President

Pranab Mukherjee

with vice president Hamid Ansari , Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj with heads of states/ governments participating in 2nd Summit of Forum for India-Pacific Island Countries. (PTI Photo)

President Pranab Mukherjee at a remembrance ceremony for the 71st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. (AFP Photo)

Back to work, hours after his wife's cremation. One of the few congress people I have tremendous respect https://t.co/ZzuXjGdZft — Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) August 20, 2015

Respect for Pranab for keeping up with official commitments during mourning https://t.co/Qulb7NDdBC — Ullas Hiremath (@Hungrynfool) August 20, 2015

NEW DELHI: Just hours after the last rites of his wife, President Pranab Mukherjee was back at work on Wednesday.Shortly after he returned from the crematorium after attending the last rites for Suvra, his wife of 58 years, who died after a period of illness, he attended to matters of state in his office at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.He first offered floral tributes to former President Shanker Dayal Sharma on his birth anniversary at the Rashtrapati Bhawan."The First Lady's cremation was at 10.30am and by 12.30, the President was attending to his official duties," said a Rashtrapati Bhawan official.Putting country before personal grief, Mukherjee then got a briefing from the external affairs ministry officials about the Summit of Forum of India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) to be held in Jaipur on Friday.On Thursday, the President met the heads of states from Pacific Island countries who are in India to participate in the FIPIC Summit.The President also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 71st birth anniversary at Vir Bhumi, the samadhi of Rajiv Gandhi.And this gesture was clearly appreciated on social media. Pranab Mukherjee....Respect.