Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Politician, poet and writer

In a political career that spanned at least five decades, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee, made a huge mark on Indian politics. He was elected thrice as the Prime Minister, however, served a full term between 1999 and 2004.

With Vajpayee at the helm, India underwent monumental changes. Under his tenure as prime minister, India's experienced economic growth, war with Pakistan and also proclaimed sovereignty by testing its nuclear arsenals.

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One of his oft-remembered speeches were delivered when he announced the success of the Pokhran II test. In his speech, he declared that India will not use the nuclear weapons unless attacked first by another country, in 1998

He is also credited for the National Highway Development Project which connects the North-South and East-West corridors and the ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.

Under his aegis, bus service from Delhi to Lahore called Sada-e-Sarhad took shape which continued till the beginning of Kargil War.

Among his other political achievements, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, India’s attempt to achieve elementary education began under his leadership.

His motto of ‘Look East Policy’ strengthened international ties with South-East Asian and Asian countries like Russia and Japan.

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The Prevention of Terrorism Activities Act (POTA) was also passed by both the houses under when he was in office.

Apart from being a dedicated politician, Vajpayee was also a poet and a writer, one often quoted most memorably

His oratory skills shone at the international forum when he delivered a speech in the UN General Assembly, the first Indian Foreign Minister to do so in Hindi.

In his first speech, he touched upon topics such as the Non-Alignment Movement.

He had said, “he vision of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakum - the world is one family - is an old one. We in India have all along believed in the concept of the world as one family.” He had also talked about normalising relations with Pakistan to promote bilateral co-operation.

Despite the nobility he is regarded with in Indian politics, he also delivered an extremely controversial speech on the eve of the Babri Masjid demolition. Though he did not mention the masjid directly, allusions such as ‘there are sharp stones, the ground has to be levelled’ were made in the speech to kar sevaks in Lucknow.

Quoted widely and with pride, Vajpayee's poetry drew worldwide fame. One of his most famous poems include Kaidi Kaviray Kahe, which he wrote while in jail during the Emergency. The poem expressed his wish to see the outside world and his long stay in prison.

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Another poem of his is ‘Manali mat jaiyo’ which talks of a girl who is about to leave for another kingdom. The poem asks the reader to be content even if certain things are not available to them.

Doodh mein darar pad gayi is his expression on the partition of India. The moving poem talks about how the two countries were rendered apart.

“अपनी ही छाया से बैर,

गले लगने लगे हैं ग़ैर,

ख़ुदकुशी का रास्ता, तुम्हें वतन का वास्ता।

बात बनाएं, बिगड़ गई।

दूध में दरार पड़ गई।”

(Fighting with your own shadow,

while hugging a stranger,

The path of suicide the country has taken,

Ordered conversation is destroyed,

like a crack in the milk)

Vajpayee, the first non-Congress leader to complete a full term in office and credited with cementing a place for the BJP in the country’s polity, passed away on August 16, 2018.