‘Not Knowing is Hard’: Pune Father of Two Remains Skeptical as Malaysia Resumes MH370 Hunt
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Nearly 11 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, the Malaysian government has agreed in principle to resume search operations. The decision follows a proposal by US exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which will receive $70 million if substantial wreckage is found.
However, Pune-based social worker Prahlad Shirsat, whose wife Kranti was among the 239 passengers on board, remains unconvinced.
“These news reports keep coming, but unless something actually happens, they cannot be trusted. Personally, I have lost trust in the government,” he says.
On March 8, 2014, Kranti was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, en route to Pyongyang. Prahlad, then working in North Korea, was preparing to receive her when he saw news of the missing plane. “I checked the flight number, and it matched,” he recalls. He rushed to China and later Malaysia, but with no updates, he returned to India to care for his two sons.
For years, Prahlad closely followed search operations. The first search, covering 120,000 sq km in the southern Indian Ocean, was called off in 2017. A second search in 2018 also failed. After that, he stopped receiving updates from Malaysian authorities.
“For three years, I believed something positive would happen. But hopes faded, especially after officials declared all passengers presumed dead,” he says.
Now, his elder son has completed an MBA in Canada, while the younger is pursuing Chartered Accountancy. “We have accepted the situation. Acceptance is the best thing,” he says.
Reflecting on the tragedy, he adds, “People ask me what happened. Unfortunately, I have no answers.
