Muhammad Ali is no more

The man who "floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee" is no more. Muhammad Ali achieved what no other boxer had ever done before -- win the world boxing heavyweight title thrice, the last at the age of 36. His style in the ring belied imagination, a combination of the physical prowess coupled with unorthodox boxing style that melded speed and power which knocked opponents off their feet.

Ali was a champion inside and outside the ring. He had combined sports and politics in way that lent greater dignity to both, and he gave the African – American Muslims a cultural identity, attaining which was both a defiant and brave act. His stance on the civil rights movement, refusal to get drafted during the Vietnam War with the famous lines "I ain't got nothing against them Vietcong", which nearly sent him to jail – all pointed to a man who was much more than a devastating fighter inside the ring.

His showmanship in the ring and his canny humour won him the hearts of millions, and although he was dogged by illness in later years, he did not lose either. He was a man larger than life and appealed to people of different creeds and faiths through his charm and intelligence.

Millions around the globe will remember him both as a boxer par excellence and a humanist, who in the later years of his life preached spirituality, peace and tolerance.

A great human being has departed this world, and we mourn his passing. In life he was the 'greatest' and in death he continues to be the 'greatest'.