Vajpayeeji...you will live on                       

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tall stature dwarfs us all.  On top I am too aam an aadmi to even attempt to write an ode to him. Like you all, I can only mourn the loss and watch spell-bound the images of his life’s great journey on the TV screen hopping from one channel to another.  And the more we see, read and hear, the more dwarfed and wonderstruck we feel by the persona of this statesman standing so tall against the current breed of bickering, squabbling, nitpicking and shallow politicians. Saddled with heavy responsibilities of public offices that he held, he could still laugh off his worries. The bitterest of his foes he could disarm and flatten with a heart-tugging poetic barb, a philosophic riposte or a pithy phrase laced with idealism. And who can forget that winsome smile of his, the thoughtful pauses when he spoke, followed by a sudden jerk of head and the hand rising up in a lofty flourish as the audience held its breath? What then followed was some sparkling oratorical gem from his silver-tongued mouth to a thunderous applause. He was a poet-philosopher- statesman of the rarest kind. The responsibilities of his office never let his wit and sense of humour die; nor that endearing impishness of a child. He was larger than life.

I recall a small story about him dating back to the time of Janata party government.  He was with Moraji Desai the then PM, as External Affairs minister. The PM was addressing an Indian diaspora in the USA. A strict puritan, Mr Desai was expounding on the virtues of abstinence from alcohol and all that stuff to a rather bored audience. After PM’s address as the duo started to leave, Vajpayee ji turned back to the hall, winked and with a grin muttered: “Khao or piyo.” The gathering was in splits as it clapped lustily.

I heard him speak way back in the late 70s or early 80s…I don’t exactly remember, when he came to Palampur. The small ground behind the old Palampur was jam-packed and overflowing with people. I could just catch an occasional glimpse as I stood watching from a long distance. The flavour and the magic spell cast by his speech laced with wit, humour, idealistic fervour, deft poetic and philosophical touches is still fresh in my mindscape. It will live on. And so will this colossus of a man in my heart…nay, in OUR hearts and minds.

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