A giant passess on.
As Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya lit his pyre followed by a booming gun salute amid chants of mantras, the rain gods blessed the final adieu but held back a heavy shower that could have been a spoiler in laying to rest one of India’s most popular sons.
There was no screaming or wailing by mourning relatives but Vajpayee’s foster granddaughter Niharika could not hold back her tears.
Fourteen Gorkha army men in crisp olive greens fired three bullets each as a final salute.
As the flames from the pyre went high, in the background were political stalwarts, some of who like L K Advani who had known the man closely standing with folded hands and a soft prayer on their lips.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, former deputy prime minister L K Advani who built the BJP along with Vajpayee, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and BJP leader and Murli Manohar Joshi sat in a row witnessing the last rites.
According to protocol of state funeral with military honours the president, prime minister, vice president, defence minister, chiefs of three forces and the defence secretary laid wreaths after the funeral procession reached Smriti Sthal where the last rites were performed.
After the official protocol defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman approached BJP president Amit Shah, Advani and former prime minister Manmohan Singh also laid the wreath.
Foreign dignitaries also paid their respect to the departed soul. Once the official proceedings were over, the tri colour that wrapped the casket was then handed over to the family. It was his foster granddaughter Niharika Bhattacharya who received a neatly folded national flag from an army officer.
The family then sat down for quite ritual performed before the body was finally put on the pyre.
The venue next to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s resting place also had common citizens coming in big numbers for a final send off to the late prime minister. In the background of the mantras, one could hear the slogans Bharat Mata ki jai and Atal Bihari amar rahe.
These non-political supporters were there to get a glimpse of one of India’s biggest mass leaders. “I have heard tales of Atal ji coming to our family home as a young man. I just wanted to pay my respect to him,” said Neeraj Dubey who travelled from Etawah.
Ram Kumar from Aligarh said, “One doesn’t need to be a BJP supporter to be present here.”
There were many who could not enter the main complex to witness the proceedings but sat patiently around the complex till the last rites were performed.
A canopy with tin sheets was attempted as a last-minute precaution to save the resting place from rain earlier but the plan was aborted as the workers ran against time.
Luckily, the rain gods smiled in sending off one of India's 'Bharat Ratna'--- the highest civil honour in the country.
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 "Vajpayee's family at his funeral")
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