Vajpayee's stature went beyond positions, rooted in deeds and personality: Rajnath

Lucknow, Dec 24 (PTI) Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee's stature was defined not by the positions he held but by his deeds and personality.

Speaking at a solo poetry recital by Kumar Vishwas on the eve of Vajpayee's 101st birth anniversary here, Singh said some people are respected because of the offices they occupy, while others command respect even without holding any post, owing to their work and character.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee was such a personality,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, among others, were present at the programme.

Usually, solemn and formal programmes mark the birth anniversaries of great personalities, but Vajpayee's birth anniversary takes on a different character because of his lively and warm nature, Singh said.

“Even though Vajpayee is no longer among us, there is still a strong eagerness among people to pay tribute to him whenever such programmes are organised.

“It is a matter of happiness that the atmosphere of this event is neither formal nor burdensome, but filled with warmth and intimacy, much like Atal Ji's own life and personality, which touched everyone and infused liveliness,” Singh said.

The defence minister added that amid the turbulence and noise of public life, Vajpayee always kept alive the gentle and sensitive form of poetry.

As a much-loved leader, Vajpayee left a deep imprint on the minds of the people, a fact that cannot be denied, he said, adding that with the same depth, Vajpayee also succeeded in winning hearts through his poetry.

Recalling Vajpayee's early literary journey, Singh said that while studying in Class 10, Vajpayee wrote his first popular poem, the lines of which read, “Hindu tan-man, Hindu jeevan, rag-rag Hindu mera parichay”.

Singh said that although a student of that age is very young, many eminent scholars and intellectuals of the time said after hearing the poem that its author was no ordinary person and would shape India's future one day.

Singh recalled that in 1942, during a camp at the Kalicharan College, Vajpayee recited the poem in the presence of RSS chief M S Golwalkar, popularly known as Guruji, and the entire hall reverberated with applause.

Referring to his own association with Vajpayee, Singh said while he could not comment about the younger generation in Lucknow, most people of his age had, in some form or another, come into contact with Vajpayee.

Vajpayee represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times from 1991 to 2009.

Vajpayee always remained conscious of the idea that rising high and becoming isolated are not the same, Singh said.

Vajpayee's well-known poem 'Unchai' expressed this very sentiment, which was written in 1992 after he was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, Singh said.

Singh also recited lines from Vajpayee's poems and said that, along with height, there was also expanse in Vajpayee's life and personality.

Recalling an incident from 1998, Singh said Vajpayee was unwell and undergoing treatment at a hospital when he wrote a poem and sent it for publication in ‘Dharmayug’.

Vajpayee had written to the editor that the lines might not be worthy of being called a poem, but were a document of his life, Singh said.

He described the poem as a powerful portrayal of Vajpayee's resolve to never give up, even in the most adverse circumstances.

Singh recited its lines: "Toote hue sapnon ki kaun sune siski, antar ki kya vyatha, palkon par khidki – haar nahin maanunga, raah nayi thaanunga.” Singh also said that Vajpayee was as serious as he was fond of humour, a side of him that people of Lucknow were especially familiar with.

Singh said even while laughing, Vajpayee would often make profound remarks.

Once, when some people accused him of lacking form and example, Vajpayee retorted, “Don't you know, or have you forgotten, that I am Atal as well as Bihari,” Singh recalled.

Referring to the Emergency period, Singh said Vajpayee once suffered back pain while he was in custody and was taken to AIIMS for treatment.

When doctors asked him whether the pain was caused because he had bent down, Vajpayee replied, "Doctor sahib, I do not know how to bend in life; perhaps I must have turned somewhere,” Singh said.

Singh also recalled an incident from 2006 when some journalists asked Vajpayee whether former external affairs minister Natwar Singh had been made a scapegoat to protect the Congress in the Iraq oil-for-food contract controversy.

Vajpayee, smiling, replied, “I am a vegetarian,” Singh said.

Sharing another anecdote, Singh said during Vajpayee's visit to Pakistan, an unmarried woman, impressed by his speech, proposed marriage to him and asked for Kashmir as a gift.

Vajpayee responded that he was ready to marry her, but would want the whole of Pakistan as dowry, Singh recalled, adding that “Vajpayee's sense of humour was remarkable”.

Singh said the most admirable aspect of Vajpayee's speeches was that even while attacking his political opponents, he never crossed the bounds of decorum.

Recalling an instance from Himachal Pradesh, Singh said Vajpayee, while speaking in the presence of then chief minister Virbhadra Singh, said the ministers there were "bhadra" (gentle) but not "vir" (brave).

Singh also recalled an incident from 1994, when the BJP was expanding, and many people were joining its ranks.

Vajpayee, he said, expressed this growth in his poetic style at a public meeting, saying that just as one finds joy in seeing beautiful, big eyes, there is immense happiness in seeing one's lineage and family grow.

Singh said he was present with Vajpayee when he made those remarks and described it as a matter of great fortune for himself.

“Vajpayee shone on India's political horizon and will continue to shine forever,” Singh said. PTI KIS ARI ARI