Satara (Maharashtra), Dec 16 Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, travelled to Maharashtra to attend the funeral of Raiyan B. Banaji, son of leading Mumbai ophthalmologist Dr Burjor P. Banaji, official sources said here.
A sports enthusiast and an online trader, Raiyan Banaji, 35, passed away a few days ago when he had gone to play a ruby tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.
During a game in Portugal early this month, Raiyan suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away, and his body reached the family's native town of Mahabaleshwar on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi flew down from New Delhi to Pune on Sunday night, and from there drove down to the Mahabaleshwar hill station in adjoining Satara district for the last rites, held as per Parsi customs.
First, the Congress leader visited the home of Banajis and solemnly offered condolences to the shattered parents, Dr Burjor and wife Jinal, Raiyan’s widow Roshni Dadachanji, plus other members of the bereaved family, said the sources.
Later, he participated in the funeral procession and the cremation rites that were performed as per the Parsi religious customs.
The Gandhi family and Rahul Gandhi have close familial bonds with the Banajis from the lineage of his grandfather the late Feroze Gandhi -- the husband of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Last year, ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi had gone to Dr Banaji’s clinic to check up his eyes, said a party source.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule and other bigwigs from different fields like politics, corporate and entertainment industry are on Dr Banaji’s client list.
The Parsi Zoroastrians Worldwide (PZW) paid glowing tributes to Raiyan Banaji in a condolence message describing him as “our sweet handsome Cathedral (school, in Mumbai) alumnus”.
The Rugby Association of Maharashtra (RAM), of which the deceased was a member, said in a condolence message: “A tribute to a true gentleman, Raiyan Banaji. Your legacy will live on to inspire. That contagious smile and infectious laugh – always in our minds, forever in our hearts”.
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