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Sulabh organisation had chosen His politics was informed by a Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s smartphone

Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the sense of India’s millennia-old eulogy for his revered Atal
‘Honest Man of the Year 1997 civilisational values Bihari Vajpayee

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561 POSTAL REGISTRATION NO. DL(W)10/2240/2017-19

Vol - 2 | Issue - 36 | Aug 20 - 26, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

A Good News Weekly

In Memoriam

"I have lived life to

the fullest, I will die
willingly, I will come
back, why should I
fear going away, O
death, you should not
come stealthily, come
boldly and test me"

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

(25 Dec 1924 - 16 Aug 2018)
 02 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

honour

Sulabh Honest Man Of The Year Award 1997

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred the award when he was prime minister in 1998

Prime Minister Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, being awarded the
Honest Man of the Year Award By
Vice-President, Krishna Kant

Vajpayee said that he told them that

he had received the award when
he was Leader of Opposition; and
now that I am prime minister, how
can I reject it. He brushed aside
objections and came to accept the
award. “What really made me re-
examine the propriety of accepting
the award was the praise showered on
me by Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of
Sulabh organisation. Nevertheless, I
accept all that has been said about me
with pride and it shall always be my
endeavour to remain honest, although
the award is only for the year 1997,”
said Vajpayee.
“When I was looking for the provision
of sanitation provisions in Lucknow, my
constituency, I contacted Sulabh and
there has been no complaint about the

The honest stalwart Vajpayee always looked for honesty among

work done by this body,” he added.

T he people should have the right

to know as to what all is going on
at all levels in the government…
Time has come to take steps to check
falling standards of values and bring
others. For that he urged mass movements against corruption

that no laws can prove effective to curb people so as to create a movement against
Accepting the award and the citation,
Vajpayee, being the tall personality he
truly was, however returned the cheque
of Rs 5 lakh which came with the award.
“I return the cash to Sulabh and leave it
about moral reawakening in the country” corruption if there is no mass movement. corruption,” he added. to them to use the money for the benefit
A poet, a writer, a leader, an enlightened “We have to create such a climate in Vajpayee said that all the of the society,” he said.
mind and a compassionate being – many which corruption has no place… There government agencies were opposed When asked why Atal Bihari Vajpayee
adjectives fit perfect when one starts is a danger that our sensibilities may die to his receiving an award from an was chosen for the title, Dr Bindeshwar
describing former prime minister of if steps are not taken immediately to curb NGO. They had argued that as prime Pathak, founder of Sulabh International
India late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. One such it. We need to create sensibilities of the minister he cannot accept the award. Social Service Organisation, said, “A
praiseworthy adjective for this stalwart man of fine sensibilities such as Mr
was added to the queue by Sulabh Hon’ble Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister, inaugurating Vajpayee is the most deserving person
International Social Service Organisation a Sulabh Public Toilet Complex at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. “Sulabh for the award. On top of that, he is very
way back in 1998. And that was ‘Honest’. International can be depended upon for doing good works. It has made transparent in his functionings. And so he
It was a fine Thursday morning and a commendable efforts to abolish scavenging from the country.” was chosen for the award in 1997 when
blessed day for Sulabh organisation when he was the leader of the Opposition. His
then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee name was selected by a jury of eminent
graciously accepted the ‘Honest Man persons.” The Sulabh Honest Man of
of the Year 1997’ award conferred upon the Year Award was instituted to uphold
him by the organisation and presented moral values and to honour persons
by then Vice President Krishan Kant on of impeccable character, exceptional
November 26, 1998, at Vigyan Bhavan in integrity and sterling sincerity. Started
New Delhi. in the silver jubilee year (1995) of the
Standing by his title during the Sulabh Movement, it is awarded annually
felicitation ceremony, the stalwart said, to an outstanding personality who has
“The people should have the right to know shown the highest level of public honesty
as to what all is going on at all levels in the and commitment in his or her work.
government,” and with this he called for Vajpayee was a man of values, who
a plan to uproot corruption which had decried the divisive ideology of sections
pervaded all levels of administration in of politicians. He had a vision for the
the country. country and sought its rightful place in
The honest Vajpayee always looked for the comity of nations, but he remained
honesty among others. For this he urged till the end the Honest Man of India.
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 03
07
c itat io n

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

His sense of judgement affirms itself in his
willingness to sacrifice power for the sake of ethics

T he Sulabh family is
proud and privileged
to be honoured
today by the distinguished
presence of an outstanding
son of India, Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime
Minister. In conferring on
him the HONEST MAN
OF THE YEAR AWARD
FOR 1997, we acknowledge
the very high standards
of probity, sincerity,
transparency and integrity
that he has set in public life.
In the realm of present day
Atal, The Unalterable statecraft, when noble ideals
are often sacrificed at the
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak dedicated a poem to then PM altar of political expediency,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the award ceremony Shri Vajpayee stands tall
as one of those great and
Atal! You are the unalterable! good men, whose deeds
How can your mission fail? are a faithful reflection of
You are the vibrant morning, their words and ideologies.
And not the dusky evening; He has brought to the world
Which is exhausted between the eye-lids. of politics a refreshing candour and the spiritual sustenance and cultural
Atal! You are the unalterable! simplicity, derived from his deep and moorings that anchor its existence.
You are a great son of India; abiding faith in the intrinsic goodness Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a modern saint,
No damage can happen to her of the Indian ethos. a magnificent example, in every sense
Generate some extra heat like Pokharan The heights by great men reached of the word, of the wonder that was, is
To burn out crime and corruption. and kept, the poet has said, were not and shall forever be India.
Atal! You are the unalterable! attained by sudden flight, but they, In his fifth century BC play
Nuclear blast at pokharan while their companions slept, were “Antigone”, the great Greek playwright
Has enhanced our national pride. toiling upward in the night. The life Sophocles says: “You cannot know
Now Indians living away from India story of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a man completely, his character, his
Can call themselves Indians with pride. ample testimony to this: a relentless principles, sense of judgement, not till
Atal! You are the unalterable! quest for truth, justice, service to the he’s shown his colours, ruling the people,
Gandhi was a visionary; motherland and ever-higher levels of making laws”. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
He accepted the scavengers with love and care. achievement. His strong nationalism has indeed shown his character to be
O, God! You grant them manifested itself in the heady days of our one of totally transparent integrity. His
An honest bread and an honorable life. freedom struggle, when he participated principles are universally acknowledged
Atal! You are the unalterable! in the Quit India Movement in 1942. to be based in justice and fairplay. His
We honour you today; As a student of political science and sense of judgement affirms itself in his
Give a clarion call to the nation law, he developed a keen and analytical willingness to sacrifice power for the
To free the scavengers mind, so much in evidence during sake of ethics. As for his true colours,
From carrying excreta on the head. his illustrious parliamentary career the whole world sees them as saffron,
Let them live a life of dignity. spanning four decades. As a member white and green, the national colours
We must embrace them with love, of the Opposition, as Foreign Minister, of this wonderful nation. For he is
We must embrace them with love. and now as Prime Minister he has one of those outstanding Indians for
Atal! You are the unalterable! made a significant contribution to the whom the interests of his nation are
How can your mission fail ? development of India’s domestic and paramount India knows this and has
You are the vibrant morning, foreign policies. entrusted its future to his tender care.
And not the dusky evening; Shri Vajpayee’s unquenchable Today, the 26th of November 1998,
Which is exhausted between the eye-lids. patriotism and love for his motherland the Sulabh Movement honours the
Atal! You are the unalterable! are the stuff that spawn legends. He soul of India by conferring on this
wears his Indianness on his sleeve, great and good man, of outstanding
and proclaims proudly to the wprld character, unimpeachable integrity and
that he is the inheritor of a great and the highest moral values, its HONEST
ancient civilisation, sanctified by time MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD for
and tradition. This is the tradition of 1997.
saints and sages who have given India New Delhi November 26, 1998
 04 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

welco m e S P EECH : dr. B i nde s h wa r pat h ak

Vajpayeeji: Tallest
Statesman Of Our Time
T he Vice-President of of a national leader and innovative
India, His Excellency Shri administrator. Our heartfelt thanks
Krishan Kant, the Prime go out to Your Excellencies and ladies
Minister of India, Hon’ble Shri and gentlemen for giving us this
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Home opportunity to welcome you. I am
Minister, Hon’ble Shri Lal Krishna grateful to the jury members Justice
Advani, Union ministers Shri Yadunath Sharan Singh, former Judge
Jethmalani, Shri Sikander Bakht, of the Patna High Court, Justice S.
Shri S.S. Badal, Dr. Karan Singh, Shamsul Hasan, former Judge of the
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Patna High Court and Dr. Zeyauddin
High Commissioners, Members of Ahmad, internationally acclaimed
Parliament, Members of Assembly, sociologist and former Vice-
Members of the award jury, other Chancellor of Magadh University,
officials, members and advisors of the who has been associated with this
People’s Commission on Abolition function despite their heavy work
of Scavenging, Shri Jitendra Singh, schedule.
representatives of the print and This is a very special occasion,
electronic media, other dignitaries, not only because the Prime Minister
ladies and gentlemen! of India has kindly agreed to accept
It is my rare privilege to welcome this award but the acceptance
you today to this function to honour has only highlighted the national
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime commitment made by none other
Minister of India, with the Honest than the Father of the Nation:
Man of the Year Award-1997. This the urgent need of liberating and
award is a national acceptance of rehabilitating scavengers. There is
the high standards set by our Prime a historical imminence about this
Minister in public life which have cause because every government
become a role model for the new promised to abolish this inhuman
generation waiting to take up and cruel practice and each
the reins of leadership of has made sincere efforts.
the country. That all of Notwithstanding those
you have found time efforts, there are still
to grace this august We are all more than half a
occasion will be million scavengers
remembered witness to a who continue to
with profound change with the manually clean
gratitude by the and carry human
Sulabh family. poet in the excreta. This is
I am especially Prime Minister a blot on the fair
grateful to name of our country
Hon’ble Vice- waking up and a burden on our
President of India national conscience.
who graciously By agreeing to accept Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder, Sulabh International, delivering the
accepted our request to this award when he was the welcome address at the award ceremony in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi
confer the award on Hon’ble Leader of the Opposition in the
Shri Vajpayee. Shri Krishan Kant Lok Sabha had seen the historical
has been a stalwart of the Freedom inevitability of this national concern of leadership changes. We are all The Sulabh Sanitation Movement
Movement, a staunch Gandhian, and and as the Prime Minister he has only witness to a change with the poet was launched in 1970 (as the Sulabh
a brilliant advocate of our composite given his imprimatur to abolishing in the Prime Minister waking up. Shauchalaya Sansthan) to complete
culture. I welcome Shri Lal Krishna scavenging in the country. It will Here indeed is one individual who the unfinished Gandhian agenda:
Advani, the Union Home Minister, not be out of place to mention what puts human problems above politics. abolish scavenging. In 1968, I was
who kindly agreed to preside over Shri Vajpayeeji said at a meeting of Prime Minister, Sir, we at the Sulabh with the scavengers’ liberation cell of
the function. Shri Advani is a man Indians in the USA. When a poet family and the scavenger community the Gandhi Centenary Celebration
of unimpeachable character and becomes a political leader, Shri will always remain grateful for your Committee in Patna when I was
combines in himself the qualities Vajpayeeji had said, the quality human touch. exposed to the miseries and social
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 05
07
Prime Minister Vajpayee with
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and other
dignitaries at the award ceremony

academics, lawyers, politicians,

journalists, doctors, engineers and
the youth of the country to take up
this social responsibility and build a
healthy and clean society. This has
to be a national effort. I have only
succeeded in taking sanitation on the
national agenda. It is for you to carry
it forward.
This award was instituted in
1995 to honour those who set a
model for others to follow. Mr. T.N.
Seshan and Dr. Manmohan Singh
were given this award earlier. Very
clearly, we need bold persons to
lead the country. I remember one
case which I would like to mention
here. Mr. M.S. Gill, Chief Election
Commissioner, had once suggested
that two or three months before
elections, there should be President’s
rule in the States. This was a very
good suggestion to ensure free
and fair elections. But, all political
parties either opposed it or ignored
this suggestion. The most important
degradation of scavengers. Since upgradation programmes where a to examine the problem and suggest problems today are to control
then, I have been working to realise large number of distinguished citizens ways to abolish scavenging and runaway population growth, end
the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi by have socially adopted scavengers rehabilitate scavengers. Scholars, corruption and stop criminalization
trying to build a scavenging-free and given them the respectability sociologists, judges, bureaucrats, of politics. These problems, so also
society, working all over the country they so rightly deserve. We have a journalists and other distinguished others, can be addressed only by bold
with about 35,000 social workers. In special wing which keeps a tab on persons drawn from every State and leadership and not by those whose
over three decades, we have liberated the career prospects of the children Union Territory are associated with sole objective is to win election and
-and rehabilitated more than 50,000 of scavengers’ families and help them the Commission. seize power.
scavengers and settled all of them in settle in life. In order to launch a new On the strength of my 30-year The jury members have found in
other jobs; set up toilets in ten lakh sanitation order in the country, we experience, I can assure you, ladies Shri Vajpayeeji the mettle of a great
households and 3,000 community have set up research centres and gentlemen, that about five leader, foresight of a statesman and
toilets which are being used by on waste disposal, a million jobs can be created the compassion of a poet. There
over one crore people everyday; museum of toilets in the sanitation is a historical analogy also. When
rendered 240 towns scavenging free — incidentally, sector without Alexander was born, his father
with our dedicated workforce in 987 the first and only We are lucky to any government King Philip of Macedona wrote to
towns, 338 districts and 22 states one of its kind in subsidy and Aristotle: “I am thankful to God that
of the country. Outstanding these the world - and be born in an assistance. That a son is born to me and my wife; but
figures might be but the solution to on-site effluent- age when Shri is only if the not so much for his birth as for the
the problem seems nowhere near treatment right policies fact that he is born in an age when you
in sight. There are still 125 million projects to ensure Atal Bihari are adopted and are a teacher. Trained and educated
dry toilets in the country serviced a cleaner and Vajapyeeji is sanitation is made by thee, he will conquer the world.”
by half a million scavengers who healthier living part of the project We are also lucky to be born in an
suffer unimaginable misery and environment. the leader and the setting up of age when Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji
humiliation. This apart, about 700 Sulabh technology sustainable sanitation is the leader of the country - a good
million people out of around a and methodology facilities are made luck which future generations may
billion population of the country have been declared as a mandatory for projects. envy.
still defecate in the open. The worst model practice at the Habitat- And, all these jobs will be created In recognition of his critical role
sufferers are women who often II conference at Istanbul in 1996. in the private or NGO sectors. After in politics the jury members have
risk their security and honour after And, recommended for use in setting up facilities open defecation given this Award to Shri Atal Bihari
sunset. This is a basic question of the developing countries of the should also be banned. But, this is not Vajpayeeji, a man of spotless character
human dignity which every civilized world. Sulabh has also been given enough; it is also necessary to launch and one of the tallest statesmen of
country must address. special consultative status with the awareness programmes through our time. I again thank you, Prime
After having been involved in Economic and Social Council of the schools and other institutions to Minister, for honouring the Sulabh
the field of sanitation for over three United Nations. We have also set sensitize people about the benefits family by accepting this award and
decades, we have found that up a People’s Commission on the of good sanitation and safe and lending glory to the cause of the
scavenging has many linkages. Hence, Abolition of Scavenging, headed hygienic disposal of waste. As a dispossessed and disadvantaged
we set up an English- medium school by no less a person than Mr. M.N. matter of fact, sanitation should be groups of people whose welfare has
for children of scavengers, training Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice taken out of the government sector been the area of your prime concern.
centres for their sons and daughters, of India and the Chairperson of the and made a people’s movement. Thank you.
and have launched massive social National Human Rights Commission, I appeal to opinion-makers, New Delhi November 26, 1998
 06 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

