From Light to Loss: The popular British wellness influencer’s last joyful video now serves as a global symbol of fragility and grief after the deadly Ahmedabad crash.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi: On June 12, 2025, Jamie Ray Meek, a 32-year-old British yoga enthusiast and wellness influencer, posted a 45-second Instagram Story from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India. In the clip, Meek, smiling brightly, panned to his husband, Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, as they prepared to board Air India Flight 171 to London Gatwick. “We’re at the airport, just boarding. Goodbye India,” Meek said, adding, “What a magical journey it has been.” Fiongal chimed in, “Going back happily, happily, happily calm,” their lighthearted banter capturing the joy of their trip.
Moments later, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed into Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar neighborhood at 1:38 p.m. IST, killing at least 204, including passengers and medical students in a hostel dining hall. Meek’s cheerful video, his final post, has gone viral, becoming a heart-wrenching digital memorial.
Meek, a London-based director of The Wellness Foundry, a center for tarot, reiki, and spiritual wellness, had 87,000 Instagram followers drawn to his yoga tutorials and travel vlogs. His two-week Gujarat retreat featured posts of henna tattoos, tuk-tuk rides, and sunrise yoga at heritage sites like The House of MG hotel in Ahmedabad, where he and Fiongal stayed the night before their flight. The couple, married for three years, had appeared on ITV’s This Morning to promote their wellness brand, their chemistry and passion for holistic living resonating with audiences. Friends revealed Meek was planning a vow renewal ceremony in London, adding a tragic layer to their story.
The video, shared on their Wellness Foundry Instagram, exploded across platforms like X and Instagram, amassing millions of views. Followers flooded comments with grief: “This is too painful to watch,” one wrote. Yoga influencers, including @YogaWithTara, hosted virtual tributes, while Deepak Chopra called Meek’s video “a beacon of light in darkness.” The yoga community has turned the post into a digital shrine, with thousands reposting it alongside hashtags like #GoodbyeIndia and #JamieRayMeek. The Financial Express reported its virality, noting its spread as a symbol of collective mourning.
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Dr. Pamela Rutledge, a media psychologist, explains the video’s resonance: “It’s a raw, human moment—joyful, relatable, then tragic. People connect with Meek’s authenticity, making his loss feel personal.” The contrast between the video’s warmth and crash site visuals—charred wreckage and the plane’s tail lodged in B.J. Medical College’s hostel—amplifies its impact. On X, users debate sharing such content, with some calling it exploitative, others a tribute to Meek’s legacy. @Razarumi posted, “Behind every digit there is a story, dreams for the life ahead. Ye jeevan hay…,” capturing the sentiment.
The crash, the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, occurred after a mayday call seconds post-takeoff, with the plane reaching only 625 feet before plummeting. One survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, escaped via an emergency window and is in critical condition. Meek and Fiongal are feared among the deceased, with no official confirmation yet. Meek’s family shared: “Jamie and Fiongal’s love touched so many. Thank you for honoring their light.” As investigations continue, Meek’s “Goodbye India” video remains a poignant reminder of life’s fragility, echoing across the internet
