Toy beside him, Captain Suniel James's little boy buried

He lay in a little white coffin, his favourite purple soft toy tucked neatly beside him. As the body of the cherubic-faced Vivaan, son of captain Sunil James, was wheeled into Our Lady of Lourdes Church at Orlem, Malad, hordes of people and mediapersons who had lined up outside rushed to catch a glimpse of the infant.

Despite the sounds of traffic outside, a sorrowful silence enveloped the church premises on Sunday noon, as if expressing solidarity with the family of the 11-month-old  boy.

The body of Vivaan, who died of septicaemia on December 2, had been preserved for his father to return. Captain James and two members of his crew were jailed in Togo on July 30, for allegedly aiding a pirate attack on their ship.

Vivaan’s mother Aditi, who was a picture of composure, did break down intermittently. Just like the baby’s father. Aditi’s uncle, Tejas Rao, said he was shocked at how soon everything had ended. “I remember taking Vivaan to the hospital a few days ago... and now we had to pick a hearse for him,” said Rao.

It was a highly charged emotional moment as Vivaan’s casket was lowered into the grave in the shade of a tree. The spot, said a family member, provided some solace. “When we came to the graveyard yesterday, we were worried that he would be lying under the harsh sun... but he now seems to be lying peacefully at a perfect spot,” said Rakesh Madappa, Sunil’s brother-in-law.

Another family member, who did not identify himself, quite summed up the general sentiment of mourners who were present at the baby’s funeral. “Losing a child is the worst that can happen to any parent,” said this friend of the James family. “With Sunil’s imprisonment in Togo, Aditi’s sorrow was even bigger,” said the family friend.