Thrilled that they would be part of her convocation ceremony on June 23, Dhwani Patel couldn’t wait to see her parents — and the graduation dress they had picked out for her — in London.
Rajni Patel (51) and his wife, Divyaben (47), from Gujarat’s Vasad town, had also packed local snacks, new shoes and a watch to surprise the 21-year-old. Travelling with them was Dhwani’s aunt, Hemangi Patel (57).
“They had scheduled a flight for June 20 but advanced it to June 16, and finally to June 12, as they wanted to spend more time with me since I was to sit for placements after my convocation. This was the first time someone from our family was attending a convocation abroad. I told them to stay with me for some days as the weather is usually good in London,” Dhwani told The Indian Express.
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The family found itself on the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board.
A student of business management from Middlesex University in London, Dhwani rushed back home but could only reach on June 14. “Due to the Israel-Iran conflict, my flight was redirected to Austria, then Milan and then back to the UK. I took a new flight and reached on June 14,” she said.
“They had packed everything Dhwani likes… They hoped to stay with her for some days before she started working,” said her 31-year-old cousin Parth Patel, whose mother Hemangi died in the crash.
On board the flight were several such proud parents who were heading to the UK to attend their children’s convocation.
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Two others who lost parents to the Dreamliner crash are Ahmedabad’s Pratham Nanda (22), who was graduating from Nottingham Trent University, and Gracy Sagparia from Rajkot, who was graduating from the University for the Creative Arts, Epsom.
Like Dhwani’s parents, they too had rescheduled their travel plans.
Younger brother gone too
Pratham is grieving the loss not just of his parents but of his younger brother, Prayash (18), too. Apart from attending Pratham’s convocation, the parents – founder of Cargo Motors Group Pramukh Pravesh Nanda and his wife Neha – thought they would also shortlist universities for Prayash.
An undergraduate student of business management and entrepreneurship, Pratham was waiting for his family to attend his convocation on June 16.
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“Prayash, who had just completed his Class XII, also wanted to study abroad, so the family thought it would be a good opportunity to look for universities. They were to visit two-three universities before finalising one,” Pramukh’s younger brother Pranav told The Indian Express.
Pramukh was a key figure in Gujarat’s automobile and transport sectors and was well-known in the state’s business circles. The bodies were cremated on June 17 after the mortal remains were handed over following DNA sample reports. Pratham reached Mumbai on June 13 morning, from where he travelled by road to Ahmedabad.
According to Pranav, the family was to leave on June 9 so they could get more time before the convocation. “But since our father was not well and had to be hospitalised, they delayed the tickets to June 12. The same day (of the crash), my father was discharged from the hospital in Ahmedabad,” Pranav said.
Pratham says he plans to join and lead his family’s car dealership business, which was founded in 1959 and has operations in Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan.
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Visa cancellation saved her
Gracy, who had wrapped up a four-year course in fashion design from University for Creative Arts Epsom London, recalled, “My father was not too happy to travel alone as my mother’s visa got cancelled just three days before June 12. I pushed him to continue his trip as he would not be able to witness this occasion again. He was coming to London just for me.”
Gracy, in the centre wearing a white shirt and red skirt, with her fher father and other family members (extreme left)
Narsinhbhai Sagpariya, 63, a resident of Kalavad Road in Rajkot and a well-known architect, had booked the tickets for June 12 after several changes in the plan. Gracy had planned and booked a trip for her parents to first fly to Scotland, stay there for four days, return to London on June 18 from where to go on another London trip.
“I was the one who forced my parents to plan the trip days ahead of the convocation as I wanted them to explore London and other places too. We had planned the excursion before the convocation scheduled on July 10, stay for another two-three days before returning to Rajkot. More than me, my parents were excited to not only visit me and attend the convocation but being on their first foreign trip,” Gracy who returned India on June 13 told this paper from Rajkot.
Gracy under the mixed feelings of guilt and loss says she is thinking of returning London for her convocation ‘doing this only for my father who wanted to see me graduating’. “It was me who wanted to study abroad and then start my own brand in Rajkot. I was to return with them and I still remember my father’s words who said stay as long as you want,” Gracy recalls.