71. Vithal Choudhary, 46

Praful's smile is what separates him from the rest of the neighbourhood children his age.

Praful8217;s smile is what separates him from the rest of the neighbourhood children his age.

Just nine, he smiles easily and broadly as he talks about his school grades, shares anecdotes and throws trivia about his hobbies. These days, though, he uses that generous smile 8220;more as a shield8217;8217;, say family members.

Ever since he lost father Vithal Choudhary to the July 11 blasts at Borivali station, Praful has 8220;suddenly become a man8217;8217; , according to his mother Kavita, 36.

Choudhary, a senior section engineer at the Bombay Central office of Western Railway, was returning home to take the family shopping that evening. An affectionate man, he was little Praful8217;s best friend too.

On the night of July 11, when the family finally found Choudhary8217;s blood-soaked body at Bhagwati Hospital, it was Praful who consoled Choudhary8217;s father-in-law, his grandfather Vinayak Vatkar.

8220;He insisted that he wanted to see his father, against our wishes. He finally peeped into the mortuary and looked at his father8217;s face,8217;8217; says the 66-year-old Vatkar.

8220;After that, there was a calm within him. It was

I who could not hold my emotions.8217;8217;

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Kavita8217;s eyes shine with pride as she recollects how her son not only had the courage to keep smiling but also the maturity to stand like a rock while performing his father8217;s last rites.

8220;He was very adamant from the beginning that no one else would light the pyre,8217;8217; says Kavita.

Praful8217;s conversations nowadays begin with questions about the Cabinet Secretary of India. 8220;His father8217;s dream was to educate him so that his son became the Cabinet Secretary one day,8217;8217; says Vatkar.

Affection for all and his good manners made Choudhary special to those who knew him. 8220;He always gave alms to beggars,8217;8217; says Praful, who turns 10 in November.

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The child misses his boxing partner, something that8217;s repeated several times during a conversation, alongside details such as the last best score his dad earned in Solitaire.

Kavita fondly recalls her husband8217;s favourite morning habit: Reading four newspapers, then making the first cup of tea for her. By 6 am, Praful would be wide awake too, launching boxing contests with his father and disturbing his reading. Little wonder then that Praful did not like newspapers 8212; they used to eat into his fun time with his father.

Vatkar remembers his last conversation with his son-in-law, who wanted to buy an Innova car so that the family could accommodate a bigger Ganpati this year and friends and family could be invited along for the picnics and trips he was popular for.

A dedicated employee too, large numbers of Western Railway union members attended his funeral on July 12.