Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, died in New Delhi on 18 August, 11 days after she was hospitalised in a critical condition.
Earlier she had said she was profoundly shocked at the demise of Suvra Mukherjee. She was received by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paying her last tributes to Mrs Suvra Mukherjee.
Her movements had been restricted for some years because of her failing health.
When Suvra Mukherjee entered Rashtrapati Bhawan, she brought along her harmonium and a tanpura, gifted by Bengali music maestro DL Roy.
The First Lady also had strong association with singer Kumar Sanu who also used to launch albums related to Rabindra Sangeet and devotional music.
She considered her mother who was herself a painter as the source of her creative inspiration and her works won critical acclaim. In picture, the Mukherjee family.
Her body was kept in the ADC room opposite the President's study and a large number of people paid their last respects. They also offered their condolences to the President.
The cremation will take place at the Lodhi Road crematorium later on 19 August.
Suvra was also a highly talented painter and had also written two books — Chokher Aloey, a personal account of her close interaction with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and Chena Achenai Chin, a travelogue recounting her visit to China.
She founded the ‘Geetanjali Troupe’ in 1982 with a mission to propagate Tagore’s philosophy as expressed through his songs and dance-dramas.
Since her admission, Suvra was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She became the first First Lady to die when her spouse is still in office.
The First Lady hailed from Jessore, now in Bangladesh, and had migrated to Kolkata at the age of 10 years. She leaves two sons Abhijit, a Congress MP, and Indrajit and daughter Sharmistha, a spokesperson of the Congress.
On the eve of the crowning moment of her husband’s political career when he assumed the office of President on July 25, 2012, she had been quoted as saying, “We are not like today’s couples. It’s not a lovey-dovey relationship and we don’t express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Pained to know about the passing away of Mrs Suvra Mukherjee. My condolences to Rashtrapatiji and his family in this hour of grief.” He said Suvra Mukherjee will be remembered as a lover of art, culture and
Admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on August 7 with complaints of breathlessness and discomfort, Suvra breathed her last at 10.51 AM.
Nation bids adieu to President's wife, Suvra Mukherjee