He never really wanted to stay away from Mumbai. But the daily commutes were getting to him — he had only recently changed jobs to join DHL to avoid working the late-night shift. Now, for better prospects, he had applied to UTI Bank agreeing to a posting anywhere in the country. But when he did get the call to discuss the new job, it was too late.

Swapnil Oke, elder son of Prakash Oke, boarded a train at Bandra on Terrible Tuesday, and did not come home to their Nallaspora residence. ‘‘We were in touch with friends and relatives as they began to search,’’ says Prakash, who along with his wife, live in Coimbatore.

They realised Swapnil was a victim of the Borivali blast when they found his name at Bhagwati Hospital’s list of the dead. They identified him by his cellphone and the silver and gold rings he was wearing.

“When we reached here the next afternoon, they had already kept the body in the morgue. He must have died on the spot,’’ says Prakash.

True to the Mumbai spirit, help was at hand. Residents of the colony, including many strangers, made funeral arrangements even before the family could bring the body home. “Everything was ready. Just about everyone helped us... I don’t even know who,’’ he recalls.

‘‘Like a typical Bombayite, he never wanted to leave the city,’’ says the father as the family sits in the living room talking of a void they can never fill. ‘‘Now, we are trying to decide what to do about this house,’’ he says.

... contd.