A wilted garland of tuberoses rested on his hand. “I got it specially made from the flower shop in our locality. I had hoped I would be able to pay my last respects to him by garlanding his body but I couldn’t. There were far too many people,” said Goswami.

Unlike political leaders and actors, Goswami and thousands of other Basu admirers did not have an easy access to the mortal remains of their beloved leader.

“We arrived here at 8 am, but the queue was so long that we were sent back even before we reached the gates,” said Sarmishta Dey of the West Bengal Archival Society.

Dey and her colleague, Madhurima Sen, wanted to pay floral tribute to the leader with a large bouquet of white roses. “We are here not only to represent our institution, but also for personal reasons. Basu was really one of those charismatic leaders who rose above their party. It is unfortunate that we couldn’t pay our respect properly, but we hope that we will be able to get a glimpse of him as the hearse procession passes by,” said Sen.

Sachinand Das, a 70-year-old resident of Haldia, had been on his feet for over seven hours, but he did not lose patience. With a white wreath in his hand, he said he will not leave before he was able to say good-bye to the departed leader properly. “I have voted for his party all my life. I believe in his ideals. For me this is the end of an important chapter in my life. I should at least get the opportunity to offer a floral tribute to him,” said Das.