Family Says Goodbye to Raju Srivastav

Raju Srivastav was cremated on September 22 in the presence of family and close friends in Delhi.

The 58-year-old comedian, one of the most well-known names in comedy circles, died the day before at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after 41 days in hospital. He was admitted to AIIMS following a heart attack while working out at a Delhi hotel gym on August 10.

Srivastav's mortal remains were taken to his residence in the South West Delhi locality Dwarka, after they were handed over to the family.

An ambulance decked with white flowers left for the Nigambodh Ghat crematorium at Kashmere Gate around 9 am for the funeral, which also had veteran poet-humorists Surendra Sharma and Ashok Chakradhar in attendance.

Srivastav's son Ayushmaan performed the last rites as per Hindu rituals around 11 am, the comedian's younger brother Dipoo told PTI.

"We left from the house in Dwarka at about 9 am for the funeral. Our family members from Kanpur and Lucknow are here," he added.

Colleagues Sunil Pal and Ahsaan Qureshi, Director Madhur Bhandarkar and Singer Ram Shankar along with hundreds of fans reached the venue to pay their last respects.

"It was heartwarming to see so many of his fans and colleagues come here to pay tribute to Rajubhai," said Dipoo.

The family has yet to decide the venue for the prayer meet, he added.

Srivastav, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014 after a stint with the Samajwadi Party, was adept at finding humour in characters struggling with everyday difficulties.

Born in 1963 in Kanpur to Ramesh Srivastav, a government employee and a humour poet, and homemaker mother Saraswati, Srivastav was first noticed for his resemblance to Amitabh Bachchan and later became popular for his observational stand-up sketches in and around his hometown.

The comic, whose career spanned almost four decades, played nameless bit parts in hit Hindi films such as Maine Pyaar Kiya and Baazigar before gaining nationwide fame as a participant in the 2005 reality comedy competition show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

Srivastav is survived by wife Shikha, daughter Antara and son Ayushmaan.