Bihari Quotes

An Indian lies in the eyes of the beholder…what you choose to see. You can travel the length and breadth of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Mumbai to Kolkota, and not see a single Indian. You will see Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, etc. You will see Maharashtrians, Gujaratis, UPites, Biharis, Bengalis, Tamils, Telugus, Malayalis, etc. Or you will see Indians.

आओ फिर से दिया जलाएँ भरी दुपहरी में अंधियारा सूरज परछाई से हारा अंतरतम का नेह निचोड़ें बुझी हुई बाती सुलगाएँ। आओ फिर से दिया जलाएँ हम पड़ाव को समझे मंज़िल लक्ष्य हुआ आंखों से ओझल वतर्मान के मोहजाल में आने वाला कल न भुलाएँ। आओ फिर से दिया जलाएँ। आहुति बाकी यज्ञ अधूरा अपनों के विघ्नों ने घेरा अंतिम जय का वज़्र बनाने नव दधीचि हड्डियां गलाएँ। आओ फिर से दिया जलाएँ

I am a Dalit in Khairlanji. A Pandit in the Kashmir valley. A Sikh in 1984. I am from the North East of India when I am in Munirka. I am a Muslim in Gujarat; a Christian in Kandhamal. A Bihari in Maharashtra. A Delhi-wallah in Chennai. A woman in North India. A Hindi-speaker in Assam. A Tamilian in MP. A villager in a big city. A confused man in an indifferent world. We're all minorities. We all suffer; we all face discrimination. It is only us resisting this parochialism when in the position of majoritarian power that makes us human. I hope that one day, I can just be an Indian in India - only then can I be me.

India belongs not to Punjabis, Biharis, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, but to those beautiful creatures—peacocks, elephants, tigers, bears…

दो दिन मिले उधार में, घाटे के व्यापार में, क्षण-क्षण का हिसाब जोड़ूँ या पूँजी शेष लुटाऊँ मैं? राह कौन-सी जाऊँ मैं?

The city continued on its way. Boys tried to sell me drumsticks, girls played hopscotch, the Bihari badly worker carried his gathri of ironed clothes to the homes from which they had come, and the buses honked at suicidal cyclists. At one level this was vaguely confusing. Surely, something should acknowledge how much things had changed? At another level, it was oddly comforting.

Rajalakshmi would send for Bihari and express her grief. Bihari would tell her, ‘Ma, when the worm weaves a cocoon there is not much to fear, but when it breaks out and flies away, it is hard to make it return. Who would have thought he would break free of his bond with you in such a manner?

journalist Vinod Mehta wrote, ‘I am convinced if Vajpayee had not been the PM, India would have been sent to fight in George Bush’s Iraq invasion. He dreaded phone calls from George imploring him to send even a token force. “His soldiers are dying and now he wants my soldiers to die. I will never let that happen,”’ Mehta remembered Atal having told him.

दाँव पर सबकुछ लगा है, रुक नहीं सकते। टूट सकते हैं मगर हम झुक नहीं सकते।

भारत-पाकिस्तान पड़ोसी, साथ-साथ रहना है, प्यार करें या वार करें, दोनों को ही सहना है, तीन बार लड़ चुके लड़ाई, कितना महँगा सौदा, रूसी बम हो या अमेरिकी, खून एक बहना है। जो हम पर गुजरी बच्चों के संग न होने देंगे। जंग न होने देंगे।

टू टे हुए तारों से फूटे वासंती स्वर, पत्थर की छाती में उग आया नव अंकुर, झरे सब पीले पात, कोयल की कुहुक रात, प्राची में अरुणिमा की रेख देख पाता हूँ। गीत नया गाता हूँ। टूटे हुए सपने की सुने कौन सिसकी? अंतर को चीर व्यथा पलकों पर ठिठकी। हार नही मानूँगा, रार नई ठानूँगा, काल के कपाल पर लिखता-मिटाता हूँ। गीत नया गाता हूँ।

Speaking in the Lok Sabha on 8 May 1959, Atal said: ‘When we accepted the sovereignty of China on Tibet we made a mistake. That day was an unfortunate day. Where has the Panchsheel agreement gone? Those who proclaim Panchsheel say that according to Panchsheel democracy and dictatorship can live together. If for the communist imperialism the peace and religion loving people of Tibet can’t keep their way of life, then it is meaningless to say that in such a big world communism and democracy can co-exist. We don’t want to interfere in the internal affairs of Tibet. But Tibet is not an internal affair of China. I represent a small party but our party defends the independence of Tibet. We want friendship with China but we should not build the palace of this friendship on the dead body of Tibet’s independence.

