TV
It was meant to be a quiet act of love, a journey of closure, a tribute to a life shared and a promise fulfilled. But for Arjun Manubhai Patolia, a 36-year-old British Indian from London, that journey ended in heartbreak. After travelling to India to honour his late wife’s final wish, Arjun lost his life in one of the deadliest air crashes in recent memory.
A Promise to His Dying Wife
Based in London, Arjun had recently lost his wife, Bharatiben, to illness. In her final days, she made a heartfelt request: that her ashes be taken back to her roots and immersed in the sacred waters of India. Arjun, a devoted husband and father, travelled thousands of miles to Gujarat to fulfil that last wish — carrying with him not only her ashes but the weight of a grief-stricken heart.
He performed the funeral rites in his ancestral village of Vadiya in Amreli district, where relatives helped him honour her memory along the banks of the holy Narmada. With the rituals completed, Arjun prepared to return to London — to reunite with his two young daughters, aged just 4 and 8, who were waiting for him at home, But fate intervened.
Flight to Reunion Turns Fatal
Arjun boarded Air India flight AI171 to Gatwick on Thursday. Minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area, slamming into a medical college hostel and erupting into a fireball. Videos showed the aircraft struggling to gain altitude before the fatal descent.
“He was just coming back to his girls,” said Arjun’s nephew, Krish Jagdish Patolia, his voice trembling.
Now, two daughters must grow up with memories instead of parents — a story of love, sacrifice, and heartbreaking loss.
Arjun’s journey was never about himself, it was about love, loss, and duty. A devoted husband, he honoured his wife’s final wish with dignity, returning her to the land she cherished. A loving father, he was rushing back to his children, eager to comfort them in their shared grief. In the end, he gave everything. Now, two little girls must grow up holding onto memories — of a father who loved deeply, and a mother whose final wish was fulfilled in the most tragic of ways.
