BANGALORE: Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief; sorrow looked like it was frozen.
There was a disciplined queue of visitors waiting to pay last respects to a gentleman-politician; mourners sobbed silently.
The silence was marred twice - first when police fired gunshots in the air during the guard of honour and when chants of mourners resounded as the body was lifted to the ambulance to be taken to HAL airport.
This was the scene at the official residence of Dr V S Acharya, minister for higher education, when his body was brought from Mallige Hospital, after he died of massive heart attack.
In all, the scene was that of orderliness and discipline - something typical of the modest politician, who led a spartan life.
Having known Dr Acharya for four decades, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, his predecessor B S Yeddyurappa, senior BJP leader Ramachandra Gowda, Ganesh Karnick and Dr Shivayogiswamy all stood shell-shocked, disbelief writ large on their faces. It looked like they were unable to come to terms with the harsh reality.
That the people too — who thronged his Race Course Road residence — were shaking their faces disapprovingly indicated their refusal to believe the obvious.