Came from Gujarat, was in the business of electrical appliances

During the deluge of 26/7, 2005 the temple at the ground floor of their residential complex was flooded.

During the deluge of 26/7, 2005 the temple at the ground floor of their residential complex was flooded. And when the water receded, Prataprai Vora took it upon himself to collect all the wet currency notes from the donation box and ensure they were cleaned and dried. Neighbours like Bharati Soni will always remember him for his faith and his selfless service.

Originally from Latipur, a sleepy hamlet near Jamnagar in Gujarat, Prataprai bought his 600 sq ft flat in Neelkamal Society, a quiet residential complex in Mumbai’s western suburb of Kandivali, 20 years ago. Since then, he has been living there, continuing to make a life out of a business in electrical appliances.

These days, while relatives take care of day-to-day operations at P D Jain Electrical Appliances at Charni Road, he would visit them as a “consultant”. And return by the 6.25 pm Borivali local.

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On 7/11, a blast on his train at Jogeshwari station, minutes away from his home, killed him. His family found his body at RN Cooper Hospital.

A Deravasi Jain, Prataprai was deeply religious. He found solace in prayer and was often seen at the beautifully decorated Derasar temple on the ground floor of their housing complex. For the last six months, his family, wife Prabhavati, son Nitin (47) and daughter Harsha (50) have been trying hard to come to terms with what has happened. And prayer is helping them.

Soni recollects how Vora would spend endless hours at the temple. “He would pray at the temple everyday.

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

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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.

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“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.”