Anand Acharya

It was my distinct pleasure, and privilege to conduct Anand’s Line Indoctrination training on the Airbus A320. A finer pilot you could never meet. But, more importantly, a finer gentleman you could never hope to know. We are all the poorer for his untimely passing.

To his dear family, my deepest condolences on your profound loss.

Though I only had the pleasure of meeting Anand briefly, that chance meeting told me a lot about him. The ready smile, kind greeting, clear love in his eyes for Kusum told me much about him. Though it is unfortunate to have had such a short meeting, I consider myself amongst the lucky who got to be meet him. Kusum, I am so sorry for your loss and hope your memories shine the brightest of lights on your darkest days.

Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss. Your family are in my thoughts and prayers. May loving memories help you find peace and comfort during this difficult time.

My deepest condolences to Kusum, Nina, Jasmine, Anjali, Jana bappa and Padma Pachi.
Anand was a kind soul with an endearing aura around him. Although we will miss his physical presence in our world, his memories and contributions shall remain immortal as they have enriched the lives of many including me.

Dear Binnie, we have come a long way since the 7-Up + Straw + Nose incident of 1978. Though there have been plenty of sibling spats over the years, you have eased my sorrows, celebrated my triumphs and above all, always had my back. You are the best brother a girl could ever hope for. I miss you.

His beautiful, warm and welcoming smile. Genuine happiness to see his friends. Stimulating and intellectual conversations. Such love for his beautiful family. A person of incredible intelligence and humility. Accomplished pilot, professor and barista. All the gifts Anand has bestowed on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. We will all miss you so much Anand. My deepest condolences Kusum, Nina, Jasmine and family. Always know he was so loved.

In memory of Anand,

We mourn the loss of a colleague who soared alongside us at Air Canada. Anand's big smile and positive attitude brightened our day everyday you flew with him. His professionalism set a high standard for us all at Air Canada. He was a true gentleman, making every interaction interesting , where conversations flowed freely about anything and everything. Anand's memory will be cherished by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Rest in peace, dear friend. You will be deeply missed.

Daniel Marchesseault

Anand was a remarkable man with a gentle nature and a genuine interest in others. Although we were his sister’s friends, he always made us feel welcome and important whenever we visited. He had an admirable ability to focus on what mattered most: his family. Our deepest condolences to Kusum, Nina, Jasmine, Anjali, Padma and Jana.

I had a pilot friend whose job was to fly once every few weeks to exotic locations and wait for days before returning home, just to wait to fly again. I asked myself, what would I do with the time between flights if I had a job like that, and the answer was -- "I would do a PhD in Econ". Flash forward to an airport where I notice an impressive looking tall handsome brown pilot boarding our plane. Flash forward to the Econ department and 'hey, I thought that guy was a pilot! OMG, he's living my dream life!' That's how I met Anand.

He was inspiring in so many ways. Always kind, always gentle, always humble, always smiling. And what a beautiful family! As a father of two girls myself, I found so much of what I saw about him worth aspiring for. He spoke to me of using his training to tackle very practical and real issues related to clinical administration, working with his wife, Kusum. What a brilliant way to tie his skills and his passion and his family life into something directly relevant to improving people's quality of life! He spoke to me with so much joy about all the wonderful things his daughters were doing. Every time I saw him, I said to myself 'that guy is doing life right'.

I was very fortunate to have met him recently with colleagues for lunch. He spoke about enjoying life, biking, travelling to meet his daughters to share in and celebrate their achievements. He looked happy, and fully absorbed in drinking in the preciousness of each moment.

He will always continue to inspire me. I will miss him deeply.

I am Anand's paternal first cousin from Mumbai. He was a year older than my older brother Chandru and two years older than me.
We interacted closely as kids when he visited us during vacations.
We got along like a house on fire. Playing outdoor games the whole day. Sharing growing up experiences in two different cultures. Pulling each other's legs.
How can I ever forget the first time we took him to play cricket with our friends and he played it like baseball! And the cute goof-ups he made with the Konkani language, our mother tongue.
But what I remember most about Anand is his sensitivity and humane persona- Always kind and straightforward.
When he was selected into the prestigious Military College of Canada and later got commissioned into the Canadian Air Force, it was a proud moment for us and we showed his graduation photos to all our friends. So handsome in the uniform!
There are so many beautiful memories of a beautiful person that it is impossible to pen.
Dear Janabappa, Padmapachchi, Anjali, Kusumwhoni, NIna, & Jasmine. On behalf of the entire PB Acharya family, please accept our prayers for Sadgati of the departed soul. We pray for strength for all of you. Om Shanti.