Congratulations to All Order of Canada 2025 Recipients: A Proud Moment for Indo-Canadian Hindus As Kanishka Survivor Prof. Mahesh Sharma Gets the Highest Civilian Award "Order of Canada"

HCF Congratulates all the recipients of the ORDER OF CANADA award and specially to Shri Mahesh Sharma, who lost his entire family in the Kanishka bombing carried out by associates of Canada based Khalistani extremists (CBKE) group.

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India-born Professor Mahesh Chandra Sharma, who lost four family members in the Kanishka bombing in 1985, is among 83 people who are given the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian honours in the country.

Mahesh Sharma pictured with his beloved family before the 1985 Air India tragedy. From left: daughter Swati Sharma, Mahesh Sharma, wife Uma Sharma, and daughter Sandhya Sharma. Photo courtesy: Mahesh Sharma, via La Presse

Prof Mahesh Sharma's citation reads: “Mahesh Sharma is a civic-minded philanthropist and leader. A beloved professor and mentor at Concordia University, he established scholarships to honour the memory of his family who were victims of Air India Flight 182. He also actively champions social causes supporting vulnerable individuals and the wider community.”

According to his biography on the Concordia University website, Sharma is Professor, Supply Chain and Business Technology Management, and has been with the faculty since September 1975, He received his BEng in Mechanical Engineering – India, his Graduate Diploma in Gas Turbine Designs and his MEng in Supersonic Aerodynmics and MBA from McGill University.

His biography states: “He has 28 years of industrial experience in the field of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering; a Chief Engineer of a multi-national company for over five years; a Chartered Engineer and a registered Professional Engineer.

“He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Operations Research, Production and Operations Managagement, Organization Theory, Engineering Management, Project Management, Finance and Economics for Engineers, Mechanical Engineering Designs, Theory of Machines, Gas Turbines Performance, Structural Designs, Statistics for Business, Mathematical Statistics for Engineers, Applied Engineering Mathematics, Aerodynamics, Project Management, Linear Models, and Numerical Analysis. His research focuses on Project Management, Production Planning, Subsonic and Supersonic Aerodynamics.”

WHO IS MAHESH SHARMA?

Apart from the tragic event in his life, Professor Mahesh Chandra Sharma is a distinguished educator, engineer, and philanthropist based in Montreal, Canada. A long-serving faculty member at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business, he teaches in the Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management and has been with the university since 1975.

Originally from India, Sharma immigrated to Canada in 1966. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Gas Turbine Design, and a Master’s in Supersonic Aerodynamics, all of which laid the foundation for his early career in the aerospace industry. His academic journey continued at McGill University, where he earned both a Diploma in Management and an MBA, supported by a Quebec Senior Administration Fellowship.

Beyond academia, Sharma is deeply respected for his civic engagement and philanthropy. After losing his wife, two daughters, and mother-in-law in the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, he established the Sandhya & Swati Sharma Memorial Scholarship to support students in financial need and honour his daughters’ memory.

A Tragic Event to Remember in Mahesh Sharma's Life:

For Professor Mahesh Sharma of Montreal, a single photograph holds the weight of a lifetime. Captured at Mirabel Airport in June 1985, it shows his wife Uma, daughters Sandhya and Swati, and his mother-in-law, smiling, unaware that this would be their final moment together. They were boarding Air India Flight 182. Sharma was meant to join them, but a last-minute work obligation kept him behind.

The next morning, a phone call shattered his world. A friend asked if he’d heard about the plane. He hadn’t. The radio confirmed the unthinkable: the flight had been bombed mid-air over the Atlantic. All 329 souls aboard were lost. The attack, orchestrated by Khalistani extremists operating within Canada, remains the deadliest act of terrorism in the nation’s history.

In the decades since, Sharma has transformed grief into legacy. As a professor at Concordia University, he established the Sandhya & Swati Sharma Memorial Scholarship to honour his daughters and support students in need. In 2025, his resilience and service were recognized with the Order of Canada.

But Sharma’s voice carries more than remembrance, it carries a warning. He continues to speak out against the resurgence of extremism, urging Canadians not to forget the lessons of 1985.

You can hear Professor Mahesh Sharma share his deeply moving story in this powerful tribute video by Concordia University. In it, he reflects on the tragic loss of his family aboard Air India Flight 182 and how he transformed grief into a legacy of education and service.

For four decades, Mahesh Sharmaa respected educator and philanthropist from Montreal has held onto a deeply cherished photograph. Captured at Mirabel Airport on June 22, 1985, it shows his wife Uma, daughters Sandhya and Swati, and his mother-in-law just moments before they boarded Air India Flight 182. It would be the final image of his family before tragedy struck.

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