Candles in the Wind

But that doesn8217;t deter 16-year-old Sonal from dialling her father Atul Sahai8217;s number over and over again. Just in case8230;

A geologist and the head of the Department of Geomatics at Adriotecs Information Systems Ltd, Atul had gone to Sarojini Nagar to buy a pair of jeans for his daughter. Though his wife Dr Preeti8212;a research scientist in the chemical engineering department at IIT Delhi8212;traced their Maruti Alto to the market parking lot on Saturday, there8217;s still no word on Atul8217;s whereabouts. The family has scanned the Safdarjung and AIIMS mortuaries, checked out a charred body. 8216;8216;But the deceased had an iron ring. My husband wore a gold one,8217;8217; says Preeti. 8216;8216;We believe Atul is alive. At the most he8217;s unconscious.8217;8217;

They have lodged a missing person complaint with the Delhi Police.

IF hope is the Sahais8217; constant companion, uncertainty is the lot of 14-year-old Rahul. His parents, Mahesh and Sushma Kocchar, died in the Sarojini Nagar blast; the humdrum comfort of life as he knew it expired with them.

While Income Tax employee Sushma8217;s official accommodation in R K Puram will be available to Rahul for six months, the teenager8217;s extended family is debating where he will live for the foreseeable future. Currently putting up at his maternal aunt8217;s house in Rohini, he says, 8216;8216;My mausi thinks I should take a transfer to DAV Pitampura, which is close from here. But I don8217;t want to leave DAV Vasant Vihar. I have friends there and the teachers know me8230; I will be lonely in the new school.8217;8217;

Meanwhile, friends and relatives have come together to create a trust in memory of the Kocchars. Contributions will go towards respooling the threads of Rahul8217;s future.

IGNORANCE is bliss, for 23-year-old Vineet Sivaraman, at least. Battling for his life with 50 per cent burns at Apollo Hospital, the MBA student has not been told his parents8212;Meenakshi and N Sivaraman8212;with whom he had gone shopping in the Paharganj market, are no longer of this world. Doctors apprehend the truth might send him into shock.

But there is no keeping the truth from Vinod8217;s wife, who is in Kerala with their newborn. Devastated as she is, she has been barred from travelling to Delhi on medical advice.

WITH the count of the dead rising by the day as scarred patients give up the battle for life in hospital beds, about 10 mangled bodies lie in the ice-cold mortuaries of AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital. There8217;s also a bagful of dismembered legs, charred arms, torn-off fingers. And a child8217;s severed head.

They wait for the ID tag that will set them free.

S No. 26M. S No. 33F. S No. 9M. S No. 19F. Serial numbers and genders. That8217;s how they are listed at AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College. But the victims of the most damaging terror attacks in India8217;s capital were much more than that. They were mothers, fathers, children. They were professionals, workers, homemakers, schoolgoers. They were creative, they were moody, they were generous, they were emotional.

They lived. And they were loved.

Dilbagh Singh, 40; Suman Singh, 35; Nikhil Singh, 3; Priyanka Singh, 7
A radio technician with the Air Force, Dilbagh Singh and his family were shopping for the weddings of his two brothers-in-law at Sarojini Nagar. 8216;8216;Dilbagh was a very cooperative man. And Suman, she was diligent and ambitious8212;she had just finished her MA in English and was looking for a teacher8217;s job,8217;8217; says Sunderlal, Dilbagh8217;s uncle. An ordinary family in many ways, but they touched people8217;s lives: Villagers in Jhajjar have donated land for the erection of a memorial to the family.

Utkarsh Gupta, 3; Rachna Gupta, 39
Rachna had gone to Sarojini Nagar with her husband Anupam, 48, and son Utkarsh expressly to have chaat, while elder son Abhishek waited at home for his tuitions. While having chaat, Utkarsh asked for water, so Anupam walked to the next stall for a glass. That8217;s when the RDX exploded. Anupam became unconscious. Unable to find his wife and child on regaining his senses, Anupam trekked to Safdarjung Hospital. The simple jewellery Rachna had been wearing helped confirm what Anupam had dreaded the most.

