Air India plane crash: 'This one felt different', coffin maker after order for 100 units
Representative image (Picture credit: AP)
AHMEDABAD: The morning sun had barely warmed the pavement outside Ahmedabad's civil hospital Friday when Nilesh Vaghela, 47, arrived with his truckload of 20 wooden coffins. Neatly arranged, polished to sombre perfection,& lined with care, the coffins bore no names yet, only the weight of untold stories.
For most, coffins are a symbol of finality. For Nilesh, they are acts of service. "People talk of borders and visas. But coffins don't ask for passports. They all look the same in death," he adds.
Nilesh has been in the trade for 15 years. He works with one helper, making 7 coffins a day. But following the AI-171 crash, which killed 274 people, including 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian, he received an urgent request for 100 coffins. "I had over 50 ready in stock. I regularly help send the remains of the deceased abroad, to London, the US. But this felt different," he said.
Despite the demand, he refused to hike prices or take advance payments: "This is not the time for profit."
As he returns to his workshop to prepare more, Nilesh continues doing his bit.
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