Ahmedabad plane crash: A year on, victim’s father rebuilds life; says son kept his promise even after death

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Filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala, who was killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025. Photo Credit: @mahesh_jirawala/Instagram

Nearly a year after the Ahmedabad plane crash snatched away his filmmaker son Mahesh Jirawala, who had promised to rebuild the family's life, 62-year-old Girdharbhai Kalawadia still struggles to accept the loss.

Yet, sitting inside the modest two-bedroom flat bought with compensation received after the tragedy, the grieving father says his son ultimately fulfilled that promise, even in death.

Today, Girdharbhai shares the flat in the Naroda area in Ahmedabad with his wife, younger son Kartik and granddaughter, as the family makes a slow, fragile attempt to put life back on track after the tragedy. Still, Mahesh’s absence continues to haunt them every day.

"We are trying to pick up the pieces. But how can parents forget their son? Every evening, I still feel he will return home," an emotional Girdharbhai told PTI ahead of the first anniversary of the June 12 tragedy.

"Mahesh always told me not to worry. After my heart surgery, he promised he would clear all our debts and buy a house for the family. Today, because of him, we are living in our own home. My son fulfilled his promise even after his death," the distraught father said.

Mahesh Kalawadia, also known as Mahesh Jirawala, was among the 260 persons killed when Air India flight AI-171 crashed into a medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area shortly after take-off for London Gatwick last year.

The 34-year-old filmmaker, who produced and directed Gujarati songs and albums, was among the 19 persons killed on the ground after the aircraft crashed and burst into flames near the road where he was passing by on his scooter while returning home.

Recalling the days before the tragedy, Girdharbhai said he had suffered a heart attack barely two weeks before the plane crash.

"I was a diamond worker at a polishing unit. After my surgery, I could no longer work. Mahesh told me t