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Ramesh Menon in Gwalior
The mortal remains of senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia came home on Tuesday afternoon.
On its arrival by a special Indian Air Force aircraft, the coffin, draped in the tricolour, was placed on an army gun carriage and taken to the Raj Vilas Palace, the Scindia home. Though the airport area was restricted, hundreds of mourners were present to place wreaths and pay their respects.
Though the distance from the airport to the palace is just 13 kilometres, it took over two hours for the cortege to make the journey as thousands of people thronged the roadside for a glimpse of Shrimant Maharaj.
A solemn Madhavi Raje -- Madhavrao's widow -- sat in a car that followed the cortege, acknowledging mourners with folded hands. She accompanied the body from Delhi along with her son Jyotiraditya and daughter Chitrangadha. Madhavrao's three sisters Usha Raje, Vasundhara Raje, Yashodhra Raje and their families, Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh, who flew in from London, and senior Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee, Mohsina Kidwai, Motilal Vora and K Natwar Singh accompanied the family from Delhi.
Women wept as the cortege move slowly towards the palace. Many were in shock. Just eight months ago they had seen their beloved Rajmata being taken for cremation with a tonsured Madhavrao beside the body.
As hundreds of cars joined the procession, the fragrance of marigold flowers filled the air as it spilt off the gun carriage.
It has been the only activity Gwalior has seen since Sunday when an aircraft carrying Madhavrao crashed near Farrukhabad while he was on his way to an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. Loudspeakers in Gwalior continue to play bhajans and slokas.
For the third day running, shops and other establishments stayed shut as a mark of respect to a man who was both Gwalior's Maharaja and member of Parliament. Shops will stay closed for another two days, till the funeral on Thursday.
Pointed out Yeshwant Rao, a salesman in Gwalior: "Madhavraoji was not just another Maharaja for us. We cannot tell you what we are feeling. There is a huge economic loss for everybody, but can you hear anyone complaining?" There is no fear of attack or intimidation from grieving Congressmen; shopkeepers say they have willingly decided to respect public sentiment.
Cries of "Maharaj Madhavraoji Amar Rahe" rent the air as the carriage traveled from the airport. Although he was not as close to the people as his mother, many of them still liked him. Along the route, many youngsters held out a huge poster: 'This cruel destiny has handicapped Gwalior.'
Death in the Afternoon: The Complete Coverage
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