Mumbai: With tears in his eyes and folded hands, a visibly shattered 88-year-old Pushkraj Sabharwal led prayers chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay Har Har Bhole Namah Shivay’ as he gave an emotional farewell to his son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot of the Air India plane which crashed in Ahmedabad last week.
A smiling photo of Captain Sabharwal was placed on his casket at his home in Jal Vayu Vihar, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, as family members, friends, neighbours, and colleagues gathered in solemn respect to bid a final goodbye. The hearse carrying his mortal remains then left Chakala electric crematorium, where the last rites were conducted.
The 55-year-old pilot was unmarried and is survived by his father.
BJD leader from Odisha, Manmath Routray, who trained under Captain Sabharwal, described him as an ‘ever-smiling guy’, who would not have liked a tearful goodbye. “He always made us feel comfortable when we were trainees. He was one of the pioneers in crew resource management. He was an exceptional person, calm and polished, with a captivating way of speaking. He had his notes written, all flight plans ready. He was very systematic. He was also very friendly when we met him at some hotel lobby. So, I don’t think it will be appropriate to say goodbye to him with tears,” said the former commercial pilot, who resigned from Air India and returned to Odisha to pursue politics, while speaking to Mojo Story.
The BJD leader further stated that he would always cherish him and his training.
Manmath had co-piloted flights with him to global destinations like Tokyo, Frankfurt, the USA, and Melbourne. “We operated two-commander flights. When I was a first officer in the initial years on a Boeing 777, I worked under him. He was among the finest, most sought-after pilots—an ideal aviation professional. Tragically, his career ended with a devastating incident,” Manmath had earlier told the media.
He also mentioned that Captain Sabharwal was planning to retire from flying very soon.
The ill-fated Air India flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, was under the command of Capt Sabharwal along with first officer Clive Kundar. While Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar 1,100 hours, the DGCA earlier said in a statement.
