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PHOTOS: Nation Bids Farewell To 'People's President' APJ Abdul Kalam

PHOTOS: Nation Bids Farewell To People's President
Indian service personnel carry a casket containing the body of former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam as it arrives in Rameswaram on July 29, 2015, ahead of his funeral ceremony in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. India's former president and top scientist A. P. J. Kalam, who played a lead role in the country's nuclear weapons tests, died in the north-eastern Indian city of Shillong on July 27. He was 83. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
STRDEL via Getty Images
Indian service personnel carry a casket containing the body of former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam as it arrives in Rameswaram on July 29, 2015, ahead of his funeral ceremony in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. India's former president and top scientist A. P. J. Kalam, who played a lead role in the country's nuclear weapons tests, died in the north-eastern Indian city of Shillong on July 27. He was 83. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands gathered to bid farewell to the People's President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who was buried with full state honours at a public ground in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram town, this afternoon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted Dr Kalam's body which was wrapped in the Indian Tricolour, before the last rites.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and a host of other dignitaries, including chief ministers of some states, attended the last rites held around 11 am after the 'Namaaz-e-Janaaza'.

Slogans like "Bharat Mata Ki jai" rent the air as the body was taken in flower-bedecked carriage to the burial site, about 3.5 km from the mosque.

Many were seen holding the national tri-colour as they waited in the jam-packed streets around Kalam's house to have a last glimpse of the 'People's President'.

Dr Kalam died on Monday in Shillong after a massive cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management. He was 83.

Here are some of the pictures from the ceremony:

Dr Kalam's elder brother Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraicker pays his last respects in Rameswaram. PTI
School children wait to pay respects to Dr Kalam in Rameswaram. PTI
Airlifted from Delhi, the coffin first reached Madurai and was then brought to the Mandapam Camp at around 2pm in a helicopter on Wednesday. PTI
Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni with former Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto playing tribute to former President APJ Abdul Kalam in Jharkhand. PTI
People pay respects to Dr Kalam at Marina in Chennai. PTI
DMDK leader Vijayakanth with wife pay their last respects to the former President in Rameswaram. PTI
The mortal remains of ABJ Abdul Kalam carried in a decorated vehicle in Madurai. PTI
Thousands from across Tamil Nadu and beyond thronged the coastal town of Rameswaram on Wednesday for one last glimpse of the former President. PTI
A child kisses the former President's photo in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. PTI

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.