For a family struggling to accept the sudden loss of their young son, grief could have been the only thing left to hold on to. Instead, Arpit’s family made a deeply selfless choice.

After the 19-year-old lost his life in the Satya Niketan PG building collapse in south Delhi, his family donated his corneas. Through their heartbreaking decision, they hoped that someone else would one day see the world through the gift their son left behind.

His father, Bhupendra, said the decision gave the family some comfort—that their son could, in a way, continue to “see the world” even after his death.

A Young Life Cut Short

Arpit, a second-year student at Delhi University’s Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College, was from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh. He had returned to Delhi on Sunday morning after spending Rakshabandhan with his family. It was supposed to be the beginning of another chapter in the life of a young student with dreams of building a future in the capital.

Instead, tragedy struck that afternoon. The boys’ PG accommodation, reportedly known as Hostel Daze, collapsed around 1.30 pm on September 6 while repair work was underway. Twelve people were rescued from the debris, but seven people lost their lives.

Arpit was among them. His friends had desperately searched for him for hours after the collapse. When his family was eventually informed that a body appeared to match his identity, the injuries made identification difficult. His mother finally recognised her son through birthmarks on his body. 

Dreams That Will Never Be Fulfilled

Arpit had much to look forward to. He had scored an impressive 95 per cent in his Class 12 board examinations and cleared CUET before joining Delhi University. He had been living at the PG for around one-and-a-half years, determined to study in a big city and build the life he dreamed of.

His father said the family had been unaware of the condition of the PG building. He wished his son had told him about it, saying he would never have allowed him to stay there.

Yet, amid unimaginable sorrow, Arpit’s family chose to give. After the postmortem, they donated his corneas and transformed a moment of unbearable loss into a possibility for someone else—the possibility of seeing sunlight, faces, colours and the world itself. The decision cannot erase their pain. But it gives a lasting meaning to their son’s final moments.

Meanwhile, authorities have registered a case against the building owner and others, and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the collapse. The building owner, identified as Hariram Gupta, was apprehended from Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi area, according to Delhi Police.

For Arpit’s family, however, the deepest chapter of this tragedy is personal. Their son left this world far too soon. But through his donated corneas, a part of him may help another person see the world—carrying his memory forward in the most beautiful way possible.