In an emotional and deeply moving exclusive interview, the only survivor of one of aviation's most tragic disasters has broken his fifty-year silence, revealing how the psychological trauma fundamentally broke him as a person.
The Day That Changed Everything
On 12th October 196, Air India Flight 171 took off from Bombay's Santa Cruz Airport bound for Delhi, carrying 117 souls aboard. What should have been a routine domestic flight turned into one of India's deadliest aviation catastrophes when the aircraft experienced engine trouble shortly after takeoff.
The plane crashed into the Arabian Sea, claiming the lives of all 117 passengers and crew except for one remarkable survivor - a story that has remained largely untold until now.
A Survivor's Burden
"Being the only survivor isn't a blessing - it's a curse that never leaves you," the survivor confessed during our exclusive sit-down. "The weight of 117 lives hangs around your neck every single day."
He described how the trauma manifested in ways he never anticipated: "It broke me in places nobody could see. The physical injuries healed, but the psychological wounds never closed."
The Long Road to Healing
For decades, the survivor struggled with what we now recognise as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), though at the time, such conditions were poorly understood and rarely discussed.
- Years of nightmares and flashbacks
- Survivor's guilt that never faded
- Difficulty forming lasting relationships
- Professional life severely impacted
"People saw me as lucky," he revealed, "but I felt anything but fortunate. Every birthday, every anniversary was a reminder that I was living years that 117 others would never experience."
A Message of Hope
Now breaking his silence, the survivor hopes his story will help others dealing with trauma understand that healing is possible, even if the journey takes a lifetime.
"The crash didn't just break me - it rebuilt me into someone who understands the fragility of life," he shared. "And that understanding, while born from tragedy, has become my greatest strength."
His testimony serves as a powerful reminder of the invisible scars that survivors carry long after the physical danger has passed, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
