Former CM’s kin fly to Guj for last rites, community prays for lost lives
Times of India | 14 June 2025
1234 Kolkata: Umed Rupani, elder brother of former Guajarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the plane crash on Thursday, left Kolkata with his wife, Daksha, on Friday a 2pm flight to Ahmedabad to attend his youngest brother's last rites. "All our cousins will leave in the next few days for Gujarat to attend a condolence meet once the date is fixed," said a bereaved relative, Sailesh Rupani, who lives on Harish Chatterjee Street.Three of Vijay Rupani's elder brothers and their families have been living in Kolkata for about four decades. Given his strong family connections, Vijay Rupani would often visit the city and were also close to members of Shree Hansraj Laxmichand Kamani Jain Bhawan (KJB) on Ray Street. In fact, even during his CM's tenure, he had come to Kolkata after the death of one of his brothers, Chandrakant. The Gujarati community in Kolkata continued to mourn the Ahmedabad crash and the loss of 274 people, many of whom were from the western state. KJB core committee members gathered on Friday morning for a special meeting to organise a condolence programme on Sunday. "We will pay homage to the lives that were lost and will observe a one-minute silence," said Ketan Doshi, KJB secretary. "Vijaybhai's death is a big loss for the Jain community. He was a ‘jivdaya premi' who was compassionate and non-violent."Vijay Rupani had visited the KJB temple in 2017 and 2023. During his last visit two years ago, he attended ‘Samvatsari Pratikraman' (annual act of repentance and forgiveness in Jainism) during ‘Paryushan Parv' in the Upashray hall of KJB. "The ritual culminates with seeking forgiveness from all living beings, promoting humility and spiritual purification," added Nikunj Sheth, a senior KJB member. Naverlal Patel, a KJB trustee member, remembered: "He was known for his simplicity and dedication to public service." BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Kolkata, which held a special evening prayer on Thursday after the crash, plans to conduct another special prayer this Sunday at all BAPS centres across the world. "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who are affected by the heart-breaking incident on Thursday," said Sadhu Akshar Nandan Das, administrative head of Kolkata.
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