Accep ta nc e S P EECH : ata l b i h a ri va j pay e e

‘There Is Need For Moral

Reawakening In The Country’
I am in a ‘dharm sankat’. When I has to be broken. We have to create
was given this award, I was in the an atmosphere where a person is
Opposition. That is why, I had encouraged to work and to work
accepted the award. Today as prime honestly. I have learnt many things in
minister, I am hesitating to accept eight months which I had not had an
the award. One, prime minister opportunity to learn before. Not all
accept the award, the question of of them are bad things. Sometimes
appropriateness is raised. What there are situations when you feel
award to accept and which to reject. sad. If some official when asked why
What is the criterion for accepting he was not working properly, he says
and what the reasons for not I am not allowed to work honestly.
accepting. Dilemmas arise. When I My colleagues pressurise me. I do
saw the names of the jury, I was ready not know how far it is right. The
to accept the award. The process atmosphere has deteriorated. There
begins. Difficulties arise. When I is reason to take up tough measures.
saw the names of the members of There is democracy. Democracy is
the jury, it was one of the reasons an ethical system. It is not just a way
for accepting the award. Citation of governing. Why does everyone
is presented. Here a poem was also have a right? Why is everyone equal?
read out. You feel happy hearing the Differences are there. It is because
praise. Thankfully, it is just for one resplendent divinity is the same in
year. I am accepting the award with everyone. Why do I feel anguish? It
humility. My effort has been and it is because of the inner conscience.
will be in the future as well that I Sometimes we fear lest sensitivity
meet the aspirations and hopes of were to die. Why do people jump into
the people in this country. In this the river to save the drowning? It is
country, natural wealth is aplenty. because conscience does not permit
Nature has been generous. 5000, one to stay back. There are times
6000 years culture is there. If we are when the drowning person is saved,
not able to progress according to but the rescuer dies. It is not merely
our potential and abilities, the physical. There is ethicality.
reason is that people at There is spirituality. How
the top that they have much wealth does a man
set an unreachable need? I get surprised.
expample of the It is not the question
common people. Democracy is of the right way of
An old saying is earning, and the
that the earth
an ethical wrong way. That
exists on the system. It is not is a different issue.
strength of deeds Of course, people
of good people.
just a way of earn more through
Evil deeds will governing illegal means.
continue. But the There must be some
number is large of limit to profit, to
those people who are greed, some restraint.
exemplary, who work But there is need for moral
hard to earn their living, who reawakening in the country. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee, delivering his speech at the
share with others. Our family system Sulabh International is doing award ceremony in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi
is based on collectivity. Easy earning good work. There was a Rs 1 crore
is frowned upon. There is praise for contribution for my constituency.
honesty. There is respect for honesty. When we were thingking of how to Transparency is what is needed. to Sulabh. I am confident that it will
Times have changed. We have to do spend this money, everyone pointed People should have the right to be used well. I am grateful for the
many things. And we have to find to Sulabh. How to set up volunteers, know what is happening. Those who feelings expressed towards me. I pray
many ways. Scientific planning has how to get the work done? Sulabh are sitting at the top, they should for strength and for your blessings
to be taken up, economic life has to International emerges unscathed on be clean. I am happy that I have that I spend my life in accordance
be improved. The increasing nexus these criteria. How do contractors been chosen for one year. I m not with your expectations.
between politicians and criminals work? It is better not to go there. accepting the cash. I am returning it New Delhi November 26, 1998
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 07
G l i mp s es

Atal Bihari Vajpayee:

The Orator
Considered one of the most prolific orators in Indian politics, Vajpayee’s several
speeches are inked in public memory

F ormer Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s craft
for weaving word was second
to none. While he was fluent in
English, his speeches were at its
best in Hindi. With his well-timed Governments will
humour, and carefully-chosen
words delivered with trademark
come and go.
long pauses, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Parties will be
resonated with the masses - made and unmade.
the common man, politicians,
bureaucrats, students and world This country
leaders.Here are extracts from should survive
some of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s most
memorable speeches:

Historic speech in Hindi in

United Nations 1977
As a foreign minister, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was the first person to Speech in parliament on
speak in Hindi in the United Nations the confidence motion
in 1977. Apart from highlighting “When I came to the parliament
the changing conditions of India for the first time, Nehruji was
after a period of emergency, the PM. For many years I saw
Vajpayee pointed attention towards him working. I used to sit in the
prevailing world problems.“The opposition benches, at the back.
challenge in Africa is staring at At that time the party strength
us. The question is if people in a used to be low. The memories
country has the right to live with of those days have not faded
independence and dignity or the yet…BJP slowly increasing its
minority with beliefs in apartheid strength and the impact became
will keep suppressing the majority? the main opposition party and
Undoubtedly, all form of apartheid nuclear test was also criticised. It was These were contained explosions like today has emerged as the largest party
should be eradicated completely.” asked what the danger was? I was in the the experiment conducted in May 1974. after the election. This change is not
house when in the leadership of Indira I warmly congratulate the scientists and sudden.”
In Lok Sabha after his 13-day- Gandhi (first) nuclear test was done, engineers who have carried out these
old government fell in 1996 and we welcomed that even though successful tests.” On Nehru and the role of
“You want to run the country. It’s a we were in opposition. What was the opposition in a democracy
very good thing. Our congratulations danger then? Will we prepare for self- His address to the nation on “My friends in Congress may not believe
are with you. We will be completely defence only when danger arise?” Independence Day in 2002 this. In South Block, a picture of Nehru
involved in the service of our country. “My dear countrymen, on this used to be hung on a wall. I used to see
We bow down to the strength of Announcing India’s nuclear independence anniversary, we have a it while passing through. An argument
majority. We assure you that till the weapon tests message - to come together, to work with Nehruji was common. I was new,
time the work that we started with our “Today, at 15:45 hours, India conducted hard together to realize the dreams of used to sit at the back. Sometimes,
bare hands in national interest is not three underground nuclear tests in the our country. Our aim may be as high just to speak, I had to stage a walkout.
completed, we shall not rest. Respected Pokhran range. These tests conducted as the endless sky, but we should have Slowly, I progressed and carved space
speaker, I am going to the President to today were with a fission device, a low- a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, for myself. When I became the foreign
tender my resignation.” yield device and a thermonuclear device. hand-in-hand for victory will be ours. minister, I noticed one day, the picture
The measured yields are in line with Come, let us strengthen this resolve by of Nehruji is no longer there. I asked,
Lok Sabha speech on the expected values. Measurements have the cry of ‘Jai Hind’. Join me in raising where did the picture go? There was
nuclear tests in Pokhran also confirmed that there was no release the slogan - Jai Hind. Jai Hind. Jai Hind. no answer. The picture reappeared
“I am astonished that (Pokhran) of radioactivity into the atmosphere. Thank you.” soon.”
 08 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

The Long
Political Journey
His politics was informed by a sense of India’s millennia-old civilisational values

Parsa Venkateshwar was not surprising that he was a

Rao Jr lover of poetry and wrote poetry.

H
It is difficult to recall a political
e came to Lok speaker who understood the
Sabha in 1957 at poetics of language so well and
the comparatively used it to maximum effect.
young age 32, and he Vajpayee was in opposition
made his mark soon in a House longer than he was in office, but
which was dominated by political he was respected, trusted and
titans both in the treasury and loved by all parties, including
opposition benches. It is often those in power. It means that he
quoted that after hearing him criticized the government, and
speak on one of the occasions in he did not ever mince words, but
the House, Jawaharlal Nehru had he did it in such a manner that
commented that Vajpayee had the he did not hurt people and he
makings of a prime minister. He made friends of opponents and
had to wait 40 years for Nehru’s rivals. This was possible because
words to become reality. He saw he grasped the nuances of
quite a few ups and downs in his language so well and he used his
career. command of language skillfully.
The first government he Vajpayee spent his political
formed in May 1996 lasted just career on the right-wing
13 days. When he formed the political track, except for the
government again, this time at Janata Party interlude in 1977-
head of a coalition called National 79 when the Bhartiya Jan Sangh
Democratic Alliance (NDA) led (BJS) merged with many other
by the BJP, in 1998 it had lasted opposition parties into the Janata
for 13 months. Vajpayee formed Party immediately after the
the government in 1999 for a third Emergency ended and elections
time in 1999 and it lasted its five- declared in 1977. When the
year term in office. The elections 100 Members of Parliament
were due in November, 2004, but belonging to the BJS walked out
the elections were called in April- of the Janata Party, they formed
May, 2004, six months before the Bharatiya Janata Party in
they were due. He was the Leader April, 1980 with Vajpayee as the
of Opposition from 1996 to 1998.
In 2004, he could have been the leader His grasp of language was so acute that he president. He was the president
of the party of the BJS as well after the
of opposition but he made way for his
decades-long colleague, LK Advani to could use the subtle turn of phrase laced with death of Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
There was intra-party power tussle
be the Leader of Opposition.
And whichever side of aisle he sat
humour, wit and irony to say the harshest things and Balraj Madhok broke away. When
the BJP was formed, Vajpayee was
in the Lok Sabha or in Rajya Sabha, elected president and he gave the
he commanded attention and respect new party the credo of “Gandhian
and admiration. He lost the 1952 decades. Through all these moves in his oratory, in parliament and outside. Socialism”. The BJP/BJS with its
election, and it was the second time and out of office, Vajpayee maintained He was fierce but his grasp of language Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
that he won. He was defeated in 1984 a cheerful demeanour, played his was so acute that he could use the subtle roots was opposed to the doctrine
from Gwalior in the aftermath of role with certain elan. He carried the turn of phrase laced with humour, wit of ahimsa or pacifism of Mahatma
Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He has trappings of office rather lightly on his and irony to say the harshest things. Gandhi. It was a bold decision on
seen the highs and lows, the peaks shoulders. Vajpayee rarely sounded harsh. He was part of Vajpayee to have given this to
and troughs, in a career spanning six He won his political spurs through poetical, rhetorical but rarely crude. It the newly-formed right-wing party.
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 09
07

He was a popular and

well-loved leader in
the political class as
well as among the
people at large.

But he understood the need to invoke

the Father of the Nation’s idea of the
welfare of the poor as encapsulated
in the term, ‘sarvodaya’. Secondly,
the BJP/BJS were fighting Congress
under Indira Gandhi, and before that
under Jawaharlal Nehru, on the issue
of socialism. The right-wing party
was not only opposed to communism
but it was also opposed to socialism.
But Vajpayee pulled off the political
coup of making the party accept
both Gandhianism and socialism. It
was evident that Vajpayee’s idea of
‘Gandhian socialism’ was the outcome
of the impact of Jayaprakash Narayan
( JP) and his movement against the
Congress government of Indira Gandhi
in 1973. Chinese invasion of Vietnam. When he of mobilizing the army on the border diplomatic victory for India.
Vajpayee did not remain where became prime minister a second time in with Pakistan after the terrorist attack A good leader does not get elated
he was in 1957 when he entered Lok 1999, Vajpayee after the nuclear weapon on Pakistan in December, 2001, and when things succeed and does not
Sabha. He gained experience, gained tests of May 1998 made a positive the demobilization happened a year get dejected when things go wrong.
insights from the stalwarts and seniors gesture towards Pakistan, which had later. In 2004, he visited Pakistan to Vajpayee did exactly that with Pakistan.
around him, and he evolved and also gone nuclear, by undertaking a attend the South Asian Association of He maintained a cool attitude, took the
changed. He did not abandon the right- bus ride to Lahore with a contingent Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit setbacks without too much complained
wing ideology which marked the BJS of eminent personalities in February in Islamabad in January, 2004. And he and managed to get out a deal that is
and then the BJP, but he fine-tuned it 1999. When Pakistani infiltrators reached an agreement with Pakistan good for India.
so well that it did not seem an outdated came into Kargil in June 1999, he president Musharraf which was Vajpayee during the 1998-2004
version as had happened in the case of faced the situation with equanimity. reflected in the joint statement where term in office furthered the economic
communists and socialists. It did not again prevent Vajpayee from Pakistan assured that the territory reforms started in 1991 under PV
When he became the minister inviting Pakistan’s military ruler Pervez of Pakistan would not be used for Narasimha Rao. He paid particular
for external affairs in 1977 in the Musharraf for talks in June, 2001. The terrorist activities against India, which attention to building roads, especially
government of prime minister Morarji Vajpayee-Musharraf summit in Agra was a huge concession and it was a through the Golden Quadrilateral,
Desai, he visited China in 1978 though in July, 2001 failed but he took it in and gave a fillip to
he had to cut short his visit because of his stride. He took the extreme step infrastructure, the first
such large scale drive
in the developmental
ELECTORIAL HISTORY history of the country
since Independence.
He was a popular
In his political career, Atal Bihari Vajpayee New Delhi (Lok Sabha and well-loved leader
was elected ten times as Member of constituency) in the political class
as well as among the
Parliament from different Lok Sabha 1977-80: Sixth Lok Sabha election people at large. He was
constituencies: 1980-84: Seventh Lok Sabha election able to achieve this
Balrampur (Lok Sabha because of his affable
constituency) manner and his vision
Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) for the development
1957-62: Second Lok Sabha election 1991-96: Tenth Lok Sabha election of India which went
1967-71: Fourth Lok Sabha election 1996-98: Eleventh Lok Sabha election beyond mere politics.
In his own way, he
1998-99: Twelfth Lok Sabha election had a sense of the
Gwalior (Lok Sabha constituency) 1999–2004: Thirteen Lok Sabha election civilisational values
1971-77: Fifth Lok Sabha election 2004-09: Fourteen Lok Sabha election of India and this is
what informed his
10 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

