Collision

In 1996, two burning planes plunged into the mustard and cotton fields of a village in Haryana. It was the worst aviation disaster in India’s history –– and it changed the way we fly. Yet the accident and its aftermath haven’t lingered in public memory. Bhavya Dore reconstructed the haunting spectacle of the mid-air collision over Charkhi Dadri, and its aftermath.

Collision is the first story in a weekly series called Detail. Every week, we’ll present an essay that dives deep into an aspect of India’s history, politics and culture. Through these stories, writers and artists will explain or establish something interesting about life on the subcontinent, and make a case for why it matters to readers.