Former India cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who passed away on Thursday following a lung ailment, was laid to rest at his ancestral palace in Haryana on Friday, with thousands thronging the burial site to pay their last respects.
Pataudi, who was 70 when he breathed his last at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, was buried next to the grave of his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi -- the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal.
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As distraught family members, bid a final goodbye to the man who was fondly called 'Tiger', there was chaos at Pataudi Palace's sprawling campus with close to 15,000 people converging at the burial site to catch a glimpse of the proceedings.
The huge police presence was hardly a deterrent as media and the gathered crowd jostled to be the closest to the grave even as the Pataudi family grieved in silence.
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Pataudi's wife, yesteryear Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore, looked composed when she came on the palace balcony once along with other female family members.
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Pataudi's son Saif Ali Khan, also a Bollywood actor, performed the last rites after offering Friday prayers. Saif's actress girlfriend Kareena Kapoor looked distraught, as were Pataudi's daughters Soha and Saba, both of whom were inconsolable.
Kareena's elder sister and Bollywood actress Karisma also attended the funeral and was seen consoling Saif.
From the cricketing fraternity, former captain Kapil Dev and Ajay Jadeja came with the family from Delhi in the morning, when Pataudi's body was brought to the palace.
Also present were former captain and coach Anshuman Gaekwad and santoor maestro Amjad Ali Khan.
Also read: Tiger Pataudi, a truly heroic cricketer!