• National Highways and Golden Quadrilateral project

• Pradhan Mantri gram sadak yojna
• Pokharan 2 tests
• Lahore bus yatra, friendship with Pak
• Indo-US relationship
• Sarva shiksha abhiyaan He took the bold decision of conducting the
• Self sufficiency in face of economic sanctions
• APJ Abdul Kalam as President
nuclear weapon tests in May, 1998 which drew
• Defending Kashmir in Kargil war the attention and criticism of the world
• Saving lives in IC814 hijacking
• Political stability for nation
politics and political expression. Not dominant force in Indian politics, the
• Built a strong team, secondary leadership since Nehru has any national leader significance of the efforts and political
• Fastest economic growth (at the time) shown such a grasp of the millennia- influence of former Prime Minister Atal
old Indian civilization and culture and Bihari Vajpayee is hard to understate.
• A sense of hope for all Indians brought to bear on his politics.
• Jai jawan, jai kisan, jai vigyaan First exposure to politics
His Illustrious political Career In 1942, Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with
Even though he’s not been politically his elder brother Prem was arrested
active for almost a decade, during for over three weeks for participating
which the BJP has come to become the in the Quit India Movement against

1992: Padma Vibhushan

Awards 1993: D. Lit. from Kanpur University
1994: Lokmanya Tilak Award
1994: Outstanding Parliamentarian
Award

1994:
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind
Vallabh Pant Award

2015: Bharat Ratna

2015: Bangladesh Liberation War
honour (Bangladesh Vajpayee in
Muktijuddho Sanmanona) United Nations
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 11
07

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL

• National Integration (1961)
• Dynamics of an Open Society (1977)
• New Dimensions of India’s Foreign Policy (1979)
• Heal the Wounds: Vajpayee’s appeal on Assam tragedy to the Parliament (1983)
• Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhashana (1996)
• Sekyularavada: Bharatiya Parikalpana (Dr Rajendra Prasada Smaraka
Vyakhyanamala) (1996)
• Bindu-Bindu Vicara (1997)
• Rajaniti ki Rapatili Rahein (1997)
• Back to Square One (1998)
• Decisive Days (1999)
• Shakti Se Shanti (1999)
• Vicara-Bindu (Hindi Edition, 2000)
He was a popular and well-loved leader • Nayi Chunauti, Naya Avasara (Hindi Edition, 2002)

in the political class as well as among the • India’s Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region (2003)

people at large Books

• India’s Foreign Policy: New Dimensions (1977)
• Assam Problem: Repression no Solution (1981)
the British. This was Vajpayee’s first A poet within!
exposure to politics. In 1951, Vajpayee He is considered one of the finest • Atal Bihari Vaj Mem Tina Dasaka (1992)
was appointed as a national secretary Hindi-poets in India and in an • Pradhan Mantri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ke Chune Hue Bhashana (2000)
of the newly formed Bharatiya Jana interview, he revealed that he had no
Sangh for the Northern region based interest in politics and would always • Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India’s Man of Destiny (2001)
in Delhi. He soon became a follower like to be a poet. • National Integration (1961)
and aide of party leader Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee. his father was his classmate! • Dynamics of an Open Society (1977)
He and his father went to the same
Hindi Speech in United Nations! Law College (DAV College in Kanpur) • Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhashana (1996)
He uplifted Hindi to the international together for their Law studies and Poetry
platform by speaking in Hindi at the they even shared the same room in the
United Nations, he became the first hostel. • Meri Ikyavana Kavitaein (1995)
person to speak in Hindi at the United
• Sreshtha Kavita (1997)
Nations. Tryst with Journalism
Atal was greatly fascinated with • Nayi Disha – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995)
PM, PM and PM journalism and was always eager to
He became the Prime Minister of become a journalist. His dream to • Kya Khoya Kya Paya: Atal Bihari Vajapeyee, Vyaktitva Aur Kavitaein (Hindi Edition, 1999)
India for three times- first time on 16 become a journalist came true when he • Samvedna – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995)
May 1996 for 13 days only, second was sent to Uttar Pradesh to work for
time on 19 March 1998 for 13 months Deendayal Upadhyaya’s newspapers- • Twenty-One Poems (2003)
and third time on 13 October 1999 for Rashtradharma (a Hindi
a full 5-year term. monthly), Panchjanya
(a Hindi weekly) and become the Prime Ministerof India.
Bus Journey to Lahore! the dailies Veer Arjun &
In order to build a strong relation with Swadesh. First BJP President
our neighbouring country Pakistan, Firm in his political convictions,
he took a bus journey named- Sada- What a guess by Atal Bihari Vajpayee is one of the
e-Sarhad to Lahore on 19 February Nehru! most beloved politicians in India. He
1999. He is known all over the is widely respected as a statesman
world for his oration skills both within the country and abroad.
Unique Parliamentarian! and when he delivered Known for his oration skills and
Besides being the most revered and his maiden speech in charismatic personality, he became
beloved politician in India, he is the the Indian Parliament, the man of masses. Vajpayee united
only Parliamentarian to be elected Jawaharlal Nehru (the many of his colleagues, particularly
from 4 different Indian States- Uttar then Prime Minister his long-time friends, to form the
Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and of India) predicted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in
Gujarat. that someday he would 1980. He became the first President
12 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

Contributions Towards Making India Better

A tal Bihari Vajpayee said, “Empowering the indi-
vidual means empowering the nation. And empower-
ment is best served through rapid economic growth with
rapid social change.” Indeed, these words reflected in his
contribution towards the country. He not only improved
the economy of India but also introduced social reforms
to uplift the unprivileged section of the society.
Here’s a look at eight remarkable steps taken by Atal
Bihari Vajpayee in his tenure:

RAISING INDIA’S GDP

He took India to the new heights by introducing econom-
ic reforms. Under his tenure from 1998 to 2004, India
maintained a GDP rate of eight per cent, the inflation
level came down to four per cent and foreign exchange
reserves were flourishing. Although India faced cata-
strophic events during his tenure, including earthquake
(2001), two cyclones (1999 and 2000), a horrible drought
(2002-2003), oil crises (2003), the Kargil conflict (1999),
and a Parliament attack, yet he maintained a stable
economy

INTRODUCTION TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT

Besides raising India’s GDP to eight per cent in his tenure,
he further introduced the Fiscal Responsibility Act which
aimed to reduce the fiscal deficit and boost public-sector
savings.

PRIVATISATION He invited the then President Pervez Musharraf to India

of the Bharatiya Janata Party and
Among the several milestones in his brief period of the for a two-day Agra summit meeting from July 14-16,
emerged as a strong critic of the
ruling, privatisation was also appreciated. Giving rise to 2001, in order to discuss cross-border terrorism and Congress.
private business in India, it reduced the government’s Kashmir. Moreover, Vajpayee gave a green signal to road
involvement in the industry connectivity between India and Pakistan with the inaugu- Making India Nuclear Power
Further, he formed a separate disinvestment ministry. The ration of historic Delhi-Lahore Bus on February 19, 1999 Pokhran-II (AKA Operation
most important disinvestments were Bharat Aluminium Shakti-98) was the name assigned
Company (BALCO) and Hindustan Zinc, Indian Petrochem- SCIENCE AND RESEARCH to the series of nuclear tests that
icals Corporation Limited and VSNL Vajpayee passed the Chandrayan-1 project. On India’s comprised one fusion bomb and four
56th Independence Day, he said, “Our country is now fission bombs. On May 13, 1998,
THE RISE OF THE INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY ready to fly high in the field of science. I am pleased to shortly after the detonation of all five
His government introduced a revenue-sharing model announce that India will send her own spacecraft to the warheads, then Prime Minister Atal
under New Telecom Policy which helped telecom firms to moon by 2008. It is being named Chandrayaan. Bihari Vajpayee declared India a full-
get away with fixed license fees. Bharat Sanchar Nigam He made India a nuclear weapon state. In 1998, India fledged nuclear state.
Ltd was separately created to head over the services and conducted five nuclear tests in one week
Kargil War
policies. To further enhance the telecom sector, he created “We have the capacity for a big bomb now. Ours will It was revealed that Pakistani soldiers
Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal never be weapons of aggression,” he said. had infiltrated into the Kashmir
Valley and captured control of border
EDUCATION POLICY INFRASTRUCTURE hilltops. Indian army units were
It was for the first time in India that elementary education The most ambitious road projects in India were launched swiftly rushed into Kashmir and
became free for children aged 6-14 years. It was launched by him, including the Golden Quadrilateral and the Operation Vijay was launched in June
in 2001 and brought a drastic change in the number of Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna. The Golden Quadri- 1999. Over 500 Indian soldiers were
dropouts by 60 per cent lateral made transportation easy, connecting metropolitan killed in the three-month-long Kargil
cities -- Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai -- through a War, however, India was successful in
STRENGTHENED GLOBAL TIES network of highways pushing back the Pakistani soldiers.
70% of the territory was recaptured
Under his reign, India improved its trade and reduced by India.
territorial disputes with the People’s Republic of China. In Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna Vajpayee sent out a clear warning
2000, he invited former US President Bill Clinton, improv- connected distant villages across the country with a to Pakistan that if the infiltrators
ing the bilateral ties after the Cold War network of all-weather roads. will not withdraw from the Indian
territory then he ‘we will get them
out, one way or the other’.
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 13
07

Here are some of his favourites:

Favourite clothes: ‘Dhoti Kurta’... occasionally a ‘Pathani’ Suit.
Favourite colour: Blue.
Favourite places: Manali, Almora and Mount Abu.
Favourite food: Fish and Chinese Cuisine. ‘Khichdi’, ‘Kheer’ and ‘Malpua’.
Favourite eating joints in Delhi: ‘Paranthewali Gali’, ‘Sagar’ and ‘Chungwa’.
Favourite singers and instrumentalists: Bhimsen Joshi(Vocalist), Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod
Maestro) and Hari Prasad Chaurasia (Flautist).
Favourite songs: “Ore Maanjhi” rendered by S.D. Burman...and “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein” by
Mukesh\Lata Mangeshkar.
Favourite singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh and Mohammad Rafi.
Favourite films (Hindi): ‘Devdas’, ‘Bandini’ & ‘Teesri Kasam’.
Favourite film (English): ‘Bridge Over River Kwai’, ‘Born Free’ and ‘Gandhi’.
Favourite poets: Surykanth Tripathi Nirala, Bal Krishna Sharma Naveen, Jagannath Prasad Milind
in Hindi and Faiz Ahmad Faiz in Urdu.

Glimpse Of His Journey Through

Some Interesting Facts
• He dropped out of law school to become a joint editor of the RSS magazine ‘Rashtradharma’. He also be-
came the editor of the weekly paper ‘Panchajanya’ run by the Sangh.
• Vajpayee pursued his law degree from DAV College, Kanpur.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his father went to law college together- DAV College Kanpur. They even shared the
same room in the hostel.
• His ancestral village is in Bateshwar, Agra. His grandfather, Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to
Morena in Madhya Pradesh from Bateshwar.
• His father, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, was a poet and a schoolmaster and Atal Bihari Vajpayee also got known
for his poetry which was marked by nationalistic fervour and human values.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only non-congress PM who has served a full-term as Prime Minister of India.
• Vajpayee’s sister used to throw his Khaki shorts over the wall, across the house as it was not possible for Atal
ji to wear them and get out of the house.
• He never married but has an adopted daughter.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee always wanted to become a journalist but as he told in an interview, “came to politics
by mistake”.
• Atal ji’s birthday is celebrated as Good Governance Day. It was because of the way Atal ji handled all the
responsibilities while becoming the Prime Minister of India.
• Atal ji has said about his poetry, “My poetry is a declaration of war, not an exordium to defeat. It is not the
defeated soldier’s drumbeat of despair, but the fighting warrior’s will to win. It is not the dispirited voice of
dejection but the stirring shout of victory.”
• Vajpayee credits the literary work ‘Kirti Vijay Pataka’ by Mahatma Ramchandra Veer with changing his life
and having a great impact on his ideology.
 14 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

F rom O ne PM To A not her

Narendra Modi's Eulogy

For Atal Bihari Vajpayee
“A Leader For The Ages – Ahead Of His Times”

means to empower the weakest and

mainstream the marginalized. It’s that
vision that continues to drive our
government’s policy.
It was Atal Ji who prepared the
foundations of an India that is ready
to take on the mantle of global
leadership in the 21st century. The
futuristic economic policies and
reforms of his Government ensured
prosperity for several Indians.
His thrust on next-generation
infrastructure particularly roads
and telecom contributed to our
country’s economic as well as social
empowerment.
Atal Ji irreversibly changed India’s
place in the world. He overcame
the hesitation of our nation, the
resistance of the world and threat
of isolation to make India a nuclear
weapons power. It was not a decision
he took lightly, but one he knew
was of paramount importance in
the face of mounting challenges to
India’s security. No longer would
India’s security be vulnerable. At
that moment of surge in national
pride, his was a voice of restraint and