Rajeev Nigam, 46
A senior accountant with Dhingra Motors, Gurgaon, he cancelled a family dinner to take his wife Reena and children Hardik and Tapti to Sarojini Nagar for some last-minute Diwali shopping. Seema Dudeja, Rajeev8217;s sister-in-law, now has the 8216;8216;what ifs8217;8217; for company: 8216;8216;If only they had gone for dinner, he would have been alive today.8217;8217;

Poonam Mehra, 18; Rajni Mehra, 40
Poonam had been a pillar of strength for mother Rajni and sister Kirti, 9, ever since her father did of a brain haemorrhage seven years ago. 8216;8216;The family was being supported by Rajni8217;s brother Rakesh. Poonam dreamt of taking over the burden by becoming a fashion designer and making lots of money. She was doing a correspondence course in fashion,8217;8217; says family friend Mukesh Gupta. But the terrorists had other plans: Their bomb exploded as the budding designer was helping her mother shop at Sarojini Nagar.

Balram Jha, 8; Jeena Jha, 35
Air Force sergeant R K Jha and his family were shopping8212;like so many others across India8212;for Diwali clothes. All four of them were caught in the Sarojini Nagar blast. While Balram and Jeena died the next day at Safdarjung Hospital, Jha and his elder son Govind, 13, are still being treated for 65 per cent burns at the Army Hospital. 8216;8216;They asked us to go with them to Sarojini,8217;8217; says family friend Sergeant S V Singh. 8216;8216;We backed out8230; and now Balram will never come over to play cricket with my son Amit again.8217;8217;

Michael Alwin, 15
Though Christians, the Alwin family celebrated all festivals. To mark Diwali, the family had gone shopping in Sarojini Nagar for a television set. Today, his father Michael John is missing; mother Babli is in a critical state at Safdarjung Hospital. 8216;8216;Monty, as we called Michael, was a promising child. He knew he wanted to do something special in life8212;but he had no idea what!8217;8217; says his grand-aunt Vimla Harrison. 8216;8216;But then, he was just 158230;8217;8217;

Lal Chand, 32
The joint-owner of Shyam Juice Corner, the epicentre of the Sarojini Nagar blasts, Lal Chand aka Lalit, spotted an abandoned bag in a corner of the shop. 8216;8216;With the bag in one hand8212;he was trying to throw it into the empty lawn of the nearby school8212;he was calling the police with his other hand, when the bomb went off,8217;8217; says brother Deshraj, who sustained injuries. 8216;8216;What can you do if death stares you in the face?8217;8217;

Upma Gupta, 18; Suman Gupta, 45
The maths teacher and the Physics honours-student, wife and daughter of Bhatnagar awardee and IIT professor Maithili Sharan Gupta, died on the spot in the blast at Sarojini Nagar. 8216;8216;Suman was very popular in the campus, she was a great hostess,8217;8217; recalls family friend Chunchreek Singhvi. 8216;8216;Upma, too, was very well liked. She wanted to be a physicist.8217;8217; But some things in life just don8217;t add up.

Upamita Sarma, 4; Moitreyee Bhattacharya, 7; Kumud Bhattacharya, 42; Pronoti Bhattacharya, 37
The Sarmas and Bhattacharyas, relatives from Nagaon, Assam, were in Delhi to celebrate Diwali. After they8217;d had Sarojini Nagar8217;s famed chaat, Upamita demanded chocolates. 8216;8216;So I went to get the chocolates,8217;8217; says her father Apurva Sarma. 8216;8216;And I survived. Upamita saved my life.8217;8217; Everyone else in the family group8212;Apurva8217;s wife Jyoti, sister Nisha, Kumud8217;s daughters Priyanki and Mriganki8212;was severely injured.

Karan Poddar, 7
The child was having chaat with his father Vinod and sister Diksha, 12, at Sarojini Nagar when the blast occurred. According to his mother, Karan was thrown into the air by the impact of the blast. But he didn8217;t die immediately: his father tried to get to him, but failed. Karan died in the ensuing stampede. 8216;8216;Uska kya kasoor tha?8217;8217; asks his mother, torn between mourning her son and caring for her injured husband and daughter.

