Manohar Parrikar
Manohar ParrikarReuters

Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa and former Defence Minister, passed away in Panaji on March 17. He was 63. Parrikar had been ailing from pancreatic cancer since February 2018. He breathed his last after a year-long battle, having been treated at a hospital in the US and at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and the Goa Medical College.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind offered condolences after the death of Manohar Parrikar. One-day national mourning has been announced on March 18, and the Goa government has announced a seven-day mourning period with a holiday on March 18. Manohar Parrikar will be given a state funeral at 4.30 pm in Goa.

Several Bollywood celebrities have condoled the death of Manohar Parrikar. Stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Anupam Kher, Raveena Tandon and Swara Bhasker, to name a few, have offered condolences to the bereaved. South superstar Kamal Haasan has also tweeted condolences.

Amitabh Bachchan said on Twitter, "Manohar Parikar CM Goa, passes away .. a gentleman to the core, simple in demeanour and well respected .. spent few short moments with him .. very dignified .. fought his illness bravely .. prayers and condolences."

Akshay Kumar said, "Extremely sad at hearing about the demise of Sh. Manohar Parrikar Ji. I feel blessed to have had the fortune of meeting and knowing a sincere and good soul as he was. Heartfelt condolences to his family."

Kamal Haasan said, "Party ideologies apart a good and gentle man will always be it. Not even cancer can kill a spirit like @manoharparrikar . Have had the honour of breaking bread with him. As will the Nation, I too will remember him."

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar tweeted in Hindi, saying, "Goa ke Mukhya Mantri Manohar Parrikar ji ke nidhan ki vaarta sunkar mujhe bahut dukh hua,unke aur hamare bahut acche sambandh the.Unke jaane se hamare desh ki bahut haani hui hai,ek atyant saccha insaan aur neta desh ne kho diya hai. Ishwar unki aatma ko shanti pradan kare."

Anupam Kher said, "Deeply deeply saddened to know about the untimely demise of Shri #ManoharParrikar ji. He was one of the most real, dignified, intelligent, warm, down-to-earth & honest persons I had met. He had a great quality of inspiring people so effortlessly. Will miss him. Om Shanti. ‬#ChiefMinisterOfGoa #FormerDefenceMinister #SimplicityPersonified".

Swara Bhasker tweeted, "RIP Shri #ManoharParrikar Condolences and strength to the family in this tragic time of grief."

Raveena Tandon retweeted Abhijit Majumder's tweet talking about Manohar Parrikar's qualities. She added, "Agree with all said below . Loved by all. Not his time to go.. #ManoharParrikar".

Actor Mohnish Bahl said on Instagram, "RIP #ManoharParrikar ji. Greatness in simplicity personified."

Manohar Parrikar studied metallurgical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) in Mumbai. He was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak and entered politics on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket in 1994. Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister of Goa for three terms - from 2000 to 2005, from 2012 to 2014, and from 14 March 2017 till his death. He served as the Defence Minister of India from 2014 to 2017 in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet.