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An emotional farewell to `Mother India's son'

Staff Reporter

Truly secular farewell for a truly secular man

NEW DELHI: Bidding an emotional farewell to Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sunil Dutt, hundreds of people gathered at his official bungalow here on Tughlaq Road on Tuesday evening for an all-religion prayer meeting.

Apart from family members, also present were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and many political leaders to pay their respects to "Mother India's son" who died on May 25.

One of the first to arrive, Ms. Gandhi and her son Rahul paid floral tributes at a portrait of Dutt Sahib, as he was affectionately called. Staying on for the entire 90-minute meeting, Ms. Gandhi sat next to the grieving family led by actor Sanjay Dutt and his sisters, Priya and Namrata. Joining them were Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur who also paid floral tributes.

In a truly secular farewell to a man known to respect all religions, representatives from various communities including Hindu, Jewish, Baha'i and Sikhs offered prayers for the much-respected actor-turned-politician. A number of songs and bhajans were also sung during the "Sarva Dharam Prathana Sabha". As a mark of respect for the late Dutt, a two-minute silence was observed at the end of the meeting.

The prayer meeting was attended by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad; Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath; former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral; and Communist Party of India (M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, and Bharatiya Janata Party leader V.K. Malhotra were also present.

Bollywood was represented by veteran actor and Censor Board chairperson Sharmila Tagore. Also present was actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. The prayer meeting ended with many thronging to pay floral tributes to a large portrait of the actor-turned-politician. Party workers also shouted slogans in memory of the veteran actor. Several also queued up to offer condolences to the family members. A tired Sanjay Dutt met the numerous party workers and admirers who gathered to pay their last respects to the Mr. Dutt. Also present on the occasion were members of the General Mohyal Sabha, who claimed the great actor as one of their community. Offering "shradhanjali" to Mr. Dutt, they described him as a man of impeccable integrity with a high sense of commitment.

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