4-year-old still not told of dad’s death

Each time four-year-old Omkar asks for his father, each of his family members try to dodge the question. They try to look distracted and finally, someone says ‘He has gone to Singapore’, trying hard to hide the tears which well up every time. Omkar smiles and continues with his daily chores, satisfied with the answer.

Little does he know that his father, Suryakant Surve, was killed in the 26/11 terror attack last year. Surve, who was manning the front desk at Hotel Oberoi, had little time to react as the terrorists barged in spraying bullets. The second bullet claimed his life. “We know the boy can’t understand the loss. He believes us,” says Samir Surve, his uncle.

Omkar and his sister Aishwarya, 13, had come to a function organised by Public Concern for Governance Trust, an NGO, at NCPA on Wednesday.

As Omkar believes whatever is told to him, Aishwarya has a very different story to tell. For the Std 8 student, her father’s death on the night of November 26 changed everything. Her family was supposed to visit Gwalior for a family function the next day. But that never happened.

“I have not been able to cope up with studies as papa used to teach me. Now I have started going for tuition classes but miss him while studying,” she said. Like every other Mumbaikar, the Surves too were glued to the television the moment they heard about the attack. “The moment I saw that terrorists had barged into Oberoi, my heart sank. I sensed something wrong,” said Surve. Hours later, he found his brother’s body at GT Hospital.