It has been over a month and a half since Patil, late Additional Commissioner Ashok Kamte’s bodyguard, lost his life during the 26/11 attacks. His wife Prathibha still struggles to adapt to the changes that happened in her family after her husband’s death.

“He was the one who managed all the expenses, including Eesha’s education. He never owned a land or a property when he was alive. It’s ironical that his death brought his family a flat, which is a compensation,” said Pratibha who plans to shift to Satara and take up a government job there. “The future of the children is in my hands now. Though money is a reason for taking up a job, work will keep me engaged and help me forget what happened to us,” she said.

Patil grew up living in a house which had two small rooms in Bhandup’s Utkarsh Nagar locality. The area has zigzag lanes and closely located houses with common walls and dingy doors. “Throughout his life, he had seen his parents slog to meet basic household expenses. His father was a taxi driver. Those days, all the household items in Patil’s house would be coated in flour as his mother used to make papads from home. Though Patil was hailing from a poor family, he was not a person who craved for sympathy. Enrolling in the police force was the proudest moment for him and his dream was that his work would help him splash his photographs across the city. His dream has come true,” said Raja More, Patil’s childhood friend.