Neighbours recall Bhavye Suneja as ever-smiling man

Bhavye Suneja's family was eagerly waiting for him to return home for Diwali, a feature at their Delhi residence that has continued for years. That wait tragically ended Monday for all times to come.

Suneja, 31, was flying the Lion Air flight JT610 which lost contact with ground officials, 13 minutes after taking off from an airport in Indonesia, and crashed into the Java Sea, tragically ending all possibilities of his homecoming.

The distraught family struggled to accept the news, when they saw on television that the plane Bhavye was flying had crashed. His mother, Sangeeta Suneja was in tears.

With folded hands, she requested mediapersons gathered outside their Mayur Vihar residence to "please pray for us".

Neighbours recalled the 31-year-old as a "sweet boy". They had seen him grow and were shocked on hearing about his sudden death.

"My daughter studied with Bhavye in school. Today, she called me from Dubai to say, 'Bhavye died' and expressed her shock," said the family's neighbour P K Sinha.

"Bhavye's father has been putting up a brave front and has not cried but we know what he is going through."
"He was to come for Diwali on November 5. Ruhaani and my daughter are school friends and she was here till late on Sunday night discussing about her brother and Diwali plans."
Kalicharan, a washerman who has known the family for 25 years, said, "Kuch log achhe hote hain aur kuch bahut achhe. Yeh log bahut achhe hain." (Some people are nice, but some are very nice. This family is very nice.)