Nana Patekar was prepared for his death, had kept 12 maunds of wood for cremation

Nana Patekar had thought about his death years before it arrived. In an interview during the promotion of The Vaccine War in September 2023, the actor spoke about death with the same bluntness with which he has often spoken about life, and revealed that he had already prepared for his own cremation.In an interview published by Aaj Tak on September 15, 2023, Nana said he believed in death and knew that one day he would have to leave. His idea of his final possession was remarkably simple: 12 maunds of wood."Humko maloom hain hume 12 mann lakdi lagne vali hai. Yahi meri final property hai. Iske saath main chala chaunga [We know I will need 12 maunds of wood. That is my final property. I will leave with just that]," Nana said, explaining that he had already kept the wood aside for his cremation.But even while talking about his own last rites, Nana found a typically Nana-esque way to make the conversation about death unexpectedly wry. He specifically asked that dry wood be used when he was cremated. "Maine apni 12 mann lakdiyan rakhi hui hain. Vo sukhi hain. Usi mein mujhe jalana. Gili lakdi mat istemaal karna [I have kept aside 12 maunds of wood. It is dry. Cremate me with that. Don’t use wet wood]," he said.His reason was even more striking. Wet wood, he explained, would create smoke, making the eyes of friends and others gathered at his cremation water. And that, Nana joked, could lead to a misunderstanding. "Phir aankh se paani ayega... aise mein marte waqt galatfehmi hogi ki mere liye ro rahe hain [Then tears will come to their eyes... At that moment, I might misunderstand and think they are crying for me]," he joked, adding, "kam se kam marte waqt galatfehmi nahi honi chahiye [At least there shouldn't be any misunderstanding when I'm dying]."Nana's larger point was that death strips away the illusion of permanence. In the same conversation, he spoke about how people eventually move on after someone dies, reinforcing his belief that there is little point in accumulating things as though one is going to live forever.For Nana, then, even his final journey had already been reduced to its most basic truth: 12 maunds of dry wood, and nothing more.Patekar died at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa, in the early hours of Thursday. He was 75. The legendary actor was found unconscious at his apartment and was taken to a private hospital. Senior doctor Dr Shekhar Salkar said Patekar was administered CPR for around 45 minutes but could not be revived. He was declared dead at 5.20 am.- Ends