The last rites of Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, were performed at the Lodhi Road crematorium here on Wednesday. Ms. Mukherjee passed away after a prolonged illness on Tuesday.

Present for the last rites ceremony were the President and his family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of political leaders and dignitaries.

Condolences messages poured in from world leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin in his message to the President said Ms. Mukherjee was a truly outstanding personality who in India and abroad enjoyed well-deserved respect as a talented artiste, writer, actress and singer, and a person who made a great contribution to the preservation of India’s cultural and spiritual heritage. A letter of condolence was also sent by the President of Pakistan.

Accepting the condolence messages, the President later conveyed his gratitude for the words of support.

The President was back at work within hours of his wife’s final rites. He paid floral tributes to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan and was briefed about the second Forum for India and Pacific Islands Cooperation summit being held in India.

On Thursday, he will host a ceremonial welcome for the leaders of 14 Pacific islands who are in India to participate in the summit.