The responsible eldest, a computer whiz

For himself, a geek in the making, all Pratik wanted was to be a part of the new workforce of young, ambitious talents that8217;s propelled India and its IT sector into the world map.

8216;8216;Why would I say anything to such a child? He was doing all that was needed, be it help at home or studies. There was never any reason to complain,8217;8217; says his homemaker mother, recalling how after he completed Class XII they had to stop him from taking up a job with Taj Hotels to help the family.

On Terrible Tuesday, Pratik was doing what an elder brother usually does. Save his father an errand, look out for his sister. He was on the first class compartment of the Virar Fast which exploded at Mira Road.

A week later, the stunned Patil family is comforted by a steady stream of friends, relatives and strangers 8212; the last group to leave were his friends on the train. 8216;8216;We don8217;t even know all of them, but they were all very disturbed,8217;8217; says Nivrutti, a security guard at the corporation-run B L Y Nair

Hospital. 8216;8216;He was good at everything. He wanted to do computers and we always encouraged him. We knew he could do it8212;because he liked it,8217;8217; says Sangeeta with the others huddled around her in their modest flat at Nallaspora.

Giving BSc a go by, Pratik enrolled for a short-term computer course in Worli. But since it8217;s a good one-and-half-hour train ride from his home, he decided to spend the 20 days at his grandmother8217;s home at Sat Rasta. He returned home on Saturday, July 8, only to be told that he had three more days of extra classes to attend. Pratik would have completed the course. For a life amid computers is what he had chosen for himself. The course administrators had promised him odd-jobs at companies which would fetch him at least Rs 180 -Rs 200 a day8212; with which he could think of studying further.

Only last year, Pratik had assembled a computer for himself. 8216;8216;Naturally, he was very touchy about it. When he was away at his grandmother8217;s for 20 days, he had locked it up. It was only after he came back that we asked him to open it for his brother to play on,8217;8217; says Nivrutti.

Pratik was passionate about football, too 8212; there8217;s an array of medals in the showcase. 8216;8216;These days he could play only on Sundays and he would spend the entire day on the field. Last Sunday, I had to call him home for lunch as it was already 4 in the evening,8217;8217; says Sangeeta.

Younger brother Sachin looks up at the mention of sport. He was there with him on the field on Sunday. 8216;8216;Dada would help in studies,8217;8217; is all that he can manage.

Soon, there are more visitors. Umesh Irenkar from the nearby Shiv Sena shakha that Pratik used to visit. 8216;8216;In June, after the class XII results came out, I asked for pedhas. We knew he would have scored excellent marks,8217;8217; he says. Sangeeta remembers the conversation she had with Pratik on this. 8216;8216;He came home and told me they were asking for sweets. Then he said he would give them sweets once Prateema8217;s results were out. 8216;We will give sweets together to everyone,8217; he had said.8217;8217;