Mumbai monsoon tragedy struck moments before man fulfilled dream — of owning business

Yunus is survived by his wife Zehra and their two sons. His sudden death has left the Kundawala family devastated, turning what was meant to be a day of celebration into one of unimaginable grief.

“Throughout his life, Yunus worked at various hardware and scrap shops across the city. He spent years helping others build their businesses, but his only dream was to one day have a shop of his own — a place where he could sit at his own desk and run his own business,” Akbar Fida Hussain Rangwalla (66), Yunus’s cousin, told The Indian Express.

The Kundawala family lived in a modest one-bedroom apartment in Bharat Nagar. The family’s sole breadwinner, Yunus used to earn between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000 a month. Those close to the family said that though they constantly struggled financially, the household remained close-knit and optimistic.

Burhan and Mustafa completed their graduation two years ago and chose to work alongside their father, learning the intricacies of hardware and scrap business. Over the past two years, the brothers have been assisting Yunus and gradually preparing to venture into business independently.

After saving money and making the necessary arrangements, the family leased a shop in Kurla’s Naupada on July 1. The locality is known as a hub for small traders dealing in metal scrap and hardware, making it an ideal place to begin their venture. Sunday was meant to be the first day of operations, beginning with the traditional inauguration ceremony before opening the shutters for business.

“Yunus was extremely happy when we last spoke to him. He told us that for the first time in his life, he would have his own table and chair in his own shop,” Rangwalla recalled.

Family members said Yunus believed that financial independence came from creating something of one’s own and wanted his children to carry that vision forward.

“Yunus had seen extreme poverty while growing up. Starting his own shop was the dream he had carried for decades,” said Shoaib Khan, a close friend and former co-worker. “He had already prepared a list of customers, spoken to suppliers, and started putting everything in place. Sadly, he never got the chance to live that dream.”