I n times of turbulence and

disruption, a nation is blessed to
have a leader who rises to become
its moral compass and guiding spirit,
providing vision, cohesion and
most complex issues and discussions
in a single sentence or question.
Born into a family of modest means
and high ideals, he hailed from a small
town in Madhya Pradesh. His youth
in his political beliefs, but always
accommodating and respectful
of other points of view, he set the
standards of debate in Parliament. In
his simplicity and integrity, in
responsibility. And, the world listened
to the wisdom of the man of peace.
Equally important, he then brought to
bear his extraordinary understanding
of world affairs and formidable
direction to his people. And, in such was defined by academic excellence his dignity and empathy, diplomatic skills to gain
a moment at the turn of the century, and quest for public service during and a sense of personal global acceptance of
India found one in Atal Bihari the gathering momentum of freedom non-attachment new realities. Indeed,
Vajpayee, who was gifted in spirit, struggle. Starting as an ordinary to the office, Atal Bihari it is the combination
heart and mind. Karyakarta in the Jana Sangh, he he became an of his legacies of
For those of us who knew him, he organized the only truly national-level inspiration for a Vajpayee creating strategic
was, first, the rarest of human beings, party to be formed in independent nation of youth. irreversibly capabilities,
who touched and inspired everyone India – the BJP – and helmed its He rescued promoting
he met. He was compassionate to the organization work after the passing the economy changed India’s stronger
core, generous in spirit, warm beyond away of Shri Syama Prasad Mookerjee from the morass place in the economic growth,
measure and kind to a fault. He was and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. of the mid-1990s, undertaking
deeply respectful of others and gifted Through the four decades of when political world multi-directional
with a rare sense of humour that he leadership in Parliament, the instability at home diplomacy and
often turned upon himself. struggle against Emergency (who and an uncertain harnessing of diaspora
Orator without parallel, he could can forget that memorable rally global environment energies that is today the
switch from disarming humour in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan when had threatened to derail a still basis for the respect we command
to a lofty vision with ease, with a his speech became the roar of the incipient economic reforms process. across the world.
rare ability to connect with people nation), the clarity to represent He sowed the seeds of much of He transformed five decades of
naturally, to stir them to self-belief his party with passion but always the economic success that we have estrangement with USA into an
and to a higher cause. Sharply speak for the nation, he defined the experienced over the past two enduring strategic partnership in
perceptive, he could summarize the spirit of democracy in India. Firm decades. For him, growth was a the course of five years. He also
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 15
07
L K A dva n i fo r va j pay e e

'Closest
Friend, Senior
Colleague...'
Despite Being Lost For Words, LK Advani Finds
Some Of The Best To Describe Atal Bihari Vajpayee

steered India to deep friendship with eager for change and confident of
a new post-Soviet Russia through a achieving it, striving for clean and
strategic partnership in 2000. I had responsive governance, building
the privilege of accompanying him on future of inclusion and opportunity
a visit to Russia in November 2001 for all Indians. We engage the world as
when we concluded a sister province equals and in peace, and we speak for
agreement between Gujarat and principles and support the aspirations
Astrakhan. With China, he made the of others. We are on the path that Atal
boldest move for peace in an effort to Ji wanted us to take. He was ahead of
overcome the burdens of a difficult the times, because he had a deep sense
past by establishing the mechanism of of history, and he could peer into the
Special Representatives for boundary soul of India from his grasp of our
talks. Atal Ji’s conviction that these civilizational ethos.
two ancient civilisations - which are A life is to be judged not just by
rising powers - can work together to the extent of grief that follows when
shape the global future continues to its light goes out. It is also to be
guide my thinking. measured by the lasting impact on
A person of grassroots, our the lives of people and the course of
neighbours were his priority. In many time. For that reason, Atal Ji was a
ways, he was the inspiration for, and true Ratna of Bharat. His spirit will
even pioneer of, our Neighbourhood continue to guide us as we build the
First policy. He was unwavering in New India of his dreams.
his support as an opposition leader
towards Bangladesh’s liberation. He
went to Lahore in search of peace.
With persistence and optimism that
was his nature, he continued to search
“If an entrepreneur is interested
to invest in the state on a road
(infrastructure) project, the earning
the state authorities are likely to reap
through this toll tax system, will help
A dvani and Atal Bihari
Vajpayee shared a great
camaraderie and were
widely considered to be two sides
of the same coin. The duo rose
Party and later the emergence of the
Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.
Atal Ji will be remembered as
the pioneer of the first ever stable
non-Congress coalition government
for peace and heal the wounds in them pay back the entire amount to prominence hand-in-hand and at the Centre and I had the privilege
Jammu and Kashmir. But, he was invested in the project,” one of the remained each other’s political of working as his deputy for six
resolute in winning the Kargil War. financial experts said while explaining partner and colleagues ever since. years.
And, when our Parliament was struck, the benefit of HAM. It was in 2016 Yet, in his heartfelt letter, LK As my senior, he always
he made the world recognize the true that the union road and surface Advani calls Vajpayee his senior and encouraged and guided me in every
nature and source of cross-border transport minister Nitin Gadkari admits to being lost for words upon possible manner.”
terrorism against India. unveiled this model to mobilise funds hearing the news of the former LK Advani goes on to shower
Personally, Atal Ji was an ideal, a to build roads across the country. It PM’s passing. praise on his friend’s leadership
Guru, and role model who inspired has yielded a very positive result as “I am at a loss of words to express qualities, and points out something
me deeply. It was he who entrusted so far, more than Rs 28,000 crore my deep grief and sadness today as “remarkable” – Vajpayee’s ability to
me with responsibilities both in has been raised through private we all mourn the passing away of win over those with whom he had
Gujarat as well as at the national level. investment towards building of thirty one of India’s tallest statesmen, Shri ideological differences.
It was he who called me one evening national highways in India. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. To me, Atal Ji His captivating leadership
in October 2001, and told me to go to In Uttar Pradesh, the state was more than a senior colleague- qualities, mesmerising oratory,
Gujarat as the Chief Minister. When government has managed in its in fact he was my closest friend for soaring patriotism and above all,
I told him that I had always worked kitty more than a few thousand crore over 65 years.” his sterling humane qualities like
in the organization, he said he was through this HAM for building the “I cherish the memories of my compassion, humility and his
confident I would fulfill the people’s Purbanchal Expressway. Taking long association with him, right remarkable ability to win over
expectations. The faith he had in me a cue from this, the West Bengal from our days as Pracharaks of the adversories despite ideological
was humbling. government too is going all out to RSS, to the inception of Bharatiya differences have all had a profound
Today, we are a self-assured nation, utilise HAM as much as possible for Jana Singh, the struggle of the dark effect on me in all my years in
brimming with the energy of our giving a fillip to infrastructure projects months during the Emergency public life. Advani concludes, I will
youth and resolve of our people, across the state. leading to the formation of Janata miss Atal Ji immensely…
16 Aug 20 - 26, 2018

I dream of an India that

is prosperous, strong Narendra MODI
and caring. An India, that VIEWPOINT Prime Minister of India

regains a place of honour in

the comity of great nations
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
‘Country Is Moving Ahead With
New Energy And Enthusiasm’
From a time of “policy paralysis”, India had moved to
“Reform, Perform, Transform”
Turning to
the sun for energy
Coal reserves are limited and may not last
M y dear countrymen,
I convey my best
wishes to all of you
on this auspicious occasion of
beyond a century and even less Independence Day. Today, the
country is brimming with self-
confidence. The country is scaling
F or a long time
now it has
been evident that
new heights by working extremely
hard, with a resolve to realize its
dreams. Today’s dawn has brought a
once the fossil new spirit, a new enthusiasm, a new
fuels are used by zeal and a new energy with it.
the increasing In our country, there is a
energy demands of Neelakurinji flower which blooms
a global industrial once every 12 years. This year, Neelakurinji is made the social justice framework stronger to
economy. Coal in full bloom on the hills of Southern Nilgiri
reserves are limited protect the interests of the weaker sections of
and they many like the Ashok Chakra (the wheel of Ashoka) society – be it a Dalit, a deprived or exploited
not beyond a in the Tricolour on our Independence Day. person or women.
century and may We are celebrating this festival of The demand to confer constitutional
last even less. It is independence at a time when our status on the OBC Commission had existed
also estimated that the fossil fuels, from where petroleum daughters from the states of Uttarakhand, for years. This time, our Parliament has
products are derived are of limited quantity as well. But Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Telangana accorded Constitutional status to this
there was also the issue that both fossil fuels increase and Andhra Pradesh, have come back after Commission, and in doing so, has made
carbon emissions, which contributes to global warming circumnavigating the seven seas. They have an efforts to protect the interests of the
and to the disastrous impact of climate change. That is why returned after unfurling the Tricolour in the Backward and the Most Backward classes.
there has been a hunt for alternate sources of energy. For seven seas, colouring their waters with the Today, we are celebrating the festival of
quite some time during the second half of the last century, hues of our Tricolor. independence at a time when news reports
experts and industry leaders felt that nuclear power was We are celebrating this festival of have brought in a new consciousness in the
a good alternative because it did not leave behind a huge independence at a time when the Mount country. Today, every Indian, living in any
carbon footprint. But most people were not convinced Everest has been conquered many times; nook and corner of the world, takes pride in
about the safety of nuclear power plants. The accidents at several brave-hearts and many of our the fact that India has become the sixth largest
the Three-Mile Ilsand nuclear power plant in the United daughters have unfurled the Tricolour atop economy of the world. We are celebrating this
States and at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union the Mount Everest. However, during this Independence Day in a positive atmosphere
showed the disastrous effects. It is now felt that solar power festival of independence, I will remember amidst such positive chain of events.
was the most sensible source of energy because the sun is
the natural provider of light and benign energy to Earth. our young tribal children from remote forest Under the leadership of respected Bapu,
The technology for tapping solar energy through panels of areas, who have unfurled the Tricolour on lakhs of people sacrificed their lives and
photovoltaic cells have been improved and there has been the Mount Everest, further enhancing its spent their youth in prisons to win freedom
an impressive amount of electricity generated through this glory. for our country. Many great revolutionaries
source. The sessions of the Lok Sabha and the embraced the gallows bravely. Today on
Rajya Sabha have concluded recently, and behalf of my countrymen, I pay homage to
you would have seen that the proceedings those brave freedom fighters and salute them
were conducted in a very orderly manner, from the bottom of my heart. Our soldiers
and in a way, they were entirely dedicated to and Paramilitary forces lay down their lives
Editor-in-Chief the cause of social justice. Displaying utmost to uphold the dignity of the tricolour that
Kumar Dilip sensitivity and alertness, our Parliament has inspires us to hold our heads high through
Edited, Printed and Published by: Monika Jain on behalf of Sulabh Sanitation Mission
Foundation, owned by Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation
Printed at: The Indian Express Limited A - 8, Sector -7, NOIDA (UP)
Published at: RZ - 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam - Dabri Road, Our freedom has come at a price. Under the leadership of Bapu and the
New Delhi - 110045 (India)
Corporate Office: 819, Wave Silver Tower, Sector - 18, NOIDA (UP) revolutionaries, many heroes, many satyagrahis, brave men and
Phone: +91-120-2970819
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
women and youth participated in the freedom struggle of the country
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 OpEd 17
life and death. Our Police forces serve We are celebrating this Independence Day in a positive people who spin charkha, the people
the country day and night to provide who are associated with handloom are
safety and security to the people. atmosphere amidst such positive chain of events also earning their livelihood.
From the ramparts of the Red Fort When I talked about cleanliness
with the Tricolour as witness, I salute from the Ramparts of Red Fort in
all the soldiers of the army, the para- I have shared my vision for TEAM common signs for my differently- 2014, some people made fun. Some of
military forces and the police for their INDIA earlier too. When 125 crore abled brothers and sisters. While on them even said the Government had
dedicated service, valour and hard countrymen become partners, then the one hand, our farmers are working many things to do, why is it wasting
work. My best wishes are always with each and every citizen joins us in the on modern agricultural techniques its energy on an issue like cleanliness.
them. progress of the country. When 125 like micro irrigation, drip irrigation But my dear brothers and sisters, in a
These days, we are receiving the crore dreams, 125 crore resolves, and sprinklers, on the other hand, 99 recent report the WHO has said that
news of good rainfall as well as floods 125 crore efforts, move in the right big closed irrigation projects have also because of the cleanliness campaign
from different parts of the country. I direction to attain desired goals then been revived. Our soldiers reach out three lakh children were saved. The
want to reassure the people who have nothing is unattainable. to provide relief and rescue operations credit for saving lives of three lakh
lost their loved ones and are in distress, If we talk about providing electricity during natural calamities. While our children goes to every Indian who was
that the country is with them in their to villages on the basis of work done in soldiers display exemplary courage a part of this campaign. Saving the
hour of crisis to help them overcome 2013, it would have taken a couple of in reaching out to rescue the people lives of three lakh children of the poor
this difficult situation. I share the grief more decades to accomplish this work. in difficulties, they have also shown is surely a great humanitarian act and
of those who have lost their near and If we talk about providing smoke-free a steely resolve to carry out surgical the world bodies are recognizing it.
dear ones in this natural calamity. LPG gas connection to the poor and strikes and vanquish our enemies. My Brothers and Sisters, it is true that
The next year will mark 100 years of to the poor mothers, at the rate in Take a glance at the vast canvass of because of cleanliness, lives of three
the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre. Our which it was done in 2013, it could the development in our country- from lakh children have been saved. But
masses had sacrificed their lives for not have been completed even in a one end to the other, one can witness no matter how happy a middle class
the country’s freedom at a time when 100 years. If we had maintained the the progress of the country that is family is and how well-to-do it is or
atrocities had crossed all limits. The speed of 2013 in laying optical fibre moving ahead with new energy and how poor it is, once a family member
Jallianwallah Bagh incident reminds network in villages, then we would enthusiasm. falls sick, the whole family suffers. On
us of the sacrifices made by the brave not have been able to accomplish the Scientists of our nation have also occasions generations are afflicted
hearts and is an inspiration to us. I task for generations together. We will left no stone unturned in bringing with illnesses.
salute all the brave people from the strive to maintain the same pace of immense glory to our country. In the The Government of India has
depths of my heart. development. global context, as well as fulfilling decided to launch Pradhanmantri Jan
Our freedom has come at a price. Today, we can see a sea change in the requirements of the country, it Arogya Abhiyan so that the poor man,
Under the leadership of Bapu and the the country although the country is a matter of great pride that our the common man gets free treatment
revolutionaries, many heroes, many is same, the soil is same, the wind is scientists launched more than 100 for serious diseases and he can be
satyagrahis, brave men and women same, the sky is same, the sea is same, satellites in one go leaving the world admitted to big hospitals free of cost.
and youth participated in the freedom the government offices are same, the astonished. That’s the capability of On the 25th of September, the
struggle of the country. While striving files are same and the decision-making Indian scientists which has made the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen
for the country’s freedom, they process remains the same. However, world stand up and applaud. I would Dayal Upadhyaya, the Pradhanmantri
suffered imprisonment and spent the the country has been experiencing like to congratulate our scientists Jan Arogya Abhiyan will be launched
prime of their youth in jails, yet they change for the last four years. A new and technicians for such a great throughout the country. No poor
nurtured the dreams of a glorious spirit, new energy, new resolve, new accomplishment. person of the country will have to
India even through all the suffering. determination and new inspiration We have a vision to double the face difficulty in dealing with diseases.
Many years ago, the national poet is taking the country forward. This farmers’ income by the 75th year of Nor he would have to borrow money
from Tamil Nadu, Subramaniam is why the country has doubled the Independence. Some people have from a moneylender paying interest.
Bharti translated his vision of the pace of construction of the highways. doubts, which is quite natural, but His family will not be destroyed.
country into words. The construction of new houses has we are determined. Hum makkhan And it will also open new avenues of
– ( “Ellarum amarnillai aaedumnaan gone up four times in the villages. par lakeer nahi, patthar par lakeer employment for the youth, for the
muraiai India ulagirakku allikkum”). The food production in the country kheenchne waale hain (We don’t middle class families in the health
What was the dream that he today has reached an all-time high; promise things lightly, we mean to keep sector. New hospitals will be built in
envisioned after Independence? there has been a record production of our word). To keep our promises, we the tier-2 and tier-3 cities. They will
Subramania Bharti said that India will mobile phones; the sale of tractors has have to work hard, we have to plan and require medical staff in large numbers.
show the way for the entire world to touched a new high. On the one hand, we have to put our heart and soul into A lot of employment opportunities
break free from every form of bondage. a record number of tractors are being fulfilling it. Some new crops are giving will also be generated.
After Independence, in order bought by our farmers today, at the record yields. For the first time we are My dear countrymen, we want
to realize the dreams of such great same time, the country has witnessed a moving towards agriculture export to move ahead. We cannot accept
personalities, to meet the aspirations record number of aeroplane purchases policy so that our farmers can also face stagnation, we cannot be standstill
of freedom fighters and to fulfil since independence. Toilets are being global competition with confidence. and it is not in our nature to bend
the hopes and expectations of the built in schools; new IIMs, new IITs Today we can see a new agricultural before anybody. This country will
citizens of the country, India drafted and new AIIMS are being established. revolution. Organic farming, Blue neither come to a standstill, neither
an inclusive Constitution under Giving momentum to Skill revolution, sweet revolution and solar will it bend and nor will it get tired.
the leadership of respected Baba Development Missions, the country is farming have opened up new vistas. We have to achieve greater heights, we
Saheb Ambedkar ji. This inclusive setting up new centers in small towns. Khadi is associated with the name have to keep moving ahead.
Constitution is the harbinger of a At the same time, our tier-2 and tier-3 of respected Bapu. I want to humbly We are the inheritors of the rich
resolve to build a New India. It has cities are being flooded with start-up submit that the sale of khadi products heritage of our ancient legacy of
brought with it some responsibilities enterprises, bringing regeneration. since independence has doubled. This Vedas. And that legacy is due to our
for us and has also set a few boundaries Digital India is now making inroads has generated employment for the self-confidence, and we want to carry
on us. Our Constitution has been into our villages. As a government poor. forward the legacy. And that is why
guiding us in realizing our dreams sensitive to the needs of people, My brothers and sisters, the farmers my dear countrymen, I want to instill
by stating that every section of the efforts are being made to turn Digital of my country are emphasizing on solar a new hope, a new zeal and a new
society and every geographical part of India into a reality. At the same time, farming now. Apart from farming, belief (in you) because the country
India must get an equal opportunity in work is also progressing with the same they can earn money by selling power can achieve its dreams with it. And
the quest to forge ahead. dedication to compile dictionary and generated through solar farming. The that is why my dear countrymen…
18 Photo Feature Aug 20 - 26, 2018

