Roy's body arrived at 6 am at his Palam house yesterday and was taken to the school for the public to pay homage.

As one moved forward, propelled by the surging crowd, for a glimpse of the martyr, greatness seemed to be a visible attribute. There were resounding shouts of `Sumit Roy amar rahe and jab tak sooraj chand rahega, Sumit Roy ka naam rahega. The chants then turned anti-Pak, the chorus being: Mat lo Pakistan ka naam.

``This war has shaken all of us,''said Vikas Verma, a shopkeeper, who later turned out to be a Congress worker. ``Or why should so many people be coming to pay respects to the soldier since 6 am? Now they all want to teach Pakistan a lesson,''he said.

But, for his parents, Sumit Roy's death has changed their lifeforever. Two of Roy's mother's sisters married Armymen and the boys had always idolised them, a relative recalled, explaining why Roy and his brother joined the Army.

And at the Army cremation grounds, though one major attraction was Sonia Gandhi, the crowd was moved more by the sight of the parents: They walked, supporting each other, towards the pyre. But as Roy's only brother, also a soldier, lighted it to the sounds of bugles and gunfire, the air was poignant and proud.