Parvati Ojha (50) had managed to escape in time before a building near Delhi’s Saket metro station collapsed on Sunday. But eyewitnesses say she went back in, hoping to save some students trapped in the debris. Parvati did not return, and her body was recovered hours later. She ran an eatery, named “Aunty Wala Kitchen”, next to the building in the Saidulabad neighbourhood where the tragedy struck. The eatery was the go-to place for students living as paying guests and tenants in the area. Parvati “aunty” was popular among the youngsters, as much for the parathas her kitchen served as for her care and affection. “She would always think of us. She was humble, calm, and helpful. Minutes before the incident, I had coffee in the kitchen and left. I had barely walked towards my paying guest accommodation when I heard a loud noise. I turned and saw the four-storey building next to the kitchen collapsing,” a young woman recalled. “Aunty, the other staff members and some students had managed to come out of the kitchen. But after a few seconds, she went back in, hoping to help some students trapped inside. Unfortunately, she was trapped herself,” she added.Hari Prasad Ojha, Parvati’s cousin, worked with her in the kitchen. “I was preparing cold coffee. The last order was for 12 parathas and four cold coffees; Parvati had asked me to prepare it. We rushed out as soon as we heard sounds from the adjacent building. But Parvati went back inside while talking to someone over the phone,” he said. Ojha said Parvati and her family members are originally from Nepal and have been living in Delhi for several years. About a year ago, she opened the eatery for students. It was a single-storey structure with a tin roof. Six people were killed in the building collapse near Saket metro station yesterday. PTIAadarsh, a BTech graduate preparing for the GATE exam, said the food at Parvati’s kitchen was hygienic, and she closely monitored quality. “She did not increase food prices even during the shortage of LPG cylinders,” Aadarsh said.Story continues below this adAnother student, Aarav, said parathas and cold coffee were among the favourites on the menu. “She always thought about students. Even when cylinders were difficult to procure, she managed to keep the shop running. She never increased prices,” Aarav said.“Aunty Wala Kitchen” was a food joint that provided not just food, but relaxation to students away from home, preparing relentlessly for competitive exams. As rescue teams and excavators removed the debris yesterday, Parvati’s daughter, Neelam, and other relatives waited anxiously, hoping against hope. After a 16-hour operation, Parvati was pulled out of the debris and rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Besides Parvati, five students who had gathered at her eatery to grab a bite died in the tragedy, which has once again shown how unauthorised construction has turned several Delhi neighbourhoods into death traps.