In Remembrance
A man who gave real power to our nation. A mind which made fearless decisions.
A character which showcases the meaning of a patriot
Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Photo Feature 19
 20 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

e xcer pts fro m h i s poe ms

The Poet
Politician
For years, he has given us motivation, courage,
and wisdom through his words

(Translated
Version) A tal Bihari Vajpayee was
a statesman and one of India’s
tallest leaders. However, Vajpayee
was not just a political leader, he was
an all-rounder and had a multi-faceted
personality. Vajpayee’s poems are proof
that he was a great weaver of words too.
He lived a complete and full life in
terms of struggle, endeavours, victories,
pain, joys, sorrows, losses and gains. In
his Hindi poem ‘Maut se thunn gayee’,
the gifted poet that he was, Atal Bihari unfolds. Everything is at stake, there’s no option
Vajpayee foresees and depicts the last Evenings sketched with kohl, nights to stop now
battle every one ultimately faces, the smooth as the flute’s notes. We can break at this point, but we
battle with death. Here is the poem, I do not say there was no pain, cannot bend now!
loosely translated from the original There were sorrows, of my own and of
Hindi, as tweeted by Penguin India. this world. ******

A Battle With Death ****** What is the age of death? Not even a
A battle with death! couple of moments
What a battle it will be! It’s dark in the middle of the day Life is a progression, it’s not a matter of
I had no plans to take her on, We had The sun is defeated by its shadow a day or two!
not agreed to meet at that curve, Squeeze the oil from your soul
A writer and a Yet there she stood, blocking my path and light the wick, ******
Looming larger than life. Come let’s light a lamp again!
poet before How long does death last? A moment, Let the adversities strike,
joining politics, perhaps two --
Life is a sequence, beyond today and
****** Let there be catastrophes dire
Let there be embers under our soles,
Vajpayee’s tomorrow.
I have lived to the full, I will die as
My Lord,
Never let me climb so high
Let it shower flare,
With that fire in our hands,
dexterity with I choose, I will return, I have no fear of That I am unable to embrace another Smiling, we have to burn
letting go. stranger, We have to move forward, together!
words was what So, do not come by stealth, and take me Deliver me ever from such arrogance!
brought him into by surprise,
Come, test me, meet me head on. ******
******

the Lok Sabha Unheeding of death, life’s journey I am able to see myself
In a deal not so profitable, From the eyes of others,
All I received were a couple of I am neither silent, nor am I singing!
days
Should I count each moment; ******
Or just spend it every way?
Which path should I follow? A major theme that emerged in
Vajpayee’s later poetry was the frivolity of
****** consequence, existentialism and most of
all, loneliness. It is clear, he always found
Why shouldn’t I live every something amiss, but whether he chased to
moment to the fullest? find it, is anyone’s guess. He writes in ‘Rote
Why shouldn’t I admire the Rote Raat Ho Gayi’:
beauty in every fragment? Jhuki na alken
jhapi na palken
************ Sudhiyon ki barat kho gayi
Rote rote raat so gayi
The cycle of being and not being Dard purana
Will continue till eternity, Meet na jana
So will our illusion Bato hi mein praat ho gayi
That we are, we will be. Rote rote raat so gayi
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 21
07
A l l- w eat her connect i vi t y

Vajpayee Cemented Rohtang

'Tunnel Of Friendship': Residents
He wanted his favourite holiday resort to remain accessible

Vishal Gulati “I presented a wall

clock to Vajpayee-

A frequent visitor to
this
resort
picturesque
before
illness gripped him, late
Prime Minister Atal Bihari
ji which was made
by me from junked
motorcycles. He was
so delighted to receive
it that and he gave me
Vajpayee is believed here to a cash reward of Rs
be the only national leader 1,000 to support my
who thought of ending the initiative,” Lal, who was
five months of exile every earlier running a motor
year of the residents of the workshop in Prini, told
landlocked Lahaul Valley IANS.
by constructing a tunnel Locals also remember
through the Rohtang Pass. Vajpayee as an
Locals believe Vajpayee environment protector.
was the man behind Prini village head
cementing the “tunnel of Shiv Dayal said Vajpayee
friendship” being drilled used to say plant two-
at 3,000 metres above sea three saplings rather

Neighbours fondly recall the days when

level beneath the Rohtang Pass. than planting 100s as it was easy
In all probability, the tunnel will nourish them adequately.
be operational by May-June 2020, Dayal said the Rohtang tunnel
engineers said. Vajpayee as Prime Minister came here very should be named after Vajpayee and
“The construction of the tunnel this would be a befitting tribute to
is about the promise that Vajpayee- summer and mingled with the locals the great leader.
ji made to Tashi Dawa before his Mrs India 2017 winner Kalpana
old friend died in December 2007,” Thakur, who runs a hotel in Prini,
Dawa’s son Ramdev told IANS on fondly remembered one of her
the phone. Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Baroda of Lahaul-Spiti, in 2002 that a tunnel interactions with Vajpayee in 2003.
The strategically important (now Vadodara) in the then Bombay would be constructed beneath the “Vajpayee-ji asked me the name
tunnel will ensure all-weather Presidency in 1942. Rohtang Pass. Solang, popular of my son and he explained me my
connectivity to Lahaul-Spiti district Septuagenarian Mehar Thakur, among skiers for snow and steep son’s name (Srijan) in his poetic
that otherwise remains cut off from who is now settled here, said: They pistes, or ski tracks, just 13 km uphill style,” she recalled.
the rest of the country for more than (Vajpayee and Dawa) were thick from Manali, still has a foundation Besides as an orator, poet
five months owing to the closure of friends. Whenever Vajpayee used stone of the Rohtang tunnel. and statesman, locals remember
the Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) due to visit Prini he used to call Dawa. The stone reads: “Commissioning Vajpayee’s love for trout fish on a
to heavy snowfall. They used to share their nostalgic of works for access road to south platter during his stay in Prini.
Dawa alias Arjun Ram Gopal, moments for hours.” portal of proposed Rohtang Tunnel During his 2001 visit, Vajpayee
a resident of Tholang in Lahaul- Prini is located on the outskirts by Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari told reporters that he composed his
Spiti, was credited with convincing of this tourist resort. Vajpayee last Vajpayee.” poem “Unchai” at Prini.
Vajpayee to take up the tunnel visited the house, currently out “Development and defence, for The most ambitious and
construction that will bring economic of bounds for people, for a quiet both aspects this Rohtang tunnel expensive undertaking of its kind,
prosperity in the otherwise snow- sojourn in June 2006. That was two was much required and today it is the excavation of the 8.8-km long
bound, inhospitable region. years after his government was voted going to be started,” Vajpayee had horseshoe-shaped tunnel under the
“It would be a historic day for out in the national elections. Since announced at a public meeting in Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas was
all the people of the Lahaul Valley then the house wears a deserted Manali on May 24, 2002, where then completed last October. Only some
when the tunnel is completed,” an look. Neighbours fondly recall Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal civil engineering work is pending,
emotional Ramdev, a government the days when Vajpayee as Prime was also present. officials said.
employee, who is retiring this year, Minister came here every summer Remembering one of his visits Later, the tunnel’s foundation
said. and mingled with the locals. to Vajpayee’s house, former village stone was laid by United Progressive
Ramdev said Vajpayee and Dawa Vajpayee, as Prime Minister, had head Kundan Lal said he was once Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia
became friends during a training announced at a public meeting in honoured by the former Prime Gandhi on June 28, 2010, in the
camp organised by the Rashtriya Keylong, the district headquarters Minister with a cash incentive. Solang Valley.
22 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

off-beat

He Won Hearts Too!

it was easier to ride.
One of his acquaintances also recounted how the master
statesman loved poetry since childhood and took part in
poetic conventions at an early age.
Vajpayee, who enjoyed playing hockey as a youngster,
was extremely popular in school, an acquaintance told. He
recounted how once, when the former prime minister fell
ill in school, his principal paid a visit to his home to enquire
about his health.
Decades after Vajpayee attained matchless fame in
Indian politics, he still remained an approachable friend for
many in Gwalior. In a previous interview, his old associate
Jhammanlal, who has an ironing shop in Naya Bazaar in
Gwalior, recounted an instance which stood testimony to
Vajpayee’s simplicity.
“When Atal ji was serving as minister of external affairs
from 1975 to 1979, he once reached Gwalior from Punjab
Mail and landed at my shop. He asked me to quickly down
the shutters and spent time with close friends over snacks
and tea,” said Jhammanlal.
However, as the news of his presence reached the
administration, the entire area was turned into a citadel.
Jhammanlal recounted how Vajpayee had once ironed his
coat at his shop and befriended him. For years, Jan Sangh
leaders kept meeting at his shop and even decided tickets at
his outlet as it was situated in the main bazaar, which gave
them the feel of local politics.
Gwalior Mela, an annual trade and culture fair, was also
quite close to his heart and he often paid a visit to the
extravaganza.
Vajpayee, famous for his political acumen and brilliant
Fond Of Desi Ghee Ladoos, oratory skills, was also an ardent sports lover. He was also
a big advocate of peace with Pakistan during his prime
Sports and Hockey ministership.
So when Sourav Ganguly and his Indian cricket team

