What was meant to be a joyous journey to a new life turned into a heart-shattering tragedy for the Joshi family.

Among the 241 lives lost in yesterday’s horrific Air India plane crash was Dr. Prateek Joshi, a radiologist based in London; his wife Dr. Komi Joshi, a pathologist from Rajasthan; and their three young children — a nine-year-old daughter and twin boys, just four years old.

They were just hours away from beginning a new chapter together in the UK.

Dr. Prateek had been living in London for the past four years, working tirelessly and visiting home whenever he could. This time, he had come to take his wife and children back with him — for good. Komi had resigned from her job in Udaipur, packed up their home, collected school transfer certificates, and prepared everything herself. “She did it all, so they could finally be together,” recalled Dr. JP Joshi, Prateek’s father, his voice trembling with grief.

“He usually avoided direct flights,” Dr. Joshi said quietly, “but this time, he said it would be easier for the kids. So he booked one.”

That one decision changed everything.

The night before the flight, the twins — born on August 15 — cuddled up beside their grandfather, too excited to sleep. “They had new school bags. They clutched them the entire night,” he said. “They kept saying, ‘Now we’ll study in London.’ They were beaming with happiness.”

It was supposed to be the start of a new life, a new country, and a new school. Instead, it became the end of a family.

That now-viral photo circulating on social media — smiling faces inside the aircraft, full of hope — was their final memory.

“My son told me, ‘Papa, you should also start preparing to come to London. We’ll all live together there.’ I was even planning to shut down my clinic,” said Dr. Joshi. “Now… there’s nothing left.”

His voice breaks as he talks about his grandchildren. “They would’ve turned five this Independence Day. Born on August 15… and now both of them are free,” he said, eyes brimming with tears.

What adds to the family's anguish is the silence that has followed. “No one from the airline has contacted us. Nothing,” Dr. Joshi said. “We dropped them at the airport. We never imagined it would be our final goodbye.”

The Joshi family’s story is just one among many — a painful reminder that behind every statistic in a disaster like this, there are dreams, memories, and futures that will never be lived.

They were heading to a new beginning. But fate had other plans.