Ahmedabad plane crash: Maithili Patil’s flight of sacrifice ends in sorrow

A condolence message from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Maybe if she had continued her BAF studies, she would have been alive today," said a Panvel neighbour of 23-year-old Maithili Patil, who was on board the ill-fated flight A1-171. Belonging to a financially backwards family, Maithili had discontinued her education in Bachelor of Accounts and Finance from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University in Panvel as she always wanted to fly high in the sky.

"She was a cheerful and determined girl and had become a beacon of hope for many, especially the young girls in her small village," said Sarpanch Harish Mhatre of Nhava village, Panvel on Friday. Mourning her loss, the college has also shared a condolence message.

The family of Maithili gather at her home in Panvel on Friday after hearing about the tragedy

Apart from wanting to become a cabin crew member, being the eldest of three siblings, Maithili also wanted to start working at the earliest to support her siblings' education. "Maithili was a caring girl who was taking care of her school-going brother and sister after she started working," said one of her relatives, highlighting her selfless nature. Belonging to a humble background, Maithili's journey was far from easy. Her father works with ONGC as a worker on a contract basis, and her mother is a homemaker.

Despite her family's financial constraints, Maithili had carved out a promising career for herself with relentless hard work and a positive spirit. "She was a very good-hearted person who never let her circumstances define her," said Mhatre. Many of her relatives, still in shock, struggle to speak about her. But the void she leaves behind is palpable, not just in her home but across the community that admired and loved her.