Family, friends bid farewell to Captain Sabharwal

MUMBAI: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's mortal remains arrived at his residence in Powai's Jal Vayu Vihar Tuesday morning. A hush fell over the housing complex, with AI crew, fellow aviators, and family and friends filing in quietly.

Residents of the locality gathered in clusters - some in grief, others in disbelief - outside the building where Captain Sabharwal (56) lived, the compound echoing with stories of the man they called "a thorough gentleman." From pilots who flew beside him to the crew that flew with him, neighbours who knew him simply as the kind man with a calm smile, all stood still in the moment."I can't tell you what a thorough gentleman he was," said Usha Talawdekar, a resident of Powai Park.

A retired AI cabin crew member who served 37 years in the skies, she paused to compose herself outside the gates of Jal Vayu Vihar. "I've flown with him. Every request he made came suffixed with, 'whenever you get the time'. No ego. Never demanded respect. We all just loved him. And he was an ace pilot." Her eyes welled up again.

"Too early for him to go," she said, wiping her tears away. "Air India pilots are the best. They always know what they are doing."

On June 12, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's final flight - AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London - crashed seconds into take-off. As the coffin was brought into his complex, his father Pushkaraj Sabharwal (92), a former DGCA official, stood silently, flanked by his daughter, her sons, and several pilots and cabin crew. Residents carried the coffin to the building's temple and offered their final prayers.Savitri Budhania, an elderly resident, said, "It was just Saturday," she said, pointing to the path where he last walked. "He took prasad from my hands right there." Her voice broke. "I told him, 'Your father is too old to be alone.' And he said, 'Just one or two more flights... then I'm going to just be with Papa.'" She added softly, "Who knew this was going to be it."