Our colony floods all the time, and he has always helped people.”

Prataprai was a home bird. “At home, he would pull a chair in the verandah of the ground floor as children would ride their little bicycles and move in circles around him. He loved to play with them,” says C H Parikh, another neighbour, who would often spot him taking a walk later in the evenings.

For Lakshman Jaganath (60), owner of the nearby pan shop, Sai Apang Stall, Nova Gutkha tobacco packets remind him of Prataprai. “I miss him. The balding, cheerful man of medium height would visit my shop every evening. He would smile at me, and I’d know he was asking for Nova Gutkha.”

His closest friend, M K Doshi, says: “A couple of days before 7/11, Prataprai told me he was very happy that in spite of his old age, his relatives who were running the shop still thought of him as useful and productive.”

“It’s so depressing. He was living the golden years of his life. Talking about his Gujarat home town, visiting the temple and playing with his grandchildren formed the cosy, contented life he was leading,” he adds.

“Terrible Tuesday snatched it away from him. His family has become extremely withdrawn. As a friend and neighbour, we pray for his soul and wish his family well.”