Amid chants, Baramati and Pawar family bid farewell to beloved Dada

Pune: Bhigwan Chowk is where party offices are in Baramati town. It is also where election victories are celebrated and losses are quietly dissected. Whatever the result, the chowk remains the epicentre of all political activity, and it has rarely ever looked as quiet as it did on Thursday, as Baramati prepared to bid farewell to its son Ajit Pawar.The town paid its respects to the man who hated posters. There were no flashy flex boards. The few that did come for the farewell carried their leader's photograph with just one word: nishabd (no words). The posters summed up the shock, disbelief and grief that gripped the town after the sudden death of the deputy chief minister and Baramati's MLA in a plane crash on Wednesday morning.On Thursday, all roads in Baramati led to Vidya Pratishthan's sports ground, where the last rites were held with state honours. Political heavyweights, including Union home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, state minister Chandrakant Patil, MLA Praniti Shinde, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel, Vidhan Sabha speaker Rahul Narwekar, former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, MLA Vishwajeet Kadam, Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati and MNS chief Raj Thackeray were present, along with several Pawar family members, including Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule and others.The ground was flooded with thousands of men and women, old and young, many unable to hold back their tears.Katewadi's DadaIf Baramati is the Pawar family's bastion, Katewadi was Ajit Pawar's homeground. On Thursday, many houses in the village were locked, because everyone, from the young to the elderly, walked to the Pawar farmhouse, where their leader's mortal remains were kept. Villagers who swore by its Dada came in unending waves to pay their last respects.The crowd soon became overwhelming, forcing officials to halt the antim darshan for a while. Even as the gates remained shut, people continued gathering outside. Eventually, a group of women shouted at the police. "Even Dada never stopped us from entering his house. Think of him and let us go inside. We are here to see him for the last time," they said. The police personnel on bandobast duty appeared taken aback, and the crowd was cleared to allow the women in.Tamanna Mulani, who came with her son Kabir, said Ajit Pawar was not seen as a leader in Katewadi. "To outsiders, he was a minister. Here, he was like an elder brother. You won't find any politician who was what Dada was to Katewadi," she said, adding that their wish to see him as chief minister would now remain unfulfilled.Jayashree Kamble said Pawar built his political legacy through tireless work. "Dada's textile park is the reason many women are employed. Even before the Ladki Bahin scheme, we were his ladki bahin. He gave jobs, helped people set up businesses, ensured water for agriculture, and built good roads and infrastructure. How many politicians can honestly say they did so much for their constituency? He was the only one," she said.No voting power, yet never ignoredRafik Bohari (77) has witnessed Ajit Pawar grow from a young leader to become the deputy chief minister of the state. He said the Pawars were the only family that never cared about religion or caste when it came to Baramatikars."We are around 500 in number, which means as a community we have no voting power. Yet, whether it was help with admissions or business, Dada never turned us away. In fact, that is the Pawar legacy. He learnt the ropes from Sharad Pawar, and he too only cared about growth and development. Nothing else ever mattered to them," Bohari added.Silence at party officeSudhakar Mane said he had worked with Ajit Pawar for the past 35 years. "Ever since we climbed onto a truck for a farmers' protest to the Pune collector's office 35 years ago, I have known him. He rose from the grassroots. It is a gigantic task to fill his shoes. With such a loss in the family, we feel that just as the family has united, the parties too must unite," he added, echoing the sentiment of many.At Bhigwan Chowk, the NCP office had only three or four people seated beside a garlanded photograph of Ajit Pawar. The NCP (SP) office barely 20m away remained shut as a mark of respect.Mahesh Prabhakar, a handcart operator, said Pawar's team had promised him a shop, with the final work to be completed on Thursday. "He helped people who worked hard. He hated laziness. He wouldn't give you alms, but if you were genuine, he would give you the push you needed in life. He recognised people for what they were. I don't think my dream of getting a shop will come true now," Prabhakar added.Amardeep Lohokare said he feared things would change in Baramati after Pawar's death. "Baramati doesn't have criminals because of Dada. Everybody was afraid of his wrath. With him gone, I wonder what will happen," he said.From Far and WidePeople from far-off places, from Buldhana to Nashik, arrived to pay homage. The crowd filled not only the ground but also spilt onto the surrounding roads.Youngsters from Barshi in Solapur district arrived in Baramati with hand-painted posters of Dada. Many stood with teary eyes, watching emotional reels on his life on their phones.Ashwini Kadu from Daund broke down. "Dada was Dada, an elder brother. No one can replace him," she said. Bhausaheb Jadhav from Sangamner said he was too emotional to speak.Devendra Bhandari came from Mumbai with a friend who, he said, had been helped by Pawar during illness. "He is an ordinary person. He went to meet Dada for help with medical expenses. Without any second thoughts, after checking the details, Dada helped. He wasn't even a party worker. I was amazed. I'm not in politics, but I wanted to see the man. Unfortunately, this is how I could come," he said.The final journeyAjit Pawar's mortal remains were taken to the ground in a van bearing a large poster. Along the route, people stood on the roadside and showered flowers as the vehicle passed by. The van arrived at the ground at 10.45am where a police band played Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan from a Raj Kapoor film, a tune that many felt was apt for a son of the soil who lived and died in Baramati.Pawar's sons, Parth and Jay, performed the last rites. Before that, Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar's cousin led family members to the ground and to the pyre where the mortal remains were placed. He was cremated with state honours.Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said, "As per our estimate, about one lakh people visited the ground site. We had deployed a strong bandobast of more than 6,000 personnel."Despite six large screens, the sports ground was filled to its capacity, with people occupying any place, including JCBs and trucks. Many climbed trees to catch a glimpse. As political leaders arrived to pay their respects, people in the crowd spoke quietly about their equations with Ajit Pawar, their skirmishes, their alliances, and the ways in which he had helped them in their political careers.Keeping Baramati clean for DadaCleanliness mattered deeply to Dada. Perhaps that is why, even as much of Baramati remained shut, sanitation workers were among the few still on duty, trying to keep pace with the huge crowd, including many visitors from outside who did not know about Dada's insistence on cleanliness or why Baramati's streets are not filthy."What if Dada is not there? His work will always remain in our hearts. That is why none of us has taken leave. We are working to keep the roads clean, just like how Dada would have wanted," said a worker.