'I do not want her to be dependent on anyone'

Ripan's father, C M Katyal

Chander Mohan Katyal, Ripan's father says, "It is a year since my son died. His murderers are still scotfree. For me and my family, the wounds are still raw. It still hurts that not only did my son's murderers escape, but that dreaded militants were exchanged in return for the lives of the other passengers. What has given our family solace is the unstinted support of people throughout India. My injured son could have been saved if he had been allowed to disembark at Lahore. It was inhuman to refuse him medical attention at this point. But has anyone been held responsible for all these mistakes? Nothing has been done. People say it's all destiny. But I hate that word. Mistakes were made repeatedly and no one is held accountable.

"All through the tragedy, we have tried to protect Rachna as much as possible. She is a brave and intelligent girl. I know she can rebuild her life. That is why I thought it best that she should start a new life by taking up a job. She began working at my insistence. I knew that if she sat here at home, her mind would keep reliving the horror of the hijack.

"Now that Ripan is no longer there to take care of her, I do not want her to be dependent on anyone. I want her to be fully independent, not just financially but also emotionally. I feel she is already on her way to recovery. It was I who approached Indian Airlines with a request that they employer her. They were very sympathetic to my request and agreed. I have encouraged her to start her studies again so that she can be eligible for promotions to higher posts. I am glad she is following my advice.

"When we chose her as our bahu, we did so because she was a simple, homely, well-behaved girl with a good nature. She came from a very sheltered environment but now that she has to face the rigours of life by herself, I want her to be strong and successful so that she can cope with anything. Fortunately, financially, we do not need any help, but she needs a career to rebuild her confidence in herself.

"It is just a year since we lost Ripan, so it is too early to plan too much for Rachna, but I have to think about her future. Suffice it to say if my wife and I can help Rachna overcome this tragedy and give her a new life, we will have done our duty towards her and it will be our best tribute to our only son. I would also like to see a scholarship instituted in Ripan's name. I think Indian Airlines is considering it now.

"Indian Airlines has been very considerate all along. In fact Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, has been giving the matter his personal attention on humanitarian grounds and his attention has given our family solace."

Adds Sunil Arora, CMD, Indian Airlines, "Since Rachna is employed in the same building which houses my office, I get a chance to see her once in a while. I am happy to say that I have seen a major change in her in the last eight months. From a completely broken and devastated human being who was on the verge of a hysterical breakdown, she now appears to be like any normal girl of her age. I feel happy that Indian Airlines has been able to contribute to Rachna's recovery in some way. I wish her well and I hope she will go far in her chosen field."

Rachna's father, C M Sehgal, has apparently expressed his desire to see his daughter settled once again.

Pictures and text, kind courtesy Magna Publications. For more, pick up the latest issue of Savvy.

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