Europe's oldest man cremated at home village

Europe's oldest man, Nazar Singh Gill, who died at the age of 111 years, was cremated in his native village Fazalpur, some 35 km from here, on Wednesday.

Gill, who left behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 63 great-grandchildren, celebrated his 111th birthday in his village on June 8.

"Normally my father used to take one small peg of brandy every evening before taking his dinner. On that night (June 21), he didn't have his drink and even meal," Nazar's eldest son Kartar Singh, 72, told IANS.

All his six sons lit the pyre, he said. Nazar Singh never had a surgery.

"Every year he came to his native village from Britain. This time when he came here, he said that he will not go back," Kartar Singh said.

"I think he knew that his end had come and he wanted to leave this world in his homeland," he added.

Nazar Singh's normal diet mainly comprised 'dalia' or cooked broken wheat, milk, soft fruits and a sweet dish made of almonds, walnuts and other dry fruits.

"Since he was left with very few teeth but didn't want to have dentures, he used to relish soft food only," his eldest son said.

Nazar Singh, who never went to school, travelled alone to India from Britain on January 25.

Nazar Singh was born on June 8, 1904, in Gill village in Jalandhar district.

At the age of 63, he migrated to Britain where his eldest daughter Resham Kaur was settled.

Two years later his wife Niranjan Kaur died at the age of 90 in 2006 in her husband's village. Later, his three sons migrated to Britain.

Nazar Singh's father also died after living for a hundred years.

"When our grandfather died, he was more than 100 years old. In our family, we live long," Kartar Singh added.