Pataudi (Haryana), Sep 23: Former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died of a lung ailment in Delhi yesterday, was laid to rest at his ancestral palace here today with thousands thronging the burial site to pay their last respects leading to chaotic scenes.
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.
As distraught family members, bid final goodbye to the man who was fondly called ‘Tiger', there was chaos at the 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. Pataudi's wife, yesteryears' Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore, looked calm and composed when she came on the palace balcony once along with other female family members.
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 along with 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 this morning when Pataudi's body was brought here. Also present was former captain and coach Anshuman Gaekwad along with santoor maestro Amjad Ali Khan.
