Ajax residents Gokulnath Manivannan and Ashwitha Jawahar survived the crash on April 29 that killed their son, Aditya Vivaan, and Manivannan’s parents, Manivannan Srinivasapillai, 60, and Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, 55, who were visiting from India. A service for the grandparents was held Monday.

The boy’s aunt, Brinda Deepak, said that while his life may have been tragically cut short, he is “woven into the fabric of our lives forever.”

“It feels like just yesterday that Gokul called us and said that his baby boy is here,” she told a few dozen mourners, according to a copy of the eulogy that was provided to media.

“Adi possessed a light that could brighten up the darkest of the days, a smile that would make the saddest day better. And that is the smile that our family has lost forever.”

Aditya Vivaan was born on Jan. 24, surrounded by family members.

“My mother was the first one to hold him after Gokul and Ashwitha. My father was the first to kiss him on the forehead after (his parents),” said his aunt in the eulogy, mentioning the grandparents who also died last week. 

While the family has asked for privacy at this difficult time, Deepak acknowledged the support they have received from the community.

“In this time of the greatest loss that our family could ever face, we would like to thank every one of you who sent out a prayer for us. We have never felt so held by our community before. We have never understood the power of strangers’ kindness before. Every day, we have strangers bring us food, help us selflessly. It is in those kindnesses that I see my parents’ hands upon us. It is in that compassion I see Adi’s love for us,” said Deepak.

The younger couple both sustained injuries in the crash, with Jawahar undergoing multiple surgeries, according to a previous statement from Manivannan. Jawahar came to the funeral from the hospital, but was helped into an accessibility vehicle by family members as she is still recovering from her injuries. 

“My brother and I lost both our parents on the same day,” Deepak said in the eulogy. “My brother and his wife lost their first born and their only baby on the same day. There are going to be days when we are going to look for them in the corners of our home, there are going to be nights when we are going to be hearing for their laughter. Just praying we get a glimpse of the three of them.”

After the eulogy and funeral service, members of the family brought the casket out to a waiting hearse, as Deepak held a large picture of the young boy. A twenty-car procession then left the funeral home to go to the crematorium in North York, where his grandparents were cremated on Monday. 

A memorial page for Aditya Vivaan was also available on the funeral home’s website. 

The crash took place after Durham police cruisers pursued a cargo van in the wrong direction on the highway near Whitby after a robbery at a Bowmanville LCBO.

The LCBO robbery suspect was out on bail following a string of robberies at other LCBO stores and a Home Depot in the western GTA.

Gagandeep Singh, 21, was facing three charges of theft under $5,000 and one charge of robbery, related to an alleged stealing spree between Jan. 15 and Feb. 27. The charges, according to court documents, included using violence against one man at an Oakville LCBO.

The pursuit continued, an internal report obtained by the Star said, even after a supervisor tried to call it off. 

The collision — which has led to questions about why police would launch a high-speed pursuit the wrong way down the 401 — is currently under review by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the civilian police watchdog that probes deaths and serious injuries involving police.

According to the internal police report seen by the Star — as well as information from a Durham officer with knowledge of the incident — the attempt to call off the pursuit appears to have come just before the U-Haul drove onto the 401, via Stevenson Road in Oshawa.

The Star has previously reported that, as at least six Durham cars sped the wrong way down the 401, an unidentified OPP officer commented over the radio that “someone’s going to get hurt.”