Families of 1985 Air India bombing victims remember their dear ones

Most were carrying flowers and clutching to pictures of loved ones.

Soon she realised it was the family and friends of people who had lost their dear ones in the tragic incident of Air India Flight 182, flying from Toronto to Mumbai, which exploded in mid-air in Irish air-space, under terrorist attack, thirty two years ago.

The incident took place on June 23, 1985 and can easily be called one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in world history.

All aboard airplane Kanishka, 329 passengers and crew, were killed.

Since then, this day has become a day of grief and remembrance for the people who lost their loved ones in the incident.

In 2007, the Air India Memorial was unveiled in Humber Bay Park.

Balkrishna Gupta takes the initiative of organising the annual event so that the significance of the tragedy is not erased from public memory, especially the youth.

People recited prayers from across faiths – Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jewish – for the departed souls. Candles were lit in honour of the victims.

Bob Rae, a former politician and interim leader of Liberal Party of Canada, who had an important role in facilitating the Air India Memorial at the site, delivered the closing note.

Chandrima Chakroborty presented her book ‘Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning’ to the families of the victims.

At the Air India Memorial, Mrs Sharma paid tributes and prayed for her husband Omprakash Sharma, who lost his life in the tragic incident. Mrs Thampi, Mrs Dhunna, Mr Gupta and many others were present in remembrance of their dear ones who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The granite wall of the memorial has names of all the victims inscribed on it. The sun-dial marks the passage of the sun on June 23 and identifies the time equivalent in Ireland, with the sun oriented directly south of the Irish sundial, and shining directly upon it. It is supported by a wall that includes rocks from all the provinces of Canada as well as from countries affected by this tragedy.

"It has kind of become an annual ritual for us families to meet and share our common sorrow with each other," said Mrs Subramanian who lost her sister and family in the tragedy.

People  may debate if the Air India Flight 182 tragedy was that of India or Canada.  But, in reality, it was an international tragedy which affected the lives of people from both countries.

According to media reports, more than 80 per cent of the people killed in the bombing were Canadian citizens, and the majority were of Indian descent.

However, one must remember that the memorial is not just a symbol of grief; it is also signifies reconciliation. The text on the memorial reads – “Time Flies. Suns rise and Shadows fall. Let it pass by. Love reigns forever over all.”

(Reporting by Anand Walunjkar)