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On 12 June 2025, Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of 260 people, including Dr Himanshu Sheth. One year on, his Melbourne-based son Manan Sheth and daughter-in-law Hetal Sheth reflect on their loss, remembering a respected doctor, father and mentor. Manan shares the emotional memory of his father’s final phone call, made to wish him on his birthday before boarding the flight. The family also speaks about the heartbreaking coincidence that the aircraft crashed into the same medical college campus where Dr Sheth had studied and built the foundation of his medical career.
The last phone call
For Manan, who lives with his wife and two daughters in Melbourne's western suburb of Rockbank, the memories of 12 June 2025 begin not with news alerts or television coverage, but with a phone call from his father.
It was Manan's birthday and Himanshu had called to wish him well before beginning his journey to London.
Like countless conversations they had shared over the years, it was routine and familiar.
"My father called me to wish me for my birthday. He said, 'I just called you to wish you before I board the plane. Enjoy your day. I will call you tomorrow once I reach London,'" the 45-year-old tells SBS Gujarati.
Neither could have imagined it would be the last time they would speak.
Where it all began, it ended
Manan says, for his father, the BJ Medical College was more than a place of study. It was where he laid the foundation for his medical career, built lifelong friendships, and began imagining the future.
It was also where he met his future wife.
"My father's professional journey had begun at that campus. Many of his lifelong friendships were formed there. His future family had its roots there," he says.
The family did not immediately realise the significance of the location when the news of the crash first emerged. It was only later, as they reflected on old memories and family stories, that the connection became fully apparent.
For Manan, the coincidence remains difficult to process.
It is an unimaginable twist of fate. Where he studied, his life came to an end.
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