Pranab Mukherjee, a gentle father figure to people of his native village in West Bengal

For the people of former President Pranab Mukherjee's native village, Mirati in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, he was never a VVIP.

Whatever designation he held never mattered for them. He was always a father figure who was eager to help the people and greet them with a smile, whenever they came to meet him.

Follow full coverage here

Former President Pranab Mukherjee, a stalwart of Indian politics, breathed his last on Monday at the Army Hospital in New Delhi. He was 84.

Rabi Chattaraj, Mukherjee’s family-friend, fondly remembers him as the quintessential Bengali who never hesitated to extend a helping hand.

Speaking to DH, Chattaraj said that the former president was a man of great patience. Not only did he love to talk but also intently listened to what others were saying during a conversation, he said.

“I know him for more than two decades. Getting angry was not in his nature. He was a very patient man and good listener,” said Chattaraj.

Mukherjee would seldom be left alone during his annual visits to his native village on the occasion of Durga Puja, only every now and then that someone would go to meet him. He patiently listened to all of them and tried to solve their problems to the best of his abilities, Chattaraj said.

Read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee passes away at 84

“While helping someone he never bothered about their political allegiance and helped people across the party line,” he said.

Chattaraj recalled Mukherjee as a man of courtesy and was always keen on greeting his guests warmly no matter when they visited him.

He said that in 2011, when Mukherjee was in his native, it was almost midnight and the former President was getting ready to sleep, and suddenly, a senior police officer came to meet him.

Mukherjee was least bothered about his sleep, but was keen on ensuring that the officer was properly welcomed, said Chattaraj.

Also Read: Pranab Mukherjee: A man of many misses

Durga Puja at his residence in his native village was very close to Mukherjee’s heart. Regardless of what post he was holding or where he was the former President always attended the puja and himself conducted it.

Priyaranjan Ghosh, a childhood friend of Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee, said that the Durga Puja at the former President’s residence has been taking place for 40 years. “Out of 40 years he was unable to come here during Durga Puja only twice due to other engagements,” he said.

The people of Mirati village the mourning is not about the demise of a former President, but of a guardian and friend whose warmth they always cherished.