SURAT: As stories of AI 171 crash victims unfold, among the most heartbreaking is that of 37-year-old Arjun Patoliya, whose death has left two little sisters in London, aged 8 and 4, orphaned within a span of just 18 days.Still mourning the loss of their mother Bharti, who died of cancer on May 26, the two girls have now lost their father in Thursday’s tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad.Arjun had travelled to India to fulfil his wife’s last wish – that her post-death rituals be performed in Gujarat. He immersed her ashes in the Narmada River at Nilkanthdham in Poicha, 60 km from Vadodara, and at their native Vadiya village in Amreli district. He was flying back to London when fate dealt another cruel blow to the family.‘Never imagined we’d perform Arjun’s last rites just days later’ Arjun’s mother lives in Surat. His daughters are now in the care of his younger brother Gopal, who also lives in London.Only last Sunday, the Patoliya family had gathered to perform Bharti’s final rites – an emotional and heavy moment. They had just about started to process their loss when tragedy struck again. “My sister-in-law wanted her last rites to be performed in India. We had never imagined that within days, we would be performing Arjun’s rites too,” said his cousin, Sanjay.Arjun’s mother gave her DNA sample to help identify his body so it could be brought back to Vadiya for the last rites.Arjun had lost his father in 1990 at a very young age and was raised by his mother, who sold cutlery and household items to make ends meet. He studied up to grade 12 at Swaminarayan Gurukul in Surat before moving to the UK at the age of 20. He had been living in London for the past 17 years.There, he ran a furniture shop and met Bharti, who worked as an accountant. They married and built a life together, raising two daughters. Bharti hailed from Gujarat’s Kutch district. Her family is now settled in Ahmedabad.