Mahesh Kocchar, 54; Sushma Kocchar, 49
The Kocchars, and their son Rahul, were in Sarojini Nagar for Diwali shopping when the RDX exploded. Relatives say Sushma died on the spot, while Mahesh8217;s stomach and chest were blown off completely. Rahul, who sustained injuries on his leg, remembers his father crawling along the ground, trying to reach him. The image will haunt him for the rest of his life, but Diwali brought unprecedented horrors: 8216;8216;Everytime a cracker burst, I was reminded of the bombs8230;8217;8217;

Surendra Prasad, 22
Surendra came from Bihar to Delhi six years ago to earn a living. After finding work at a bag shop in Sarojini Nagar, he got married four years ago. 8216;8216;He was to go back home to Nawada district in Bihar for his gohna, a wedding ritual, a month from now. He had collected all the things necessary to bring his wife home,8217;8217; says friend Arvind, who hails from the same village as Surendra. 8216;8216;All that is useless now.8217;8217;

Kanchan Chowdhary, 26; Satyawati Chowdhary, 60; Menaka, 18; Ishika Ochani, 8 months
Five of a family and a friend, Menaka, all residents of Paryavaran Complex, Lodhi Road, went shopping at Sarojini Nagar, their favourite haunt. Starting Saturday, the family lost a loved one each day till Diwali, when little Ishika died. 8216;8216;Kanchan was my youngest sister. She didn8217;t want to get married because it would mean our parents would be on their own,8217;8217; says Neena Arora. Little did she know that fate would wrench her away anyway.

Inderjit Gupta, 41; Prachi Gupta, 38; Sonakshi Gupta, 14
The Janakpuri residents were regulars at the Sarojini Nagar market since Prachi8217;s parents lived in the area. 8216;8216;They were to dine with us. Suddenly, Prachi called and told us not to wait, since they8217;d decided to go shopping. The next thing I knew, the blasts were all over television,8217;8217; says a broken V N Mittal, Prachi8217;s father. 8216;8216;My sons rushed to the market, but it was midnight before we could locate their bodies at the Safdarjung morgue.8217;8217;

N Sivaraman, 59; Meenakshi Sivaraman, 49; Vinod Sivaraman, 29
The Sivaramans were shopping for gifts in Paharganj for the newest member of their family: Vinod8217;s 15-day-old daughter, who was in Kerala with her mother. Today, only Vineet, Vinod8217;s younger brother, survives: He is battling 50 per cent burns at Apollo Hospital. 8216;8216;They were a very lively family, and always went out shopping together. We knew of their Paharganj trip, but we got worried only when they didn8217;t return till 9 pm,8217;8217; says Ajay Kumar, their neighbour at Dilshad Colony. 8216;8216;After hearing of the blasts, we launched a hunt and finally located their bodies at Lady Hardinge Medical College. They were supposed to have left for Kerala a day later8230;8217;8217;

Kaushelindra Kumar Yadav, 22
A bag-seller at a pavement stall opposite Shyam Juice Corner, Yadav never had a chance to survive the blast. Though a charred body has been identified by his younger brother Sulendra, a confirmatory DNA test is awaited. 8216;8216;He left us in Jhavela village, Darbhanga, just a month ago,8217;8217; says his father Dinesh Yadav. 8216;8216;Just as if he had to come to Delhi to die.8217;8217;

Navita Singh, 15
8216;8216;I kept telling her to wait a day to buy her new clothes. But she didn8217;t listen to me,8217;8217; says Navita8217;s father Foreign Singh. The teen had just stepped into a clothes store when the blast ripped apart the Paharganj market. 8216;8216;Her back was blown off,8217;8217; says her father. 8216;8216;I carried her in my arms to the Lady Hardinge Medical College8212;my wife is a nurse there and we live on the campus. But she died in my arms.8217;8217;

Kamal Kuhard, 45; Aarti Kuhard, 17
Residents of Manglapuri, they were on their way to visit relatives in Humayunpur when they decided to stop by at Sarojini Nagar to shop for Aarti8217;s sister and brother, both of whom were to get married in November. 8216;8216;I heard about the blast and rushed to Sarojini Nagar, but I could identify Kamal, my wife, by her bangles only the next morning,8217;8217; says a shattered Jai Prakash. 8216;8216;Instead of a double wedding, we have a double funeral.8217;8217;

