‘We are proud of him’: Ghatkopar neighbours rally around Captain Smit Machchhar’s family
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘We are proud of him’: Ghatkopar neighbours rally around Captain Smit Machchhar’s family")
Captain Smit Machchhar lived with his family in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar for years before moving out for his career Photograph: (X)
Ghatkopar residents say they remember Captain Smit Machchhar not just as a pilot, but as the boy who grew up in their neighbourhood, surrounded by people who knew his parents and followed his journey.
Mumbai: In Ghatkopar, where Captain Smit Machchhar was born and brought up, the mood today is a mix of concern, emotion and immense pride.
Smit lived with his family in this Mumbai neighbourhood for years before moving out for his career as a commercial pilot. His parents continue to be closely connected to the community, and several residents here have known the Machchhar family for decades.
As news of the dramatic flydubai flight incident reached Mumbai, neighbours immediately gathered around the family.
For them, Smit is not a pilot they have only heard about in the news. He is someone they watched grow up.
‘Our first reaction was — Oh My God’
Bhavesh Shah, a longtime resident who knows the Machchhar family closely, said the initial reaction in the neighbourhood was one of shock.
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“Our first reaction was, ‘Oh my God, what has happened?’ We were extremely worried about Smit and his family. But once we understood what he had done, there was also a tremendous sense of pride,” Shah told WION.
He said the relationship with the family goes back decades.
“We have known the family for a very long time. We have seen Smit grow up here. He is very close to the people in the society,” he said.
‘Everyone came forward to support the family’
Laxmikant Joshi, another resident who has known the family for years, said the community’s immediate priority was to stand beside Smit’s parents.
“When we heard the news, our first thought was about the family. We wanted to be there for them and give them whatever support we could,” Joshi told WION.
He said the Machchhars have remained closely connected with the people around them.
“We have known his parents for a long time. This is a close community. Whenever somebody needs help, people come together,” Joshi said.
And today, he added, the feeling across the neighbourhood is one of pride.
“We are extremely proud of Smit. The courage he has shown has made everyone here proud,” he said.
Smit’s father underwent open-heart surgery four months ago
For the Machchhar family, the latest crisis comes after difficult few months.
Smit’s father underwent open-heart surgery around four months ago, making the family’s anxiety over the pilot’s condition even more intense.
Ashok Makvana, who has known the family closely, said residents were particularly concerned about Smit’s parents when they first heard about the incident.
“His father had undergone open-heart surgery only around four months ago. So, when we heard about Smit, naturally our first concern was for his parents and how they would handle the situation,” Makvana told WION.
He said residents wanted to ensure that the family did not have to face the situation alone.
“We know this family for years. We have shared so many moments with them. Everyone wanted to stand with them at this time,” he said.
‘He has made the nation proud’: Schoolmate
Ankit Gandhi, a schoolmate of Smit, said he was proud to see someone he had studied with respond with courage during an extraordinary situation.
“He has done a great job. He has made the nation proud and everyone proud,” Gandhi told WION.
Reflecting on the circumstances Smit faced, Gandhi said his actions had a significance beyond the incident itself.
“To be in such a situation at that altitude and still take action is really something. It makes everyone proud. It makes humanity proud as well,” he said.
A family the neighbourhood has known for decades
For residents of this Ghatkopar community, the story has a deeply personal dimension.
They remember Smit not just as a pilot, but as the boy who grew up in their neighbourhood, surrounded by people who knew his parents and followed his journey.
The community says that when the family needed support, neighbours were there — just as they have been for decades.
Today, however, their message is simple.
“We just want Smit to recover and come back home safely,” a resident said.
From the streets and buildings where Captain Smit Machchhar spent his childhood, the message remains one of solidarity for the family — and immense pride in the pilot whose actions during a terrifying mid-air emergency have brought his hometow
