Seconds after take off: What AI171 tragedy teaches us

 Lost lives in under a minute and what the rest of us can learn from it.

Picture from express.co.uk

On June 12, 2025, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.  Within 30 seconds, it crashed into a residential hostel at B. J. Medical College.  Out of 242 on board, 241 lives perished along with several others on the ground.  Miraculously, there was a single sole survivor - a 40-year-old British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated at 11A near the emergency exit.  

Here are five (5) lessons we can learn from the tragedy:

1. Seat location and emergency awareness. 

Ramesh's survival is partly due to where he was seated, next to a broken exit that did not hinder him in.  His quick reaction during the tragedy by jumping out of the plane away from the crash only shows the knowledge and awareness of evacuation routes and calm instinct can save lives.

2.  Life itself is a miracle.

As they always say, "life is too short".  Don't procrastinate the I love you and I'm sorry.  Be always kind to everyone you meet.  We may never know, it's their last, or yours.

3.  Truth and tenderness.

When tragedy strikes, truth and tenderness must go together.   Truth as to what happened and find who is accountable.  However, compassion is needed in the healing of both the victims and those who are responsible for the accident.

4. Document to tell stories.

Each single passenger had stories to tell.   Preserving every moment in your own life with pictures, words, rituals, social media post, etc.  These memories will be preserved for the future generations.

5.  Gratitude.

When I first traveled by plane to Saudi Arabia, every time we reached our destination on landing, the passengers would give a loud clap and shouts of thank you.  Be thankful in everything that happened to you, even if it is an accident.  Thankfulness transforms trauma into testament.

The Air India AI171 tragedy is a reminder for all of us.  This reminds us to always listen to safety instructions before flight (which we always neglect), prepare better, act faster and to cherish life with deeper care.

Condolences to everyone affected.

Straw 2025 Movie

 

The movie Straw which was shown this year, 2025, is all about the struggle of a single parent.   A mother who underwent different struggles one after the other that led her last "straw" to break.  The movie shows resilience in a world that is too indifferent.

Here are five (5) lessons we can take away from this movie:

1. Silent struggles.  Burdens are not always visible.  Some people are just carrying their struggle silently.  Straw reminds us to be kind to everyone because we may never know what someone is going through.

2.  Unjust system.  Let's not turn blind eyes to those who have been treated unfairly by the system - advocating fairness and supporting those in need.

3. A mother's love.  This is the fuel that motivates a mother to do the impossible.  As they say, "only a mother can do".

4. Whatever you do or say, you will still be judged by society.  Anything we do could be judged harshly by society without first seeing the nig picture.  The movie challenges us to think before judging immediately.

5.  Resilience to overcome.  Surviving is overcoming all our struggles in life.  It is not avoiding hardships.  It is finding strength to overcome.

Straw is not just a movie.  It is a mirror of reality.  It shows everyone is struggling, so be always kind.  What's your view about this movie/.  Write in the comment below.