It was on January 14, 2020, when Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s mother-in-law had taken her last breath. Amitabh Bachchan took to his blog and gave life and death a deep thought after attending her chautha.
Life is a journey from the first breath to the last breath and throughout the entire journey, you make memories which will be cherished by you and your loved ones. You try to create memories in every phase of your life and try to learn from your mistakes. We never want to lose any of our family members and always try to keep them close, but life is a journey which does come to an end. No matter how close we are with our loved ones, we will have to let them go to their heavenly abode. On January 14, 2020, we had woken up to the news of the sudden demise of Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s mother-in-law and Rishi Kapoor’s sister, Ritu Nanda. She was suffering from cancer from last 7 years and in 2013 after being diagnosed with the disease, she had left for the US for treatment. (Recommended Read: Farhan Akhtar Visits Step-Mother, Shabana Azmi At The Hospital With His Girlfriend, Shibani Dandekar)
Ranbir Kapoor’s sister, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni had taken to her Instagram handle and had shared the news with the world. She had informed about the death of her bua in an emotional note, which could be read as “To the kindest most gentle person I‘ve ever met - They don’t make them like you anymore - RIP bua #missyoualways." Ritu’s samdhi, Amitabh Bachchan had also taken to his blog and had informed about the sudden demise and had written, “My ‘samdhan’ Ritu Nanda, Shweta’s Mother in Law passed away suddenly at 1.15 Am .. cannot communicate .. travelling.” Ritu ji’s funeral had taken place at the Lodhi Road cremation ground in Delhi and the Kapoors and the Bachchans had gathered to mourn the huge loss.
On January 18, 2020, after attending Ritu Nanda’s Chautha, her samdhi, Amitabh Bachchan took to his blog and gave life and death a deep thought. His blog could be read as “Immersions in the sacred river waters… the ashes washed, flowing by in the flow of the currents... prayers.. a gentle rain.. a blessing they say.. and tomorrow the 4th day, the ‘chautha’.. the prayer meet ... and traditions continue.. there must be meaning and reason.. there must be religious sanctity.. there must be belief.. there must be following.. a learning passed on from generation to the next from the times of time.. accepted and honoured in its purity and its relevance, through the ages.”
Amit ji’s blog could be further read as “Now the mere images and the memories .. vivid , emotional , sincere and lasting ever .. then life moves on .. to each his own .. births and death days remembered and brought in either prayer or remembrance .. a picture garlanded on the walls .. solemn occasions made personal with their imagery .. blessings sought each morning before the start of day .. a touch .. a silent moment .. thats it .. done .. the eventuality of life .. a picture on the wall.” (Suggested Read: Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan On His 17th Death Anniversary)
Amit ji concluded his blog by talking about the divine that presides over us, “They that we lost, know all languages suddenly in their demise.. they are, if they are in the divine space, hearing seeing watching over all this .. a moment that shall never be known to us beings .. they that have been lost are the supreme .. a supreme hopefully that we all strive for in living .. not knowing that the supreme is a reserved exclusivity .. you will need a lifetime to get to achieve it .. in its solemnity of divine power.”
Ritu’s brother and veteran actor, Randhir Kapoor had confirmed the news of her death with the Indian Express and was quoted as saying, "Ritu Nanda passed away early morning today. She was suffering from cancer. We are in Delhi. The funeral is today." On January 19, 2020, Shweta had taken to her Instagram handle and had penned a note for Ritu ji. In the picture, we could see Shweta posing with her daughter, Navya and mother-in-law, Ritu. Along with it, she had written, "Will miss you dearly.”
Daughter of Raj Kapoor, Ritu Nanda was the chairwoman and chief executive officer of Ritu Nanda Insurance Services (RNIS). She was honoured with the Brand and the Best Insurance Advisor of the Decade awards from the Life Insurance Corporation of India and had entered the Guinness Book of Records for selling 17,000 pension policies in a single day. Believer of spirituality and follower of Shirdi Sai Baba, Ritu Nanda, in an interview with The Indian Express had retorted when asked why she had to go through the suffering and illness, “That is my karma. I had to. As long as He is there to hold my hand while I go through it all, I know I will be ok. For five years I had all those pre-stroke events, without even realizing. It was my God looking after me.” (Must Read: Shweta Bachchan Pens A Goodbye Note For Mother-In-Law, Ritu Nanda, Shares A Picture With Her)
We wish the Nanda family a lot of strength to fight with the huge loss!