Life lessons

The sobering story of the past week was the horrendous air crash in Ahmedabad which took the lives of all except one on board and 30 to 40 more on the ground. Air India Flight AI171 had crashed on take-off from the airport, stalled mid-air and ploughed into the canteen of a medical hostel nearby. It was the kind of tragedy you wouldn’t wish on anyone, and yet it happened...just like that. Amidst the wreckage and grief, there are lessons to learn. Not grand, philosophical ones but real, human ones.

There was the family that perished. A young couple with three children. After years of effort, paperwork, delays and saving every rupee they could, they were finally on their way to the UK. The father a software engineer there, the mother a medical doctor in India. They had secured visas, they had sold off most of their belongings, this was going to be a new chapter. But life, with its usual unpredictability, turned the page for them. Their story reminds us how we all keep saying “next year,” “after the kids finish school,” “once things settle down.” But sometimes, that “someday” we’re all waiting for doesn’t come. Their loss is a sharp, cruel reminder: plan, yes, but don’t put life entirely on hold.

Then there was the woman who missed the flight. She had been late—only by 10 minutes, but the gate was closed. No amount of pleading worked. In the moment, it felt like a disaster. She was furious, distraught, crushed by what seemed like a missed opportunity. But now, she’s the woman who didn’t get on the plane. The one who walked away with her life. Sometimes what feels like a setback is something else entirely. We don’t always get what we want, and occasionally that’s the luckiest thing that can happen to us.

There was also the survivor. Just one. He had no idea what happened. One moment he was seated and the next, chaos. He remembered kicking the emergency door open, and then he escaped the burning wreckage. He was noticed and immediately brought to hospital. No one expected anyone to survive but he did. He doesn’t call it luck. He doesn't call it fate either. It was just kamma, life, handing him another chance. What he does with it now, he says, is entirely up to him.

And then, there are all the others. People who had said goodbye that morning with the usual casualness. A peck on the cheek. A distracted wave. A reminder to call after landing. And then—silence, no hellos after the goodbyes. Their lives were cut short in an instant, leaving unfinished stories behind. Plus all those medical students and doctors, having their lunch in the canteen. One minute eating and bantering with friends and colleagues, the next minute, gone. That’s the part we never want to think about. That we’re all temporary. That tomorrow is not guaranteed.

So what now? It’s this: don’t wait too long. Don’t leave things unsaid and undone. Don’t keep putting off the apology, the conversation, the idea, the dream, the action. Life is short, but it’s also unpredictable. We may not get a warning. Sometimes, there really is no next time. If you love someone, let them know. If you’ve been holding back from something meaningful, start doing it. Do it now, while you still can. While you're still breathing, still capable, still here.

Because as this past week has shown us, even the most ordinary day can turn into something unthinkable. And sometimes, the difference between life and death is nothing more than a missed gate, a changed seat, or a decision made two minutes too late.