Fate switched our positions, says bereaved Kedarnath pilgrim

Kala and her husband had swapped their tickets so that she could travel by helicopter in the company of her cousin

For two Chennai couples, their visit to the shrine at Kedarnath on October 18 was an important part of their pilgrimage but things unexpectedly spiralled into a disaster.

R. Ramesh, his wife Kala, her cousin Sujatha and her husband Prem Kumar had bought tickets on Aryan Aviation’s helicopter ride between Guptkashi and Kedarnath. The journey, which lasts nine minutes, was the only alternative available to an arduous trek.  

On their journey back to Guptkashi from Kedarnath, the group of four was split as the copter, which accommodated only six people, was half full. Mr. Ramesh switched his ticket with his wife so that she need not travel alone in the next ride. So, Prem Kumar accompanied the two women. Mr. Ramesh recollects watching the helicopter take off and disappear into the clouds before making his way to the waiting area. Soon, he heard an announcement that there had been an accident and the helicopters were no longer allowed to fly. So, he made his way down to Guptkashi riding a horse and along the way noticed the wreckage of a helicopter. His worst fears came true when a friend called him to confirm that it was an Aryan Aviation copter that had crashed due to bad weather.

“I remember struggling on the horse on the way down as I was getting so many calls, from friends and family and trying to come to grips with the reality of what just happened,” he says. The responses from the Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu governments were swift and they took over all logistical details related to contacting the families and transport arrangements. “It was like a burden was lifted off my shoulder and I cannot thank them enough”, says Mr. Ramesh.  

“We have been married for 40 years and after my retirement a few years ago, Kala insisted that we spend these years travelling,” recounts Mr. Ramesh. “Today, I just remember her being blissful about the excellent darshan and her repeated exclamation of how happy and lucky she felt”. Kala was a voracious reader and assisted with counselling parents whose children had learning disabilities.  “It has been very hard and cannot be put into words but we have so much love and support and I am lucky to have my children with me”, says Mr. Ramesh.

Kala, 60, is survived by her husband Ramesh, 65, daughter Sanjana, 36, and son Archith, 32.