A prominent exponent of Hindi language, Vajpayee’s

friends and acquaintances remember him as a
simple but popular youngster who remained true to
his roots despite achieving global fame
Vajpayee’s fondness for the Gwalior city never ceased to
came to meet him before embarking on a historic tour of
Pakistan in 2004, he had a message of peace for them.
He gave a special cricket bat to Sourav Ganguly
with a beautiful quote “Khel hi nahi, dil bhi jeetiye -
shubhkamnaye” (Win not only the game, but hearts also
exist. - best wishes).
What added to the sweetness of the bond was Gwalior’s Team India played five one-day matches and three Tests
famous Bahadura Sweets. Vajpayee was so fond of the desi on their first full-fledged tour of Pakistan in 15 years.
ghee ladoos that one of the national English dailies had The Sourav Ganguly-led Indian side included players
termed them as the ‘Passport to PM.’ Even after attaining like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil
global fame, Vajpayee kept coming back to the shop Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif,

One of his whenever possible to savour the delicacy. His family too
never forgot to carry the sweets to New Delhi when they
visited him.
Zaheer Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Irfan Pathan.
Vajpayee had started peace talks with Pakistan when
he was prime minister. The cricket series was one of the
acquaintances also Vajpayee’s childhood friend, octogenarian Ramrakhan initiatives taken for better relations with the neighbouring
recounted how the Misra, said the former prime minister loved the local
delicacies and often enjoyed them in the company of his
country. The Indian team were given special visa for the
tour.
Vajpayee loved poetry friends.
Simplicity was a trade Vajpayee was famous for. His
Indian team won ODI series with 3-2 and Test series
with 2-1 margin in the historic tour.
since childhood and nephew Deepak, in an interview earlier, had recounted The then Indian team manager Dr Ratnakar Shetty had
how his uncle rode a bicycle through Gwalior in the 70s then cited what happened when the Indian team met then
took part in poetic despite being an acclaimed politician who had won the Prime Minister Vajpayee.
conventions 1971 election. Vajpayee, who was always seen in a dhoti,
had asked Deepak to get him a bicycle meant for women as
“Vajpayee met the players for an hour before the team
left (for Pakistan). He said that your motto on this tour has
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 23
07
to be “khel bhee jitiye, dil bhee jitiye (win matches “Atal ji used to play ludo and chess with us. He was Prime Minister was highly impressed and wanted to
and also win hearts).” a very down to earth, even after becoming an MP,” know who had done that sketch.
Vajpayee then presented the Indian team captain, Kamal said, recalling how his last meeting with After the SIES authorities informed that it was a
Ganguly, a cricket bat with a message, saying, “Khel Vajpayee in Kolkata happened in 2004, when he was young student Nirman Olwe, Vajpayee immediately
hi nahi, dil bhi jeetiye -- shubhkamnaye.” the PM. said he wanted to meet him and asked that the
student should be brought along with his parents to
New Delhi. A few weeks later, the boy accompanied
Kolkata Family Narrates When Vajpayee Heartily by his grandmother who was also a teacher in the
same school, his mother and Shankar, went to the
Vajpayee’s Love For Relished South Indian capital and Vajpayee warmly received them.
He presented a return memento to the delighted
Films, ‘Phuchkas’ Cuisine boy who cherishes those memories till today,
Viswanathan said.

V ajpayee had a surprise special request -

“to organise the best of South Indian cuisine
dishes for the evening”
Way back in February 2006, when the former
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred
Now grown up, that little boy from Antop Hill
area of central Mumbai, completed his schooling,
HSC and is now pursuing engineering studies.

the “8th SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi When Vajpayee Went

National Eminence Award”, he could not travel to
Mumbai owing to certain health issues. Down The Memory Lane
He suggested to Mumbai South Indian
Education Society (SIES) President
V Shankar to hold the function at his
New Delhi residence, and also made a
surprise special request - “to organise
the best of South Indian cuisine dishes
for the evening”.
Since Vajpayee was known to
be a connoisseur of good food, the
SIES authorities rushed to comply

A s former Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee
breathed his last at
the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
and ordered the choicest of the
delicacies from the Saravana Bhavan,
Connaught Place, in the capital.
“He relished the food
immensely that evening, and
in Delhi, miles away in seemed to have had a little
Kolkata a pall of gloom more than his normal intake,”
descended upon the reminisced SIES spokesperson
house of Beriwalas on 167 K. A. Viswanathan on Friday.
Chittaranjan Avenue. In fact, Vajpayee later expressed
This is the house of surprise that such delicious South
Ghanshyam Beriwala, a well- Indian food was available in the heart
known businessman and a friend
of the former PM. Beriwala first met
Vajpayee in 1952 during an RSS meet at Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya’s office in Delhi. A house, that Vajpayee
frequently visited during his stay in Kolkata.
of New Delhi about which “he was not
aware”, and wanted to know how many waiters had
come from that restaurant to serve for the evening.
“He magnanimously assembled all the eight
boys on the lawns for a group photo session with
F ormer prime minister recalled his
association with Lucknow and its culture.
In an interview Atal Bihari said “Lucknow
reminds me of Baradari and Chowk where ‘tehzeeb’
of Nawabs is visible in day to day activities, shopping
Kamal Beriwala, son of Ghanyashyam Beriwala, him, followed by individual shots with each of centre Aminabad, historical monuments Bara
said, “Whenever Atal ji was in Kolkata, he would them. Then, he called for Rs 100 currency notes, Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and Bhool Bhulaiyya
avoid staying in a hotel and would live in our house autographed each of them and presented them to all thronged by tourists from all over the world. I have
in Chittaranjan Avenue, just like a family member.” the excited servers,” Viswanathan said. spent many of my evenings sauntering and chatting
“My father Ghanyashyam Beriwala and Atal ji The boys were thrilled and overjoyed when with friends on Aminabad streets. The city reminds
were good friends and besides discussing politics, Vajpayee smiled and decided to have “one more cup of me of biryani, makhan malai and of rose and chameli
they used to share poems, talk about movies and nice South Indian filter coffee” with all of them before petals,” he recalled.
street food,” he added they left the He fondly remembered the Aminabad evenings
Kamal Beriwal remembered how Vajpayee was venue. where gulab and chameli petals were sold in a ‘dona’
fond of Kolkata Phuchkas (Golgappe) and Churmur During the (leaf bowl). “A lovely fragrance used to envelope the
(a spicy chaat made of phuchkawala, potato, formal award area as the vendors amused the buyers with their
tamarind water and spices). “He was very fond of ceremony, of jingle, ‘Majnoo ki haddiyan, Laila ki pasliyan le lo’.”
Kolkata and its food. He used to ask huchkawala to the several “What a scene it used to be – ‘Tokri mein phoolon
add extra spices.” mementoes ki pattiyan rakhi huyi, beech mein mombatti jalti
The family members of the Beriwal household presented huyi…,” he said poetically.
fondly remember that one time when Vajpayee made to him, was “And ‘makhan malai’ (very light and fluffy) used
tea for them during one of his visits and they sat a portrait to be so delicious. I remember that Indira ji too had
together and watched the Rekha starrer, Umrao Jaan of Vajpayee asked for it during her visit to Lucknow,” Vajpayee
on the VCR. sketched said, referring to the late prime minister.
“Umrao Jaan was one of his favourite films. He by a Class I Instead, he remembered ‘qawaalis’ that he enjoyed
was fond of movies also and watched several with student of listening to especially those of Khusro. “People used
us,” said Kamal. SIES School. to take ‘qawwalis’ very lightly. But the ‘qawwals’ used
Beriwal still cherishes these memories deeply. The late to connect themselves with ‘khuda,” he said.
 24 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

t w eet ed condol ences

A Universal Leader
Nation Mourns The Death Of The People’s Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Public Servant, an outstanding

Ram Nath Kovind Parliamentarian and a great Prime
Extremely sad to hear of the passing of Minister, Shri Vajpayee ji stood
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, our former among the tallest leaders of modern
Prime Minister India, who spent his whole life
and a true Indian serving our great country. His services
statesman. His to our nation will be remembered for
leadership, a long time to come.”
foresight,
maturity and Rahul Gandhi
eloquence “Today India
put him in a lost a great son.
league of his Former PM, Atal
own. Atalji, the Gentle Giant, will be Bihari Vajpayee
missed by one and all. ji, was loved
and respected
Narendra Modi by millions. My
“Atal Ji’s passing away is a personal condolences to
and irreplaceable loss for me. I have Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh, paying his last respects to former his family & all
countless fond memories with him. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the BJP headquarters his admirers. We will miss him,”
He was an inspiration to Karyakartas
like me. I will particularly remember P Chidambaram
his sharp intellect and outstanding politician, brilliant speaker, poet of India. He was a spellbinding orator, It is not the fact
wit.” “It was due to the perseverance and patriot, his demise is not just a leader of great vision, a patriot to the that Vajpayee-
and struggles of Atal Ji that the BJP an irreparable loss for the BJP but core for whom the national interest ji had many
was built brick by brick. He travelled the entire country.” “On the one was paramount.But above all, he was friends, it is
across the length and breadth of India hand Atalji as the head of a party in a man with a very large heart and a the fact that he
to spread the opposition played the role of an ideal real spirit of magnanimity. One saw had no enemies
BJP’s message, opposition while on the other hand that in all his that was his
which led to the he provided the country a decisive interactions distinguishing
BJP becoming leadership as prime minister.” – with other hallmark.
a strong force political parties
in our national Pranab Mukherjee and their leaders, Rajnath Singh
polity and in Deeply saddened at the passing with foreign Pained beyond
several states.” away of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. governments, words at the
“Extremely sad A reasoned with coalition demise of Shri
to hear of the passing of Shri Atal critique in partners, Atalji. He had
Bihari Vajpayee, our former Prime opposition and indeed with his own political cherished
Minister and a true Indian statesman. and a seeker colleagues, whom he always treated the ideal of a
His leadership, foresight, maturity and of consensus with respect and courtesy. His warm developed and
eloquence put him in a league of his as PM, Atal Ji personality and his gift of friendship powerful India
own. Atalji, the Gentle Giant, will be was a democrat won him admirers and friends across in which all
missed by one and all.” to the core. the political spectrum, and from every persons lived together in unity, peace
In his passing walk of life. His death leaves behind a and harmony.
Amit Shah away, India has lost a great son and an huge void. I join millions of our fellow
“Atalji emerged as a popular national era has come to an end. My deepest Indians in mourning his loss and pray Yogi Adityanath
leader who believed that power is a condolences. for the departed soul.” “Atal Bihari
means of service and led a spotless Vajpayee ji
political life without compromising Manmohan Singh worked in
on national interest. And that’s why Sonia Gandhi “I have learnt with profound sorrow the national
the people “I am deeply saddened by the passing about the sad interest rather
across political away of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. demise of Bharat than personal
and social Shri Vajpayee was a towering figure in Ratna Shri Atal interest, he
boundaries our national life. Throughout his life, Bihari Vajpayee brought a
showered him he stood for democratic values and ji. An excellent political stability
with love and demonstrated this commitment in all orator, an to our country. His ashes will be
respect.” his acts, whether as a parliamentarian, impressive poet, spread in every river in UP to respect
“A rare a cabinet minister, or prime minister an exceptional his grand stature.”
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 25
07
Mamata Banerjee his public and I also like kheer, I discussed with him lost my father all
Very very saddened that the great political life, he the qualities that kheer should have.” over again.
statesman and former Prime Minister will be gratefully “When I saw the
Shri Atal Bihari remembered Mike Pompeo, US Secretary glow on his face,
Vajpayee ji is no for the ages to “Standing before the United States his persuasive
more with us. come. In 1997, Congress in 2000, he famously oratorical
His passing away the Sulabh characterized US-India ties as powers and his
is a very big loss Family had a ‘natural partnership of shared love for the arts,
to our nation. the privilege to honour this great endeavors’.” I was always reminded of my father
I will always man with the Honest Man of the “He recognized early on that the (the legendary musician-stage actor
cherish the many Year Award. For us that moment was United States and India, based on Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar). When
fond memories. Condolences to his historic and unforgettable. He was their shared democratic values, could I was a child many national leaders
family and his many admirers a compassionate man, a colossus- develop a partnership that would and politicians would visit my home.
like figure, and we pay our heartfelt contribute to Vir Savarkar was one of them. Atalji
Harsimrat Kaur Badal homage to his departed soul. In this the economic reminded me of Vir Savarkar. He was a
Rare are the leaders who win hearts moment of grief, we pray to the prosperity noble soul. No words of praise can do
setting an exemplary conduct. Atal ji Almighty to give succor and support and security justice to him. Atalji was never short
was one such to his grieving family and millions of of the region of words. But I am.”
statesman, a his admirers across the world.” and the world. “He was a poet at heart and a saint
man of masses Today, our two by nature. He was a visionary and
and a role model Vladimir Putin, President Russia countries and India made rapid progress during his
whose words “Atal Bihari our bilateral primeministership. I remember how
and actions have Vajpayee rightly relationship continue to benefit from much he did to improve relations with
contributed commanded Prime Minister Vajpayee’s vision, Pakistan. He started the bus service
immensely in great respect which helped promote expanded to Pakistan. And he was very keen
making Bharat “Mahaan”. I feel India around the cooperation. that I be one of the first passengers
has lost a gem today... #RIPAtalJi world. He will “The American people and I stand in that journey to the other side of
#AtalBihariVaajpayee be remembered with the people of India as we mourn the border. He told me that people in
as a politician Prime Minister Vajpayee’s passing. Pakistan were as keen to hear me as
Mohan Bhagwat who made a major personal Today, we hold the people of India in people in India. But I didn’t go. It was
“Vajpayee was contribution to the friendly relations our thoughts and prayers.” always hard to say no to Atalji. “Dadda
a steadfast & and privileged strategic partnership was man with a vision. I can listen to
universally between our countries.” Amitabh bachchan them for hours. In his going India has
accepted “He was an admirer of my father and been orphaned. But then, if he was in
leader, a great Sheikh Hasina, PM Bangladesh his works and there were many an so much pain it would’ve been selfish
personality “We are deeply occasion when I would be present at of us to hold him back. He is now
who instilled shocked at the their meetings.” “His oratory powers relieved of all pain probably regaling
Bharatiya sad demise were unmatched and the usage of the gods with his oration.
culture & values in public life (sic).” of the former words exemplary. They were filled
Prime Minister with the power of pronunciation. The Shah Rukh Khan
Sadhuguru of India Shri rendition of the word was enough to I had the opportunity to meet him and
Wise prime Atal Bihari give it meaning... One did not need spend lots of time discussing poetry,
minister, Vajpayee, one to understand the language, that was films, politics and our ailing knees. I
statesman & of the most famous sons of India. He his brilliance. also had the privilege of enacting one
above all a giant will be remembered for contributing Some of his of his poems for screen. He was fondly
leader who was towards good governance and for public speeches addressed as ‘Baapji’ at home. Today
admired by all highlighting issues affecting the and ones done the country has
across political common people of India as well as for in the Houses of lost a Father
spectrum. End regional peace and prosperity. “ Parliament are Figure and a
of an era. testimony’’. “A great leader.
Pervez Musharraf, poet, a writer, Personally I
Swami Avdeshananda Giri Ex-President Pakistan a politician, a Prime Minister... an have lost a part
The news of “He was a great man, and it is a great extremely rare human.” of my childhood
Indian politics’ loss. India and Pakistan should both The actor also wrote about the special and growing up
shining and feel the great loss of the towering bond Vajpayee shared with his father. memories of learning smiling and of
towering personality of Mr Vajpayee.” “Despite his prominence as a leader course poetry. I consider myself the
personality, a “I remember that when I shook of eminence, Atalji never hesitated to luckiest to have had his influence on
man without hands with him, he held my hand and meet up with my father... Particularly my life during my formative years.
enemies, started walking on one occasion when my father May his soul rest in peace.
respected Atal to the front. He was admitted to AIIMS hospital
Bihari Vajpayee’s death has stunned believed that in Delhi, Atalji visited him to ask Sachin Tendulkar
me. My respectful tribute. if we remain after his condition. I was there. His India is at a great loss today. Shri
bogged down compassion and concern was most #AtalBihari
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak by the past, we gracious’’. “It was Atalji who agreed to Vajpayee ji’s
“The demise of former Prime would not be launch and honour the occasion when contributions
Minister Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee is able to resolve the ‘stamp’ was inaugurated in my to our nation
a cruel blow to India and the world our differences.” father’s name. It was in Lucknow.” have been
at large. Irreparable is the loss of “My foreign minister told me that innumerable.
such a committed, conscientious, Vajpayee was quite fond of cooking. Lata Mangeshkar Thoughts and
farsighted and humble leader. For I then asked him as to what he liked “He was like my father. He called me prayers go out to
his magnificent body of work during to cook, and he told me kheer. Since Beti. I called him Dadda. I feel I’ve his loved ones.
 26 Atal Memories Aug 20 - 26, 2018

