Photos of a Buddhist festival show ritual dances in India's Ladakh
As they moved, the white human skull motifs on their costume caught the morning sun. They danced to ward off mythical evil beings and clear the courtyard of negative energy.
That set the stage for the ritual dances to follow at the Hemis Festival — or Hemis Tsechu.
Hemis Gompa belongs to the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and is one of the most important monasteries in Ladakh. Built in the 17th century, it lies at an elevation of about 3,560 meters (12,000 feet) in the northern Indian desert mountainous territory.
The festival, believed to have originated in the first half of the 18th century and observed annually ever since, commemorates the birthday of the 8th-century Indian master Padmasambhava, who is credited to have helped establish Buddhism in Tibet.
The two-day summer festival falls on the 10th and 11th days of the fifth month in the Tibetan calendar. This year's festival was observed on July 5 and 6.
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The Sun
15 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit survivor of Air India disaster tormented by nightmares where ‘everyone dies' and ‘won't speak' about horror crash
AIR India's sole crash survivor has nightmares where "everyone dies," and won't speak about the horror he went through, his family said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, walked away with cuts and chest injuries after the Boeing 787 slammed into a residential building in Ahmedabad, India. 9 9 9 Despite being dubbed the "miracle man" and a "symbol of hope" in the country, the Brit still lies tormented by grief and survivor's guilt. His cousin Krunal Keshave, 24, from Leicester, says he manages to sleep, but not properly. He told The Sunday Times: 'When he sleeps, he dreams he is on the flight. 'He remembers seeing everyone die in front of his eyes.' Vishwash decided to stay in India to recover at his family home in Bucharwada hamlet in Diu, instead of going back to London or Leicester. He had been sitting in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, and managed to crawl out through a hole in the twisted wreckage. His brother Ajay, 35, who was on the opposite side of the aisle in seat 11J, was among the 241 passengers who perished. 'He sees him [Ajay] everywhere,' said Keshave. 'He speaks but he doesn't speak about the crash. His wife and his son [who is four] are there with him, supporting him. 'He is currently trying to have a normal life, but he is not going out too much. 'He is spending time at home with the family. He was living in the house in Diu with his brother before the crash.' The miracle survivor previously told The Sun he felt "terrible" that he couldn't save his brother is racked with remorse over his death. 'Everything was visible in front of my eyes when the crash happened. 'I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive,' Vishwash said. 'It's a miracle I survived. I am OK physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay. 'If we had been sat together we both might have survived. I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one.' The pair had been returning to Leicester after the end of the fishing season at their family business in Diu. Their plan was simple: fly back to the UK on June 12 ahead of the monsoon. But the flight never made it. Moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, Flight AI171 lost altitude and smashed into a medical college hostel. A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were killed in the tragedy, including 52 Brits. The crash has become one of the deadliest involving British citizens in recent memory. Investigators are now zeroing in on a chilling twist in the cockpit. 9 9 9 According to flight data reviewed by US investigators, captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, may have manually flipped the plane's guarded fuel cut-off switches — a move aviation experts say could only have been intentional. A preliminary summary of the black-box recording reportedly captures co-pilot Clive Kunder asking, 'Why did you cut off?', to which Sabharwal eerily replies, 'I didn't.' But the switches were flipped off one second apart and then turned back on ten seconds later — too late to restart the engines. It comes after reports the captain made a haunting final remark to a security guard before leaving home on the day of the flight. In Vishwash's case, surviving has become its own form of torment. 'He feels guilty that he is the only one to have lived when everybody else, including his brother, died. It's a lot to live with,' another relative told The Sunday Times. Key findings of Air India preliminary crash report Dual engine shutdown - fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' Confusion between pilots - cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cut off', the other replied 'I didn't' RAT deployed - as seen in CCTV footage before the crash, the ram air turbine (RAT) which acts as a backup power source in case of emergencies had deployed Engine relight attempted - fuel switches were found returned to 'RUN' at crash site 32 seconds - the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed Thrust levers mismatch - Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged Fuel test pass - fuel was clean without any contamination Normal take-off set-up - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured No bird activity - clear skies, good visibility, light winds Pilot credentials clear - both medically fit and rested No sabotage detected - although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India Aircraft loading - the flight was within weight and balance limits After escaping the burning wreckage, Vishwash reportedly attempted to go back to save his brother. 'My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him,' he pleaded with emergency workers. Rescuer Satinder Singh Sandhu recalled: 'He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. 'There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. 'He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.' Doctors who treated him at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital said he was stable despite his physical wounds. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited him during his five-day stay in hospital before he was discharged and returned home. Vishwash has since returned to the family's coastal village of Diu, where he is trying to recover with the support of his wife Hiral, their young son, and his extended family. 9 9
