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Far from a feared bandit or fiery politician, Phoolan Devi's neighbours remember her as an everyday woman taking her pet Great Dane for a walk and buying vegetables from pushcart vendors.
In south Delhi's Chittaranjan Park -- where she lived for a few years before moving into the official residence allotted to her as an MP -- Phoolan Devi was fondly referred to as didi (elder sister).
Called Phoolan Palace, her house became a landmark of sorts in Chittaranjan Park, a middle-class neighbourhood populated mainly by Bengalis.
While Phoolan Devi, her husband Umed Singh and a few relatives lived on the ground floor, she used the basement as an office, mainly to receive visitors from her constituency Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
Neighbours said Phoolan Devi was sociable and occasionally dropped in to chat. She never spoke of her past, nor did the neighbours ask her anything.
From what they saw, it seemed hard to believe that the affable Phoolan Devi's past was steeped in crime.
The reformed bandit used to regularly go to a neighbourhood temple dedicated to Shiva, especially during the Durga festival.
"She was like anyone else. Walking her dog, chatting with people and running a home," said Madhumita Sikdar, who lived a few blocks away.
"Visitors to my home used to stand in the balcony hoping to see her walking by."
But given her violent past, people around took care to ensure not to get on the wrong side of Phoolan Devi, admitted another neighbour who did not wish to be identified.
The neighbourhood residents welfare association is planning to hold a condolence meeting for the slain MP. Association president A K Chakraborty said Chittaranjan Park was "very sorry to lose" a person who had been so good to its residents.
Indo-Asian News Service
Phoolan Devi Murder: The Complete Coverage
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