Thousands bid tearful adieu to singer Rajvir Jawanda

Ludhiana: Family, villagers, political leaders and fans bid a tearful adieu to singer Rajvir Jawanda as he was put to rest at his native village of Poona near Jagraon on Thursday. His son Dilawar Singh Jawandha lit Rajvir's pyre. Before the last rites, the mortal remains of the singer were taken around the village and prayers were offered at the village gurdwara.Thousands of his fans and close friends, including artists, politicians, religious figures, bid farewell to their favourite artist with tearful eyes. Rajveer's mother Paramjit Kaur, sister, wife and children were in a state of shock as they grieved his demise. Singer Kanwar Grewal, Muhammad Sadiq, Ranjit Bawa, actor and singer Satinder Sartaj, Harbhajan Mann, Amy Virk, Jasvir Jassi, Karamjeet Anmol, Babbu Mann, actors Malkeet Rooney, Mankeerat Aulakh, Harjeet Harman, Ravinder Grewal, Sukhwinder Sukhi, singer Kulwinder Billa, Pinky Dhaliwal, Jasvir Pal Singh, actor Raghubir Boli, Arshdeep Kaler, singer Gagan Kokri, Resham Anmol, singer Satvinsdar Bitti, Rupinder Handa, Gurlej Akhtar, actor Pukhraj Bhalla, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, MLA Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, former MLA Jagtar Singh Jagga, lyricist Matt Sheron, lyricist Bhatti Bhadi Wala, music composer G Guri, Darshan Aulakh, Singer Jas Bajwa etc. were among those present to bid him final goodbye.Local sources said the singer was cremated in a ground near government school and this was the place where he had sung on stage for the first time. They added that before funeral, Rajveer's favourite red turban was put on his head.As the singer was being taken for cremation, sister of the deceased looked at her brother's body and said "Mere bhai ki bahot tauhar hai, iski pagdi mat kharab karo" (My brother has a lot of dignity/respect, don't mess up his turban). These words of the sister of singer made every eye moist at the spot. A villager said that Rajvir has immortalised himself and brought great pride to the village. He added that Rajvir was a beautiful person and a great singer.Meanwhile, as the Punjab chief minister, film actors, singers and artists and fans of Rajvir from across the state reached the village for his last rites, police had made tight security arrangements. According to sources, on Wednesday night, the village was sealed from all sides and barricades were put up. They added that villagers had demanded from the government that a memorial be built in the village in his memory. Colossal loss to the world of art, literature and culture: CMPunjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday mourned the sad and untimely death of noted Punjabi singer Rajvir Jawanda, who passed away at a private hospital in Mohali after he met with an accident a few days ago.Mann, who visited the residence of the deceased singer in the morning, shared his condolences with the bereaved family members. He described the demise of the young singer as a colossal loss to the world of art, literature and culture in the contemporary history of the state. Striking an emotional chord, Bhagwant Singh Mann said the singer departed from the world in his prime youth and the void created with his death would not be easy to fill in the near future.