached her house in Rajaji Path where her wailing mother Rajashree waited in vain to see her one last time.
Since the body was damaged and packed in a coffin, the family was instructed not to open it. The last rites were performed the same way.
Senior Air India officials were present including Saurabh Agrawal, executive director and group CFO of Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, and Ju Li NG, divisional vice president and head of cabin crew of Air India. Mourners including Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh More watched as Roshni's father lit the pyre.
Meanwhile, Badlapur cabin crew Deepak Pathak has not yet been identified. His brother-in-law and sisters are still waiting in Ahmedabad.
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