Jagran Correspondent, Delhi: A casual phone call between two childhood friends turned into a final goodbye following the catastrophic building collapse in Satya Niketan, South Delhi on Sunday. Yuvraj Soni, a second-year B.Com student at Motilal Nehru College, was speaking to his childhood friend Aryan over the phone when the conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud and frightening sound from someone who was inside the building.
Yuvraj, a student staying at a boys’ PG accommodation originally from Durg in Chhattisgarh, was speaking to his childhood friend Aryan about making plans to go out when a sudden, terrifying sound came through the phone. Aryan repeatedly asked whether Yuvraj was safe, but there was no response. The call ended within a minute.
“Hello... The weather is nice today. Shall we make a plan to go somewhere?” Aryan said to his friend Yuvraj over the phone. Yuvraj also agreed from the other end. The two friends were discussing their plans to go out and talking about their everyday lives when suddenly a loud sound came through the phone. The sound was so terrifying that Aryan felt as if an earthquake had struck.
Aryan had returned to Delhi only a few days back, as he had gone home last month and had returned to Delhi only three days earlier.
'Let's Meet': Friend remembers last call
Aryan recalled the final moments of the conversation. Yuvraj asked over the phone, “Hello... hello... are you okay?” But there was no response from the other end. Aryan continued calling out to Yuvraj, but all he could hear was a rumbling sound. About a minute later, the call was disconnected.
Aryan called again, but Yuvraj did not answer. He hoped that his friend might call him back after some time. He kept waiting for Yuvraj’s call, but it never came.
Hours later, Aryan learnt that the building where Yuvraj lived had suddenly collapsed. Shocked by the news, he rushed to the site. Relief and rescue operations were underway amid the debris. Aryan repeatedly asked people at the site about Yuvraj, but no one could provide him with any information.
He later learned that those injured in the collapse had been taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Aryan immediately went to the hospital and spent hours trying to find out what had happened to Yuvraj. Eventually, he learnt that the friend he had been speaking to just hours earlier about going out had died in the collapse.
With tears in his eyes, Aryan spoke about the pain he was experiencing. He said that the final phone call and the sudden silence that followed continued to echo in his mind.
Aryan said he lived in a PG accommodation in Lajpat Nagar. He and Yuvraj were from the same village and had been friends since childhood. They would often meet in Delhi during holidays.
Now, Aryan faces another painful task which is informing Yuvraj’s family about his death.
He said Yuvraj’s family members had been repeatedly calling him to ask about their son’s well-being. But after losing his closest friend, Aryan is struggling to find the words to tell them what happened.
For Yuvraj’s family, sending their son to Delhi was an investment in his future and their hopes for a better life.
( With inputs from Mohammed Saqib )