A friend displays Malayesh’s wedding card. Pix: Manik Bose

Ranchi, Nov. 27: All Malayesh Banerjee wanted to hear was wedding bells. All he heard was gunshots. The 27-year-old architecture graduate from IIT, Kharagpur, was attending a company meeting when terrorists struck at Taj Hotel, Mumbai, yesterday.

Otherwise shy and composed, Malayesh had been particularly excited about his marriage with Khushboo, a software engineer in Delhi. His family had booked Ranchi Club for the December 6 wedding and invitation cards had been distributed.

Malayesh and Khushboo had met in Pondicherry a few years ago. From sneaky rendezvous to joy rides on cycles, from jeering smiles of I-know-about-it friends to delight in each other’s victories, they had seen it all. They had woven a dream together.

With only 10 days left for the wedding, Malayesh, an employee of Urban Infrastructure Venture Capital Ltd, was in a hurry to wrap up work when a beautiful love story saw an abrupt end.

Malayesh had completed school from Bishop Wescott in Namkum. He had cleared IIT in the very first attempt.

After graduation, he completed his Golbal Masters in Business Administration from S.P. Jain Centre of Management, Dubai. In May this year, he was handpicked for the firm at Nariman Point. A diligent worker, he had also worked as deputy manager with then UTI Bank in Calcutta from March 2005 to 2007.

His hobbies ranged from fine art and dramatics to yoga. He even bagged awards and was popular among friends.

A pall of gloom descended over Old Commissioner’s Compound here today, where the youth’s parents and neighbours tried to come to terms with reality. “He was the gem of this locality. He was shy and humble. He has left a vacuum in our lives,” a 60-year-old Sagar Dasgupta, a neighbour. Cousin Abhishek said he was numb with grief. “He was my best friend and guide. I cannot believe it is true.”

Malayesh’s father, Madhabendra — the head of chemistry department at Ranchi University, and mother Mridula were too shocked to speak.