Satyabrata Mukherjee, 46; Supriya Mukherjee, 37; Shayan Mukherjee, 13
The Kolkata family was in Delhi to visit relatives and had taken the evening off to shop in Sarojini Nagar. Satyabrata worked with Allahabad Bank, while Supriya was a home-maker. Son Shayan was a student of class VII in South Point School. 8216;8216;They were such a happy family,8217;8217; remembers friend Gargi Sinha. 8216;8216;Supriya was a friendly, warm person. Her smiling face still haunts me.8217;8217;

Yeshwanth Bojappa, 30; Varinderjeet Kaur, 29
The photographer from Bangalore and the merchandising manager from Dehra Dun met in Delhi and fell in love. 8216;8216;Yeshwant only went to Sarojini Nagar in search of some frame of the festive season,8217;8217; says his art college friend Somshekhar, a freelance journalist. Varinderjeet went with him. That was to be their last trip together: While his family identified his remains by a silver ring, Varinderjeet8217;s parents have taken her ashes back to Dehra Dun.

Salim, 17
A clothes vendor in Pahargunj, Salim lost his parents while quite young and came to Delhi from Aligarh to live with his uncle. 8216;8216;He used to work in Seemapuri earlier and moved to Paharganj just two days before the blast. It8217;s as if his death brought him here,8217;8217; says his uncle Raiz-ud-din.

Yash Mishra, 7 months
It was festive time, and Suchi Mishra, 21, wanted to buy bangles. So she lifted son Yash onto her arms and walked the short distance to the market from her two-room house in Sarojini Nagar. The bomb exploded, killing Yash on the spot and severely injuring Suchi. 8216;8216;He was a very naughty boy. Nobody would believe he was just seven months old, everyone thought he was at least a year old,8217;8217; says his inconsolable father Sunil Mishra. Who would have thought he would not live till his first birthday?

Suman Jain, 57
Suman accompanied her neighbour Suchi to the market. 8216;8216;She promised to bring back phooljhadis for her grand-daughters,8217;8217; says her husband Nemichand Jain. 8216;8216;But she never came back8230;8217;8217;

The Delhi Newsline team comprises Aditya Kaul, Aiman Mustafa, Aman Sharma, Anubhuti Vishnoi, Baisakhi Roy, Esha Roy, Gopal Sathe, Karn Kowshik, Kavita Chowdhury, Neha Sinha, Pratul Sharma, Raghvendra Rao, Ravleen Kaur, Shubhajit Roy, Siddhartha Sarma, Sourav Sanyal, Sreelatha Menon, Tanu Sharma and Teena Thacker

The Missing8230;

IF hope has an address in Delhi, it is in the homes of the missing. Some families prefer to focus on the positive in the absence of any indication to the contrary. Others have had to confront death, but cling to the stubborn belief that the body in the morgue does not belong to the one they loved.

Atul Sahai, 44
A geologist and the head of geomatics at Adroitec Information Systems Ltd, he was shopping for his daughter at the Sarojini Nagar market. His family has since traced the car, but has found no leads to Sahai. His wife Preeti firmly believes that he is alive, just unable to contact them.

Michael John, 40
The Russian Embassy driver was at the Sarojini Nagar market with his wife Babli and son Alwin, 15. The teenager died instantly, while Babli sustained severe injuries; she is currently being treated at the ICU in Safdarjung Hospital. John, however, is not listed either among the injured or the dead. A day later, the family claims, callers from Bhopal and Jhansi informed them that John was in these cities; the injuries they described were identical. The mystery is yet to be unravelled.

Utkarsh Gupta / Nikhil Singh, 3
The two boys were with their respective families at the market. Later, both the Guptas and Singhs would lay claim to the body of a three-year-old, and still later, agree to go in for a joint cremation. A second body of a three-year-old has not been found; nor has any news been forthcoming.

Ramjivan, 25
An employee of Shyam Juice Centre, ground zero at Sarojini Nagar. Deshraj, the stall-owner, has not found him since then, either among the dead or among the injured.