MUMBAI, INDIA, October 26, 2003: The mortal remains of social reformer and Magsaysay Award winner Pandurang Shastri Athavale were consigned to flames at Tatwajnana Vidyapeeth, Ghodbunder, in Thane district on Sunday evening. The last rites of the 84-year old spiritual leader were attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and scores of Swadyhyaya movement followers, sources said. About two thousand people attended the cremation inside the Vidyapeeth while it was relayed live on a big screen outside to enable about 10,000 people to view the last rites of their beloved leader. Others who attended the cremation included Maharashta state ministers Sunil Tatkare and Madhukar Pichad and social worker Mohan Dharia.
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