The ashes of renowned Hindi cinema actor Manoj Kumar were immersed in the Ganga at Harki Pauri on Saturday. His family arrived in Haridwar with his immortal ashes on Saturday morning.
The family, including both sons of the late actor, drove to Harki Pauri to meet their traditional family priests for preparations and to perform the rituals for immersing ashes in the River Ganga. The family tirtha purohits at Harki Pauri conducted the rites, chanting Vedic mantras to facilitate the immersion of Manoj Kumar’s ashes at Brahmakund. Kumar’s son, Kunal Goswami, later said that the ashes of his late father were immersed in the Ganga with prayers to the Almighty to grant him eternal peace. Kunal added that the family prayed to Maa Ganga to bless his soul and grant him peace.
Manoj Kumar, also known as ‘Bharat Kumar’ in the Mumbai film industry, died on April 4 at the age of 87. He had been admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai with chronic heart-related complications. According to the medical certificate issued by the hospital, the secondary cause of death was decompensated liver cirrhosis. Later, Kunal Goswami also stated that his father, known for making patriotic films, had been battling serious health issues for some time.
Kumar attained the zenith of his popularity as a filmmaker only after delivering a series of patriotic mega hits in the 1960s and 1970s. His demise sent a wave of grief not only in Bollywood but also among political circles and other sections of society. None other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and wrote on X: “Deeply saddened by the passing of legendary actor and filmmaker Shri Manoj Kumar Ji. He was an icon of Indian cinema, who was particularly remembered for his patriotic zeal, which was also reflected in his films. Manoj Ji’s works ignited a spirit of national pride and will continue to inspire generations. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”