Soft spoken IFFCO Chairman Balvinder Singh Nakai, who was known for his mild-manners and a permanently settled captivating smile on his face, is no more. Nakai passed away after a prolonged illness Monday evening, plunging the cooperative fraternity in general and IFFCO family in particular into deep grief.
Nakai, who hailed from Punjab, has been associated with IFFCO for many decades. Nakai became the Chairman of IFFCO in 2014 elections for the first time when IFFCO headquarters were rented with the slogan of “Jo bole so nihal…sat sri akal.”
It was only yesterday when IFFCO MD Dr U S Awasthi visited him in hospital and posted a pic of the senior co-operator recuperating in the hospital.
Jolted to the hilt by the news of Nakai demise, MD tweeted, ” Deeply saddened & shocked by the demise of our beloved Sardar Balvinder Singh Nakai Ji, Chairman IFFCO. He was one of the greatest cooperators. My heartfelt condolences to his family. I pray to Wahe GuruJi to bestow heaven to him & courage to family to bear this irreparable loss”.
Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah also expressed his shock by tweeting,”Saddened to learn about the passing away of a veteran co-operator and the Chairman IFFCO, Sardar Balvinder Singh Nakai Ji. He was active in the cooperative sector for the last three decades. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.”
It was only a fortnight ago when Nakia sat by the side of the Union Minister at the mega cooperative conference which took place at Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium in Delhi. Nakai had welcomed the Minister in Gurmukhi.
As soon as the news of Nakai’s demise spread, social media was flooded with the condolence messages. ” Deeply Saddened and Shocked. Heartfelt heartfelt condolences to his family. Great loss to #IFFCO and the entire Cooperative Movement of India. I pray to God to give courage to the family to bear this irreparable loss”, wrote many messages like this on social media.
It was only a couple of years ago that the International Co-operative Agricultural Organization (ICAO) felicitated IFFCO Chairman B S Nakia. ICAO President Byeong-won Kim felicitated him with the Plaque of Merit at ICAO General Assembly in Seoul, Korea in 2019.
The ICAO is the global representative of agricultural cooperatives. Founded in 1951, it’s one of the International Co-operative Alliances’ eight sectoral organizations.
Indian Cooperative joins others in paying its tributes to the departed soul. Nakai had indeed been one of the finest examples of cooperative persona.