President back to work hours after wife's cremation

President Pranab Mukherjee, whose wife Suvra Mukherjee passed away on Tuesday, returned to work at the Rastrapati Bhavan within hours of her cremation here on Wednesday.

Mukherjee first paid floral tributes to Shankar Dayal Sharma, one of his predecessors, on his birth anniversary.

Soon after, officials from the Ministry of External Affairs briefed him on the second summit of the Forum for India and Pacific Islands Cooperation that gets underway in Jaipur on Friday.

The president will host leaders of 14 Pacific Island nations on Thursday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where they will be accorded a ceremonial welcome.

Earlier in the day, the First Lady’s mortal remains were consigned to flames at the Lodhi Road crematorium.

Among those present at the cremation ground were Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP veteran L K Advani and other Union ministers.

Suvra, 74, breathed her last at the Army Research and Referral Hospital here on Tuesday following an ailment.

 She was admitted in the hospital on August 7 after her condition suddenly deteriorated.
The ashes were taken by the family to Haridwar.

The president also conveyed sincere gratitude on behalf of his family and himself for the condolences and words of support extended over his bereavement.

Mukherjee had cut short his two-day visit to Odisha and returned to the capital to be by his ailing wife’s side.

He continued attending his official duties, delivering his address to the nation on the eve of the Independence Day and even holding the customary ‘At Home’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 15 betraying nothing.