“Main Atal Bhi Hoon Aur Bihari Bhi”

been specially found by opening a while he has in his name.
dictionary in front,” he said, amid Mr Vajpayee’s response --”Paswan
laughter in the entire Lok Sabha. ji, Haram mein bhi Ram hota hai
On another occasion, he said, (Ram is even there in the word
“Vajpayee to achha hai, par party ‘Haram’ (forbidden in Arabic)”. Mr
theek nahi hai. Toh achche Vajpayee Paswan is now a BJP ally.
Vajpayee The Master Of One-Liners ka kya karne ka iraada rakhte hain. In 2003, Mr Vajpayee told
Parliament, “You can change a
friend, but not a neighbour” while

F or a political stalwart gifted

with great eloquence in
public, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
was either a man of few words or a
great charmer if he chose to be, in
suggesting that friendship with
Pakistan should be maintained to
the extent possible.
Responding to the remark by
a Pakistani foreign minister that
interactions with people. Pakistan is incomplete without
With his one-liners, Atal Bihari Kashmir, Mr Vajpayee said “without
Vajpayee often trumped the Pakistan, India is incomplete”.
questioner that helped tide over One of his other famous one
tough questions posed to him and liners was “democracy is such where
defuse the situation. two foolish people defeat a strong
“Main ‘Atal’ bhi hoon aur ‘Bihari’ man”. About himself, he once said
bhi hoon”. “I neither have the wealth of my
This one liner from Atal Bihari grandfather or my father, but have
Vajpayee at a poll rally in Bihar the blessings of my mother”.
in 2004 to woo voters was one Elsewhere, he was once asked
such example of the former prime “Padosi kehte hai ki ek haath se taali
minister’s penchant for subtle nahi bajti” (you cannot cal with one
humour and spontaneity which hand), he came with his quick reply
he displayed with ease on several saying, “Humne kaha ki chutki toh
occasions. he hit back saying it seems the words (You say that Mr Vajpayee is good, baj sakti hai” (but one can click our
A master orator, Mr Vajpayee used have been specially found from the but his party is not...Then what do finger).
the witty remarks with aplomb for dictionary. you intend doing with the good Mr On yet another occasion, when
political satire on his opponents that He told her in Parliament that Vajpayee.) asked about the existence of two
often won him accolades and hearts while they were working with Once when LJP leader Ram Vilas ‘dal’ (factions) - that of Mr Vajpayee
of many. her shoulder to shoulder, despite Paswan, who was with the Congress, and Mr Advani, within the BJP, he
When Congress chief Sonia differing thoughts, is this the way to attacked the BJP over the Ram said “Main kisi dal-dal mein nahi
Gandhi termed his government as express your differences. temple issue saying BJP talks about hoon. Main auron ke dal-dal mein
corrupt, incompetent and incapable, “It looks like the words have Ram, but does not have Ram in it apna kamal khilaata hoon”.

Atal Ji-The Gentle Giant

Arun Jaitley’s acquaintance with Atalji started in 1973...

A tal ji was a familiar face in the country.

both Parliament and political Atal Ji penned a Poem, which was
rallies. We had invited him very often heard in 1977 election. The
for several speeches in the Delhi opening sentence of the Poem read as –
University. Whenever we wanted some “Toot sakte hain magar hum jhuk nahi
virtues of both consensus
and harmony. His conduct
of the Cabinet Meetings
was never tense. If any
of us raised any point, or
issues to be raised in Parliament, we sakte”. My image of him in the early even contradicted a point,
rushed to brief him. My acquaintance 1990s was of “the best man”, who never he encouraged discussion.
with him started in 1973 when I became the Prime Minister, The last word, of course,
was a student leader in Delhi but history vindicated belonged to him. He was liberal in his China, and signed an agreement on
University. Thereafter, him, and he went on economic thinking. He realised the settlement of the boundary dispute. A
I started interacting Opening to become, one of importance of infrastructure creation. new Chapter of Indo-US relationship
with him frequently. the outstanding The National Highway programme, was authored during his tenure. He
He has been a great sentence of the Prime Ministers and the Power sector reforms are the was unquestionably the greatest orator
listener. He used to Poem read as – of India. part of his legacy. He was committed India has heard, since Independence.
occasionally react to Atal ji is to normalising the relations with He could play with words but he was
some enthusiastic “Toot sakte the product of our neighbouring countries. His always measured. He was a wordsmith.
ideas, which we gave, hain magar a democratic ‘Bus initiative’ with Pakistan was He never fell into temptation of
with humour. During system, and undertaken at a great political risk, committing an impropriety. He realised
JP’s movement in
hum jhuk nahi trained in since his own constituency had to virtues of social harmony. His ability to
1974, he was active in sakte”. Parl iamentar y be convinced of this. In 2003, he rise above the party for a larger national
addressing rallies across values. He realised the tried to normalise relationship with cause was significant.
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Atal Memories 27
07
Fal i s N ar i man on Vaj pay ee

'Greatest Indian Statesman

Of My Time In Parliament'
The eminent lawyer gives fulsome praise to the former Prime Minister for his high sense of propriety

Vishnu Makhijani

A tal Bihari Vajpayee taught

noted jurist Fali S. Naiman an
invaluable lesson: It doesn’t
pay to get angry or lose your temper
in Parliament.
“Atalji was an astute statesman
to his fingertips. Courageous
when required. Diplomatic when
necessary. He taught me a great
lesson -- that it pays not to be angry
or lose your temper when speaking
in Parliament. It is always advisable
to scotch your opponent with faint
praise!” writes Nariman in a chapter
titled “The Lawyer and the Law
Giver”.
“This is one of the things I learnt
in my sojourn in Parliament (1999-
2005),” he added.
He also credits Vajpayee, “one of
the greatest statesmen of his time
– in my view, the greatest Indian
statesmen of my time in Parliament”,
of instilling in him “a sense of fun and
not merely a sense of good humour”.
One example of this was when raised his voice as Prime Minister Vajpayee, – the lawyer or 2000, when that Minister stepped out
Vajpayee had returned from a foreign well: a decibel louder – receiving US President the law giver,” of the crease and made intemperate
visit and it was customary for the each time angrier than Bill Clinton as President adding that “sadly, remarks against the integrity of the
prime minister to make a statement when he had asked the K.R.Narayanan looks on: for both lawyers then Chief Justice of India (about
in each House of Parliament. MPs previous question!” statesman to his finger and members of wrongly stating his date of birth),
handpicked by the Chair were asked He writes that tips, says Nariman Parliament, ethics in and when this became public, Prime
to pose questions so that more Vajpayee answered the politics or in the law Minister Vajpayee moved swiftly
information could be elicited. questions raised by others is at a low.” – on the high moral and ethical
On one such occasion, Nariman and then came to the six He then goes on principle that one constitutional
found himself “one of the fortunate posed by Natwar Singh. to name Vajpayee functionary must never denigrate
few to do so”, along with two “Speaking in fluent Hindi as one of three or malign another high-ranking
members belonging to different he noted that the Congress “o u t s t a n d i n g ” constitutional functionary,”
political parties. One of them posted MP was very intelligent members of Vajpayee went to the President
a couple of questions and so did and always knew his Parliament (the and had him sacked, says Nariman.
Nariman. facts. He then added: other two being L.K. “There were few protests, from
The third MP was diplomat- ‘Lekin unko gussa bahut Advani amd Somnath Vajpayee’s own party. But Vajpayee
turned-politician K. Natwar Singh jaldi aa jata hai’ (he gets Chatterjee), “all was adamant – there was no taking
of the Congress, which was then in angry very quickly). distinguised leaders” back of the dropped minister. This
opposition “and his questions were That riposte brought who had “proved that high moral sense of values exhibited
very critical of the government and the House down. The one can be ethical – by Vajpayee is what I consider
full of invective as well”, Nariman six questions remained and act accordingly – as another great example of ethics in
writes. unanswered – having an honourable member politics,” Nariman writes.
“Natwar Singh spoke in crisp been dissolved in laughter,” of Parliament”.
English: ‘Mr Chairman Sir, I have Nariman writes. Vajpayee, Nariman God Save The Hon’ble Supreme Court
six questions for the Prime Minister.’ He begins the chapter by stating: writes, had a “very trusted, efficient By Fali S. Nariman;
And he set them out one by one. “There is a close race today as to and well-loved lieutenant” in his Publisher: Hay House;
While raising each question, he which is lower in public esteem Council of Ministers. “But in July Pages: 304; Price: Rs 599
 28 excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend” Aug 20 - 26, 2018

The United States of America

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Indian
community at Madison Square Garden, New York
( September 28, 2014)
have reposed in it. The country
is looking for change, the poor
want to become a part of the
global success story.
I know that all of you sitting
here have a lot of hopes
from the new government in
India. This government will do
everything possible to meet
those hopes and aspirations.
India today is the oldest development its strength.
civilisation with the youngest My government has created
population in the world. This is a separate ministry for skill
a dynamic combination. There development. We are going
is no reason for disillusionment. to invite other nations to join
I assure you that the nation us in this enterprise. We wish
will move forward at a very fast to produce job creators and
pace. working hands.
We have to mobilise our In order to ensure that
strengths to move forward. national wealth comes within
These strengths are 1.25 billion the reach of all citizens, my
people who personify the government launched the
voice of God, the demographic Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana,
dividend due to a young which has received a massive
population and demand. The response in the first few weeks
world looks at India because it itself, with deposits increasing
is a big bazaar. Rs. 1500 crores. We need to
Mahatma Gandhi converted motivate people to avail this
the fight for independence facility.
into a people’s movement. I invite you to join the Make in
Every Indian felt that he was India initiative launched by my
fighting for the independence government to avail a facility
of his nation. This was the of low-cost production. All
contribution of Mahatma facilities will be made online and
Gandhi. Now, we have to you will be able to access it on
make development a people’s your mobile phones.
movement. Everybody should I will request all those
be proud of his/her contribution present here to visit our website
to the country. A teacher or a www.mygov.in and send me
house-keeper should feel that suggestions. This facility has
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to supporters during a community he/she is contributing more
reception at Madison Square Garden in New York on September 28, 2014 been created to help to join the
than the Prime Minister. national effort in case you wish
There is going to be a huge to do so and contribute towards
EXCERPTS the parliamentary election, demand for a work force by nation-building.

