Monday, July 03, 2017

Families of 1985 Air India bombing victims remember their dear ones

Toronto: To the rest of the world June 23 is any other day. So when Sarah took her dog for a walk in the evening Toronto's quiet Humber Bay park, she was puzzled to see it buzzing with people.

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.
03/06/17 India Blooms
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