But the very organ which sold him a second chance at a better life was also the vehicle of his death. The price of his penury: Rs 1 lakh and a few days on a cold slab in the mortuary.

The 45-year-old paanwallah died this evening after donating his kidney to one Pohanerkar, an Aurangabad-based bank employee recovering at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital, where the surgery was performed. The recipient, who is in his mid-40s and employed with the Bank of Baroda, is fast recovering and doctors at the hospital say he will soon be discharged.

But Naik, a resident of Samta Nagar which is predominantly a slum locality, wasn't that lucky. Admitted to hospital on June 27, he was mentally prepped to live with a single kidney, well worth the consideration he had received in return. The six-hour surgery wasperformed the next day and though Naik passed a peaceful night, doctors told The Indian Express he later complained of uneasiness and finally died at 4 pm today.

The hospital has reported the death to the Kranti Chowk police station, which registered a case of accidental death. They said Naik probably died of brain haemorrhage linked to the transplant procedure. One of the doctors admitted that the hospital had been besieged by telephone calls regarding the death but expressed surprise saying, ``The process of `donation' is devoid of emotion as the deceased had received some consideration.'' He was referring to the Rs 1 lakh Naik's family had received in return for the kidney. A doctor at the hospital said it is well-known that Rs 1 lakh has been deposited into the bank account of Naik's wife, who runs a tea stall in the locality.

The private hospital, known for kidney transplant surgery, was a sea of pathos tonight. Naik's relatives, who were completely distraught, swarmed the premises anddemanded an explanation for his sudden death. With the reality of Naik's death yet to sink in, their restraint finally cracked. And with that went a few glass partitions and windowpanes they broke in despair.

Dr SR Deshpande, the doctor in charge of general administration at the hospital says, every legal formality had been meticulously observed to get the surgery sanctioned, considering the fact that the donor was not a relative of the recipient. An amendment to the Transplantation of Organs Act now allows such transplants after special permission is accorded by the Transplantation Committee headed by the Director of Health Services, Mumbai.

The Act also stipulates that any death which occurs within seven days of a kidney transplant should be sent for a detailed post-mortem.

The case itself was referred to the hospital by Dr Prashant Pargoankar, a nephrologist who also communicated the requisite consent of the donor and recipient. The papers where then scrutinised by the surgeon in charge of theoperating team, Dr AM Damdere and forwarded to the DHS, Mumbai. The surgery itself was performed by Dr Madhav Kamat from Mumbai. PT Munde, Inspector at the Kranti Chowk police station where the case has been registered, told this paper that he had been verbally apprised of the `special permission' sought from DHS. ``We shall confirm its correctness only on Saturday.

But then, there is the niggling matter of the mysterious Rs 1 lakh to be taken care of, which signed the death warrant of one Prabhakar Ramrao Naik. No matter, his paan stall at the street corner will soon be usurped by someone else, for the dead are soon forgotten.