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
'Miracle' British sole survivor of Air India crash is haunted by nightmares of the tragedy which killed 242 others and keeps 'seeing everyone die' in his dreams, family says
The British sole survivor of the horrific Air India crash is haunted by nightmares where he sees 'everyone die', his family have said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, who was sitting in seat 11A, walked away with only cuts to his face and some chest injuries. He has been honoured as the 'miracle man', 'God's child', and a 'symbol of hope' by Indian media, and locals call him 'the man who cannot be killed'. But he is wracked with guilt as he faces the reality of being the only person out of 242 passengers and crew to survive the crash as the jetliner slammed into the ground and burst into flames. He struggles to sleep at night, according to a member of his extended family, Krunal Keshave, 24, from Leicester. 'He sleeps but doesn't sleep properly. When he sleeps, he dreams he is on the flight. He remembers seeing everyone die in front of his eyes.' The miracle survivor previously said he feels 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay, 35, and feels tormented with guilt over his death. The pair ran a fishing business in Diu, India and would live there during the fishing season - which begins in September and ends in May - then would return to Leicester for the off-season. 'He sees him speaks but he doesn't speak about the crash. He is currently trying to have a normal life, but he is not going out too much. He is spending time at home with the family. He was living in the house in Diu with his brother before the crash,' Krunal told The Sunday Times. Another relative said: 'He feels guilty that he is the only one to have lived when everybody else, including his brother, died. It's a lot to live with.' The 40-year-old told The Sun: 'It's a miracle I survived. I am OK physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay.' Vishwash had tried to book two seats next to each other on flight AI171, which crashed into a densely populated part of the city of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. But by the time he came to make the reservation, he was forced to pick two seats apart from each other in row 11. Vishwash said: 'If we had been sat together we both might have survived. 'I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one. Me and Ajay would have been sitting together. 'But I lost my brother in front of my eyes. So now I am constantly thinking 'Why can't I save my brother?' Vishwash carried his brother's coffin at a ceremony in Gujarat last month. He was later seen crying in anguish and had to be taken away. He was sitting next to one of the plane's emergency exits, was able to crawl through a hole in the twisted fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Footage exclusively obtained by MailOnline showed Vishwash tried going back to the site of the inferno to save his brother. Vishwash told the first emergency service worker on site: 'My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him.' Emergency worker Satinder Singh Sandhu said: 'I walked nearer to Mr Ramesh, grabbed him by the arm and led him away to a waiting ambulance. 'I had no idea that he was a passenger on the plane and thought he was a resident of the hostel or a passer-by. 'He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. 'He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.' Shortly after the tragic crash he told Indian media: 'I thought I would die. Everything happened in front of my eyes,' 'I don't know how I came out of it alive. I saw people dying in front of my eyes.' The crash was one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. The aircraft struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, 52 of whom were British. Investigations into the Air India plane crash are looking into the captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who remained calm as the first officer Clive Kunder, 32, panicked about the fuel supply to the engines being cut off. A black-box recording of their conversation suggests that it was Sabharwal who turned off the switches, according to sources close to the US side of the probe. The Wall Street Journal reports that US pilots who have reviewed the Indian investigation believe first officer Clive Kunder, who was flying the aircraft, would probably have had his hands full trying to keep the Boeing Dreamliner steady. That responsibility would have left the captain, who was acting as the monitoring pilot, free to oversee the operation and possibly make adjustments. According to the official report, two crucial switches were flipped off one after the other, exactly a second apart. Ten seconds later, both switches were turned back on. In a preliminary summary of the exchange between pilots one asked the other why he moved the switches, while the other denied doing so. Air India said it 'stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI 171 accident'. A spokesman said: 'We continue to fully co-operate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.'