I
t is my privilege to meet for which I am thankful to 2020. India should be in a When we look at good
during the holy period of you. India has given a clear position to provide the work governance, we look at
Navratras, Shakti Upasna majority after 30 years. All force to the world. Today, there easy governance, effective
and Shuddhi Karan my Indian predictions of opinion makers is a global demand for nurses, governance and governance
brothers and sisters, who while have been proved wrong. The teachers etc., that India can that meets the aspirations of
living thousands of kilometres poor, illiterate people of Indian meet. India is full of talent, the people.
away from India, have villages made an opinion for which needs to be exploited.
I have started a cleanliness
maintained the respect of their the opinion makers. Winning An autorickshaw takes rupees campaign in India which you all
homeland. an election brings with it great ten for one kilometre; India has would have appreciated. People
responsibility. sent a satellite at the cost of in India have a reverence for
You have earned a lot of
respect in America by virtue I have taken this rupees seven to a kilometre. the holy Ganga. I have taken the
of your social and professional responsibility. I have not taken Look at our ingenuity and mantle of getting the holy river
behaviour. Due to your a vacation since then, even for talent. Our mission to Mars has cleaned, even though others
contribution, India has an 15 minutes. I assure you that cost less than the budget of a have tried and failed after
identity across the world. You my government will do nothing Hollywood movie. spending thousands of crores
all celebrated the results of that breaks the trust that you India will make skill of rupees. I am not backing
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend” 29

Prime Minister Narendra

Modi at UN General
Assembly
(English rendition of the original speech in Hindi)
Main Points made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address

Today, as I stand here, I am differences and mount a

equally aware of the hopes concerted international effort
that are pinned on this great to combat terrorism and
assembly. extremism.
Today, 193 sovereign flags fly at We should ensure that there will
this building. Each nation, born be peace, stability and order in
into freedom, has sought a place outer space and cyber space.
here with the same belief and We should work together to
hope. ensure that all countries observe
Today, there is a surge towards international rules and norms.
democracy across the world, We should energise the noble
including in South Asia task of UN Peacekeeping;
(Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan). we should involve troop
My government has placed the contributing countries in the
highest priority on advancing process of decision making
friendship and cooperation with Let us continue to redouble
her neighbours. our efforts to pursue universal
This includes Pakistan. I am global disarmament and non-
prepared to engage in a serious proliferation.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, speaks during the 69th Session
bilateral dialogue with Pakistan We must pursue a more
of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 27, 2014. in a peaceful atmosphere, stable and inclusive global
without the shadow of terrorism, development.
to promote our friendship and
Billions live on the edge of

I
down from taking the challenge. cooperation.
t is truly a great honour poverty and want; countries
Gandhiji had two things close to address the UNGA for However, Pakistan must also that are barely able to survive a
to his heart, independence the first time as the Prime take its responsibility seriously global economic storm.
and cleanliness. He got Minister of India. I stand here to create an appropriate
independence for the conscious of the hopes and environment for it. There has never been a time
country. Now on his 150 birth expectations of the people of when it has seemed more
India is part of the developing possible than now to change
anniversary, we will give him a India. world, but we are prepared to
clean India. this. Technology has made
I am also mindful of the share our modest resources with things possible.
By 2022, when we celebrate expectations of the world from those countries that need this
75 years of independence, it is 1.25 billion people. assistance as much as we do. Each country must of course
my dream that no family in the take its own national measures;
country should be homeless. I India is a country that Terrorism is taking a new shape each government must fulfil its
am talking of these small things, constitutes one-sixth of and a new name. No country, responsibility to support growth
but it is these small things that humanity; a nation experiencing big or small, in the north or the and development.
will change the nation’s destiny. economic and social south, east or west, is free from
transformation on a scale its threat. The eradication of poverty must
I wish to tell you that a PIO
holder will get a lifetime visa. rarely seen in history. remain at the core of the Post-
Even today, states allow 2015 Development Agenda and
Also those who stay in India India’s ancient wisdom sees terrorist sanctuaries on their
for long durations will not have command our fullest attention.
the world as one family. It territory, or use terrorism as
to report to the police station. For us in India, respect for
To remove ambiguities, the is reflected in a tradition of instruments of their policy.
openness and diversity; co- nature is an integral part of
PIO and OCI schemes will be Today, even as seas, space and spiritualism. We treat nature’s
amalgamated. Long-term visas existence and cooperation. cyber space have become new bounties as sacred.
will be provided to US citizens This is why India speaks not just instruments of prosperity, they
travelling to India along with for itself, but also for the cause could also become new theatres Yoga is an invaluable gift of
electronic travel authorisation of justice, dignity, opportunity of conflicts. our ancient tradition. Yoga
and visa on arrival facilities. embodies unity of mind and
and prosperity around the world. We must reform the United
We will all join together body; thought and action;
to serve our country and It is also because of this timeless Nations, including the Security restraint and fulfilment;
do whatever we can for our current of thought that India Council, and make it more harmony between man and
countrymen. With this thought, has an unwavering belief in democratic and participative. nature; a holistic approach to
I thank you once again!. multilateralism. We should put aside our health and well being.
Continue in next issue
30 Sulabh Parivar Aug 20 - 26, 2018

Dignitaries Who Visited Sulabh Gram

Mr. Rambahadur Choudhary, Gram
Pradhan of Sarisab Pahi Panchayat
(Madhubani) Mr. Amal kumar Jha,
scholar and writer (Madhubani),
Dr. Pramod Praveen, Senior Copy
Editor, Jansatta, Dr. Pankaj Kumar,
CEO, Technical Polymers Material,
New Delhi, Ms. Huda Zariwale, Mr.
Amod Vardhan Yajurvedi, Managing
Director, Digital Sound Studio and
Propritor, Brahaspati Publications
and Dr. (Mrs.) Sarita Pathak Yajurvedi,
Artist and HOD, Music, Bharti College,
Delhi University and from belongs
to Rampur Gharana , looking at the
various artifacts being displayed in
the Sulabh International Museum
of Toilets, during his visit to Sulabh
Sansaar on August 03, 2018.

Ms. Bharti, Joint Secretary,

Ministry of Power, Government
of India, being explained the
procedure of making sanitary
napkin at the Sanitary Napkin
Shri Pradip Burman, Facilitation Centre, during her
Chairman, Dabur Nepal visit to Sulabh Sansaar on
Pvt. Ltd. a subsidiary of August 11, 2018.
Dabur India Ltd., along
with his sister Ms. Indira
Burman, at the technology
of Sulabh Two- Pit Pour
Flush Compost toilet
model, during their visit to
Sulabh Sansaar on August
04, 2018.

Mr. Abdoulaye Sow, Counselor – Embassy of the

Republic of Guinea in India, Mme
Sow Fatoumata Diaraye, Director General – Embassy
of the Republic of Guinea in India, Mr. M L Shaw,
Manager svc. Engineer. (Ret.) Air India Ltd and
Rajender Singh, Chairman, J R Companies, being
explained the mechanism of production of biogas
through biogas plant linked with Sulabh public toilet,
during their visit to Sulabh Sansaar on August 06,
2018
 Aug 20 - 26, 2018 Events 31

events & more... ACROSS

3. Which one is the largest ocean in the
World
6. In which country, white elephant is found
10. Which country is the largest producer
of coffee in the World
12. Which continent has the highest
events number of countries

SSB crossword no. 36

14. Which network protocol is used to send
e-mail?
15. Which of the following is a trans
Himalayan river?
16. Which of the following is mined by the
alluvial mining process in some areas?
17. Which country is also known as the
‘Land of Tulips’
19. In which ocean ‘Bermuda Triangle’
region is located
The Stationery & Art Fair 20. Scandinavia is a suitable country for
Venue : Pragati Maidan exploiting hydroeiectrvdty because of the
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi presence of -
25 Aug 10:00 AM - 2 Sep 7:00 PM
DOWN
1. Which country is also known as the
‘Land of Rising Sun’
2. The Periyar Game Sanctuary in Kerala is
renowned for -
SOLUTION of crossword no.35 4. Which country is known as the
‘Battleground of Europe’
1.Genocide 11.Eccentric 5. The tropical deciduous plants special to
2.Amputate 12.Altruist the Deccan are -
3.Misologistic 13.Feminist 7. Which one is the largest producer of tea
in the World
4.Transmigration 14.Gratis 8. In which country, ‘Suez Canal’ is located
Cutting Chai & Pakoras 5.Hippy 15.Arsenal 9. The most important uranium ore
Venue : Mister Chai - Shangri La’s - Workshop: Paint Mandalas 6.Fatalist 16.Archives deposits occur in -
Eros Hotel On An Umbrella In A 11. Which one is the smallest ocean in the
7.Autocracy 17.Credulous
CONNAUGHT PLACE Natural, Outdoor Setting World
Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, 19, Ashoka Road, 8.Atheist 18.Cerebration
Venue : Studio Pepperfry 13. Which one of the following devices is
Connaught Place, Delhi SOUTH EXTENSION - 2 9.Fratricide 19.Anthropologist required to connect a computer to the
15 Aug 12:00 PM - 31 Aug 12:00 PM D-14, 2nd Floor, Above Croma Retail, South 10.Audience 20.Garrulous internet?
Extension 2, New Delhi 18. Which one is the longest continental
1 Sep 2018 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM mountain range in the world

solution of sudoku-35
sudoku-36

India’s First Art

Comedy Night with Exhibition Created By
Jeeveshu Ahluwalia Artificial Intelligence
Venue : Hyjack SAFDARJUNG Venue : Nature Morte NEETI
B-6/6, 2nd Floor, DDA Market, Opp. Deer Park, BAGH
Safdarjung, New Delhi A-1, Neeti Bagh, New Delhi
2 Sep 2018 17 Aug 12:00 PM - 15 Sep 8:00 PM
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

on the lighter side by DHIR

Please mail your solution to - [email protected] or

Whatsapp at 9868807712, One Lucky Winner will win
Cash Prize of Rs 500/-. Look for the Solution in
the Next Issue of SSB
 32 Newsmakers Aug 20 - 26, 2018

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Unsung Hero
The Man Sanjay Goyal

Behind Nasa’s MP’S Medicine Man

Mission Sun Meet The IAS Officer Ensuring Free
Drugs & Diagnostics For All
The NASA Parker Solar
Probe hopes to study
the ‘solar winds’ first
proposed by Dr
Parker’s paper
s anjay Goyal, a qualified pediatrician, never thought
about becoming a civil servant until he understood first-hand
the critical importance of an efficient administration towards
improving the health outcome of any society.
While pursuing job as a medical officer at Primary Health Centre
in a small village in Punjab, he saw a shortage of basic amenities
like health care, sanitation, education (especially for girl children

m ankind’s first mission

to ‘touch’ the Sun may have
panned out differently
had it not been for Indian-American
astrophysicist Subrahmanyan
Chandrasekhar, who was the editor
for a reputed science journal, had not
intervened and allowed Dr Eugene
Parker (after whom the mission
is named) who was a budding
from disadvantaged sections), and lack of medicines. He realised
that the health status of any society is not only dependent upon
the availability of clinicians but also requires specialists across
different professions to be involved in the administration to work
at various levels of government. There is one incident during his
Chandrasekhar, whose intervention astrophysicist at the time, to publish time as a medical officer in a small Punjab village, which brought
made it possible for a research paper his paper on ‘solar winds,’ this these truths home. “I was repeatedly visited by a poor girl from
proposing the existence of solar wind to get mission may not have ever seen the light of day. a Scheduled Caste community who used to come along with her
published 60 years ago. The NASA Parker Solar Probe hopes to study the father—a bonded labourer, without any wages in cash. Despite
The Parker Solar Probe, which lifted off on ‘solar winds’ first proposed by Dr Parker’s paper. being about seven years old, she wasn’t able to get admission to a
12 August from the Kennedy Space Center in “Chandra, as he was popularly known, is another government school. She didn’t have a birth certificate, for which her
Florida, is all set to become the fastest-moving astrophysicist with his name tagged to a space father required money to travel to the nearest Tehsil headquarters.
manmade object in history. NASA hopes to mission, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory,”
figure out longstanding mysteries about the Dr Nandi said. In 1983, the Indian astrophysicist
Sun, including the notion of solar winds first had won the Nobel Prize along with Willian
proposed by Dr Eugene Newman Parker in 1958. Fowler on a study documenting the evolution of
However, nearly 60 years ago, if Subrahmanyan stars.

Vishnu Kachhawa

Merchant Donates Blankets For Kerala Flood Relief

Amidst all this chaos, stories like that of Vishnu Kachhawa
will restore your faith in humanity
It was then I realised and felt the need of becoming a part of the

s haring takes great courage—

especially when you offer someone
everything you have.
Kachhawa, a door-to-door salesman from
Vishnu

Madhya Pradesh who sells blankets in Iritty,

something back to the land and its people
who have been helping him earn a livelihood
for more than 12 years.
As reported, Vishnu had initially planned
to sell the stock which he bought from
administrative system to bring about effective change and make a
difference in the lives of common people,” says Goyal.
He also has the distinction of turning the Gwalior district into an
open-defecation free (ODF) area over the course of just nine months
as district magistrate, besides conducting innovative campaign
in Kannur district of Kerala, became a star on Haryana, but donated fifty blankets after under the Centre’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padao (save and educate girl
social media overnight, after he donated his seeing the devastation caused by the flood. child) scheme, which won him major plaudits. Today, he is the
entire stock of blankets to people in a flood- “Kannur is my second home. Kerala Managing Director of a State-run distribution and retail supply firm.
relief camp at Adichukootti Government has given me everything, a place to stay, a However, among this IAS officer’s greatest achievements has to be
School, Mangad, in the district. livelihood to support my family and raise the successful planning and implementation of the MP government’s
For Vishnu, it was an opportunity to give my children and really good climate. I am ‘Free Medicine Scheme’ launched on November 17, 2012, as the
seeing Kerala in such agony for Director of the State’s Health and Family Welfare department. The
the first time. I cannot afford MP government started this scheme to ensure regular availability
to watch people suffering and I of basic essential medicines to patients from all walks of life. Under
gave them what I have.” the scheme, generic medicines are distributed free of cost to all
He is unaware of the fact that government hospitals. With provisions for free diagnostics facility
he has become a star on Kerala’s (ECG, sonography, echocardiography and X-ray tests) from district
social media space. When he hospitals to sub-health centres, average citizens can visit them
was told about it, he laughed and receive treatment without paying a dime. However, the most
and said “Baap re! Has my news heartening aspect of this scheme is how village residents are visiting
gone viral? My wife will be the local PHCs before proceeding to the district hospital.
amused!”

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 36
Printed by Monika Jain, Published by Monika Jain on behalf of SULABH SANITATION MISSION FOUNDATION and Printed at
The Indian Express Ltd., A-8, Sector-7, NOIDA (U.P.) and Published from RZ 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi – 110 045. Editor Monika Jain