‘All our community are sad': shock and solace as British Gujaratis come together after Air India crash
'We started in a terrace house back in 1971, when all the Asians were expelled from Uganda – we got bigger and bigger, and now we are many,' Dhiren Kanabar said of the Shree Hindu temple and community centre in Leicester, where he works.
The building at St Barnabas Road is testament to the growth and resilience of the city's Gujarati community, who collected money, in their earliest days in the UK, to move from a makeshift place of worship – a family home in Cromford Street – to one of the first purpose-built Hindu temples in the UK.
On Friday, the day after the tragedy of Air India flight 171, in which a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, in the Gujarat region of India, killing at least 265 people, sorrow descended on the temple. People came to light candles, find out how they could help, and take comfort in the speaker's message of common universal humanity.
In this close-knit, British Gujarati community, everybody knows somebody affected. Relatives of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, the sole survivor, are active members. One of Vishwash's brothers, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, is presumed dead.
'People, whenever they have time, in the evenings, and especially weekends, get together in prayer to the gods and goddesses,' Kanabar said. 'But today, we are in mourning. It's really tragic, really shocking.'
All over the UK, meetings of British Indians, Hindus, Gujaratis and their friends and neighbours have become impromptu vigils for the dead. In the North Evington district of Leicester, well-wishers clustered in the doorways of terraces, anxious for news about Vishwash and Ajay.
In this vibrant neighbourhood, crying could be heard from one house on Friday. Dozens of people stood quietly outside the property, which belongs to relatives of the brothers. Early in the afternoon, an inconsolable woman emerged, flanked by about a dozen other women, and was helped into a van – thought to be bound for an airport, then on to India.
There are about 800,000 British Gujaratis in the UK, many living in London, Lancashire and the East Midlands, including Hindus, Muslims, Jains and Christians. As speculation spread across communities, and news trickled out through news sites, broadcasters and social media, the National Council for Gujarati Organisations UK became a go-between for people who feared their loved ones were on the flight and authorities in Britain and India.
The organisation's vice-president, Krishna Pujara, regularly travels on the London Gatwick to Gujarat route, returning home from a visit to the region just last week. When news of the crash broke, she was deluged with calls from people who feared she was on the plane, as well as from those needing support, emergency visas and information.
The meeting Pujara holds every Friday in Enfield, north London, with members of the women's charity Enfield Saheli, which she runs, this week became a place for women from the Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi and Muslim communities to come together in solidarity.
They meditated before singing in prayer around tables lit with candles. 'It's not only about Gujaratis, we are a community that is united within the wider community,' Pujara said.
Onboard the flight was Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat. Pujara said she was due to attend a Father's Day and religious celebration for him on Sunday, which has now been cancelled; his relatives have gone to India after obtaining emergency visas.
'We are a sisterhood here of all different community groups,' Pujara said. 'When tragedy strikes everybody gets together.'
One member of the group, Manu Mistry, 78, said: ''We feel very sorry about that plane crash, people who died, those who lost their loved ones. All our community, all our children, all our grandchildren, we are all sad. It's horrible.'
Another, Mayadevi Shah, said her husband regularly travelled to his home town of Ahmedabad with Air India. After news of the tragedy, it was decided he no longer would. 'He's not going with this flight any more,' said Shah, adding he had returned as recently as last month. 'Luckily, we don't travel this month.'
Shah was among the women chanting in prayer for the victims and their families at the Saheli meeting. The previous day, she had been shocked to learn that a friend had lost her son, who was returning from India after visiting relatives.
'We read the name then we realised,' Shah said. 'The news came and we were shocked. May their souls rest in peace and God give strength to them and their families. Om, Shanti, Shanti.'
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