Times
a day ago
- Times
Air India crash survivor still dreams of his ordeal in seat 11A
When one passenger emerged from the flames of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last month, it was hailed as a miracle. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A, suffered only cuts to his face and some chest injuries, but his biggest battle has been accepting that he is the only person out of 242 passengers and crew to survive, his family said last week. 'He can't sleep at night,' said Krunal Keshave, 24, from Leicester, a member of the extended family who describes Kumar Ramesh as his 'uncle'. 'He sleeps but doesn't sleep properly. When he sleeps, he dreams he is on the flight. He remembers seeing everyone die in front of his eyes.' He said Kumar Ramesh has chosen to remain in India to recuperate in Bucharwada village in Diu, on the coast of the western state of Gujarat, rather than returning to his home in London or to his family's home in Leicester. He has been called the 'miracle man', 'God's child', and a 'symbol of hope' by Indian media, and locals treat him as an object of awe and wonder, describing him in hushed tones as 'the man who cannot be killed'. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner came down less than a minute after take-off, crashing into a hostel building used to accommodate doctors, which killed another 19 people. Kumar Ramesh is dealing not just with the unimaginable events of flight AI 171 on June 12, but also the loss his younger brother, Ajay, 35, who was on the plane, which was heading to Gatwick. 'He sees him [Ajay] everywhere,' said Keshave, who had just returned from Diu. 'He speaks but he doesn't speak about the crash. His wife and his son [who is four] are there with him, supporting him. He is currently trying to have a normal life, but he is not going out too much. He is spending time at home with the family. He was living in the house in Diu with his brother before the crash.' • Air India plane crash survivor: When I opened my eyes I realised I was alive Another relative said: 'He feels guilty that he is the only one to have lived when everybody else, including his brother, died. It's a lot to live with.' Described as stoic, reserved and reliable by those who know him, Kumar Ramesh had been in India visiting relatives in Diu, whilst also taking care of a fishing business he ran with Ajay. Their boats would catch pomfret, mackerel and sardines to sell to local seafood suppliers. For the past three years the brothers would live in India during the fishing season, which begins in September and ends in May, just before the start of the monsoon season. They were returning to the UK last month during the off-season, and had booked a ticket a week before the flight. A 15-page preliminary investigation by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), published earlier this month, revealed confusion in the cockpit between the two pilots, with one asking the other why he had moved the fuel switches, and the other denying having done so. US authorities believe the captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, was responsible for cutting the fuel to the plane's engines shortly after take-off, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Clive Kunder, 32, the co-pilot, was flying the plane, while Sabharwal was monitoring each step. More than 20 bereaved families, whose loved ones were passengers, are now taking legal action against Air India in the High Court to force the release of the pilots' personnel files and other evidence. • Who were the Air India pilots who flew the jet that crashed? A pre-action letter of claim sent by the legal firm, Keystone Law, which specialises in international aviation law, requests 'a copy of all the pilots' occupational records including any health assessment' and 'a copy of your training materials and any disclosure relevant to your assessment of the pilots' competence, health and training'. The letter also asks for 'a copy of all disclosure relating to the throttle control module replacement'. The throttle control module on the aircraft, which contained the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023. The switches come with safety mechanisms preventing them being flicked off accidentally. James Healy-Pratt, an aviation law expert and a partner at Keystone Law, said: 'There are two areas of focus: the fuel control switches and their history, and the 26 seconds in the cockpit between lift-off and [the] pilots' mayday, and the potential for the fuel switches having been moved by one of the crew members.' He said the families were also planning to lodge a legal action against Boeing in the US federal courts in Virginia, where Boeing is based, in order to find out more about the fuel switch mechanism. Indian investigators will deliver a more extensive AAIB report on the crash in the next year. Air India said it 'stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI 171 accident'. A spokesman said: 'We continue to fully co-operate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.' Since giving some interviews to Indian media immediately after the crash, Kumar Ramesh has been silent while he recovers. 'I thought I would die. Everything happened in front of my eyes,' he said at the time. 'There was a wall on the opposite side, but near me [the emergency exit]. It was open. I ran. I don't know how. I don't know how I came out of it alive. I saw people dying in front of my eyes.'
