In Pics: A Glimpse of Manohar Parrikar's simple yet 'full of life' journey

Goa's Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar died on Sunday after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer for over a year.  The demise of the political leader has saddened the entire nation. Remembering Manohar Parrikar as one of the greatest Indian political leaders, let's have a look at his simple yet 'full of life' journey. 

A technocrat-turned-politician, Manohar Parrikar rose from an ordinary RSS pracharak background to become the country's Defence Minister and also a four-time chief minister of Goa who emerged as one of the few national leaders from the politically volatile state.

Parrikar, 63, enjoyed a man-next-door image who navigated Goa's politics for two decades and became BJP's crisis man in the coastal state.

Despite his long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) from his schooldays, Parrikar, who died Sunday, managed to create for himself a reputation as a somewhat moderate leader and a man with personal integrity.

An admitted workaholic who insists on leading a simple life, Parrikar, a metallurgist by training, was a leader who enjoyed acceptance from all sections of the BJP and beyond. 

He played a key role in making the BJP a force to reckon with in Goa, which remained for long a Congress bastion, with regional outfits having pockets of influence.

There are many accounts of his spartan sytle -- security personnel seeing him arriving at the airport in a rickshaw, carrying his own luggage wearing rumpled bush shirts and chappals in north block.

While Parrikar was undeniably the weave, which determined the quality of Goa's political fabric for nearly 30 years, there was very little about Parrikar's public persona which wasn't a paradox. 

He appeared sloppy, but was meticulous in political strategy. He promised much, but actually delivered very little. As Defence Minister, he was obsessed with Goa politics. In 2012, he promised to retire and never contest elections again, but ended up clinging to power from a hospital bed until his end. 

He swore to end casinos, illegal mining when in opposition, but failed to crack down on them when in power. 

During the last few days, Parrikar had been in and out of Goa Medical College and Hospital for treatment, but was mostly confined to his private residence.