NAINITAL: To the world, he was a veteran politician, but to residents of Padampuri village , 16 km from Nainital town, where N D Tiwari spent his childhood, he remained "a humble man" throughout his life who "never let fame get to his head."Tiwari's family had moved to the village from nearby Batuli village just weeks after his birth."He never forgot his roots. In fact, he visited his childhood home three years ago. He had broken down after meeting old friends and visiting the house he grew up in. We knew he was not keeping well for sometime but still his death has come as a shock to all of us," said Pratap Ram Arya, 83, a childhood friend of the politician.Arya added, "Tiwari ji remembered his village despite becoming a national leader. He often reminisced about the mischief we indulged in during our school days. He was very concerned about issues faced by people in the hills and did his best to address them as the leader of the state."To mark the loss of their dajyu (elder brother), families in this village of 200 residents did not cook on Thursday.Tiwari's nephew, Vijay, who stays in the village, said, "He never missed an opportunity to visit us. Last time when he was here in 2015, he had become very emotional."

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