When the Sky Fell Silent

In memory of those lost aboard Air India Flight AI171

 By WÒRDS FÓR YÔU – Bhutan

In the hush of Ahmedabad’s noonday sun,

A silver bird rose — its journey just begun.

Dreams stitched in luggage, hope in every eye,

None knew the sky would bid them goodbye.

Above Meghani Nagar, joy turned to flame,

The heavens cracked, too stunned to name

The horror below — where laughter once stayed,

A hostel's heart in ash now laid.

Tables stood still with untouched plates,

As life dissolved in cruel fates.

Students, healers, kin and friend,

Met silence none could comprehend.

From London’s winds to India’s soil,

A world now pauses, hearts recoil.

A mother’s sob, a brother’s plea,

Echoes through this tragedy.

Only one soul walked through fire and night,

With shattered breath and borrowed light.

But countless names will not return,

And countless candles still must burn.

We, from the quiet hills of Bhutan’s grace,

Mourn each life, each empty place.

The sky above us weeps in grey —

A thousand prayers we send today.

To strangers now forever near,

Your stories etched in every tear.

Though oceans wide may lie between,

In grief and love, we stand unseen.

No wings should fall, no dreams be torn,

No child alone, no world so worn.

But still, from ash, let care arise —

A vow to guard the open skies.

From our hearts at WÒRDS FÓR YÔU — may peace find its way to every soul,

To every family aching, to every spirit whole.