For 18-year-old brother, a wait that will never end
HARISH IS SURVIVED BY HIS PARENTS AND THREE SISTERS, BESIDES HIS BROTHER RAHUL
NEW DELHI: When 20-year-old Harish Roy called his home on Saturday night, he told his 18-year-old brother that he would return shortly. At 11pm, he asked his brother to stay up to open the door. His was a wait that never ended.
Rahul recalled the conversation: “He told me that he was going to attend a friend’s birthday party in the evening. Later, I called him up and to remind him that it was getting late. I wanted to know if he had plans to sleep over somewhere else.”
“He told me he would return shortly and asked me stay up so I can open the door when he’s back,” said Rahul, a first-year student at Delhi University.
However, as it got late, Rahul eventually dozed off. He was woken few hours later by a phonecall, which he assumed was from his brother.
However, the call ended up being from a friend Pankaj who broke the news of his brother’s death.
“Pankaj, who lives in our neighbourhood, came to know about the accident and had called me up as soon as he found out. Initially, I found the news hard to believe. It seemed as if a few minutes ago I had spoken to him (Harish) and here I was receiving the news of his death,” said Rahul.
Though Harish had taken admission in an undergraduate arts course in Indira Gandhi National Open University, but his real passion was powerlifting, Rahul said.
With Saksham and the others at the gym, Harish found the right guidance and inspiration, he added.
“He enjoyed getting photographed while flexing muscles and took great care of his body. He often even discussed his gym routine and diet with us,” said Rahul.
Harish, 20, is survived by three sisters and their parents besides Rahul.
Their father runs a small business of metres used in autorickshaws.