Guwahati: Assam bade an emotional farewell Thursday to its beloved former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. The chief minister’s final rites were performed with full state honours at the Nabagraha Cremation ground here. Amid the chanting of hymns, preceded by a gun salute and band played by the Assam Police, Tarun Gogoi’s mortal remains were consigned to flames by his son Gaurav.
Gaurav, a Lok Sabha MP was wearing the traditional ‘chelleng sador’ (a shawl) and dhoti along with a face mask. He lit the pyre after performing the rituals. Gogoi’s wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima, daughter-in- law Elizabeth and other family members placed sandalwood on the pyre before it was lit by Gaurav.
The 84-year old three-time chief minister, twice Union Minister and six-time Lok Sabha MP, died Monday.
Before his cremation, Gogoi’s body was taken to a church, namghar, mosque, temple and a Bihu function field, as per his last wish. It was an emotional journey, rarely seen in Assam, with scores of admirers and onlookers stopping the flower- bedecked truck at several places. They bowed their heads before the huge cut-outs of Gogoi on the vehicle, and offered.
There was a sea of humanity everywhere. Footpaths, dividers, vehicle tops and roofs of buildings were occupied by men and women along the nearly 25-km-long procession route. The crowd thickened as the day advanced.
Cutting across age groups, people were seen weeping. Hundreds were taking pictures and videos of the last journey of their beloved leader. Traditional drums and cymbals were played, and conch shells were blown along the entire route.
The city came to a standstill, especially along the arterial Guwahati-Shillong Road, RGB Road, MD Road, GNB Road and Lamb Road. Shops and commercial establishments at several places here pulled their shutters down as a mark of respect. The Assam government had announced a half-day holiday from 1.00pm Thursday.
“Gogoi sir was truly a secular leader in theory and practice. There are many leaders who preach secularism, but never follow it. Gogoi sir even allowed his son Gaurav to marry a Christian girl from the UK. So, he encouraged cultural assimilation also,” Congress spokesperson Rhituporna Konwar said.
Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh and many other prominent leaders paid their last respects to the departed leader at his house.