Incidentally, at a reception at Governor House, Atal recited his poem ‘Ab jung naa hone denge hum’. Atal was felicitated at Lahore Fort where, hinting at the common heritage of the two nations, he pointed out how Shah Jahan was born in the fort and Akbar had spent close to a decade there. The audience was so impressed by Atal’s speech that Nawaz Sharif quipped, ‘Vajpayee sahab ab toh Pakistan mein bhi election jeet sakte hain. [Mr Vajpayee can now win elections even in Pakistan.]

I had become something of a bird man – a passion that has remained with me – and could tell a Himalayan griffon from a bearded vulture and could identify the streaked laughing thrush, the orange bullfinch, Tytler’s leaf warbler and the Kashmir flycatcher, which was threatened then, and must surely by now be extinct. The trouble with being in Dachigam was that it had the effect of unsettling one’s resolve. It underlined the futility of it all. It made one feel that Kashmir really belonged to those creatures. That none of us who were fighting over it – Kashmiris, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese (they have a piece of it too – Aksai Chin, which used to be part of the old Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir), or for that matter Pahadis, Gujjars, Dogras, Pashtuns, Shins, Ladakhis, Baltis, Gilgitis, Purikis, Wakhis, Yashkuns, Tibetans, Mongols, Tatars, Mon, Khowars – none of us, neither saint nor soldier, had the right to claim the truly heavenly beauty of that place for ourselves. I was once moved to say so, quite casually, to Imran, a young Kashmiri police officer who had done some exemplary undercover work for us. His response was, ‘It’s a very great thought, Sir. I have the same love for animals as yourself. Even in my travels in India I feel the exact same feeling – that India belongs not to Punjabis, Biharis, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, but to those beautiful creatures – peacocks, elephants, tigers, bears . . .’ He was polite to the point of being obsequious, but I knew what he was getting at. It was extraordinary; you couldn’t – and still cannot – trust even the ones you assumed were on your side. Not even the damn police.

मैं देवता की तरह क़ैद अपने मंदिर में; वो मेरे जिस्म से बाहर मेरी तलाश में है।

विध्वंस की लपटों में सृजन का सौन्दर्य मुस्कराता है!

हरी-हरी दूब पर ओस की बूँदें अभी थीं, अब नहीं हैं। ऐसी खुशियाँ जो हमेशा हमारा साथ दें कभी नहीं थीं, कभी नहीं हैं। क्वार की कोख से फूटा बाल सूर्य, जब पूरब की गोद में पाँव फैलाने लगा, तो मेरी बगीची का पत्ता-पत्ता जगमगाने लगा, मैं उगते सूर्य को नमस्कार करूँ या उसके ताप से भाप बनी, ओस की बूँदों को ढूँढ़ूँ? सूर्य एक सत्य है जिसे झुठलाया नहीं जा सकता मगर ओस भी तो एक सच्चाई है यह बात अलग है कि ओस क्षणिक है क्यों न मैं क्षण-क्षण को जीऊँ? कण-कण में बिखरे सौंदर्य को पीऊँ? सूर्य तो फिर भी उगेगा, धूप तो फिर भी खिलेगी, लेकिन मेरी बगीची की हरी-हरी दूब पर, ओस की बूँद हर मौसम में नहीं मिलेगी।

Even after casting aspersions on a BJP Chief Minister – Narendra Modi – in 2002, NDTV got its own TV channel license in 2003, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.  After eating out more than a $100 million from Star News partnership, in 2003, NDTV flipped the bird to media baron Rupert Murdoch. Knowing NDTV’s clout in Delhi, Murdoch did not file any case of cheating against them, as by that time Arun Jaitley had become the Law Minister with hands in several other portfolios and had persuaded Atal Bihari Vajpayee to let NDTV and Prannoy Roy have their way despite the strong ideological opposition of Swaminathan Gurumurthy.

संकेत निकल गया। तीज ने सब को पुकारकर कहा- लड़के लड़की को मिला दिया तो अब मूसलचंद क्यों बने हो? चलो सब बाहर! -जरूर! – सभी दोनों को विश करते हुए बाहर निकले। -बी क्यू!-तीज ने इशारा किया। -कोई जरूरत पड़ी तो! – बी क्यू ने बहाना बनाया। -इन दोनों को एक-दूसरे के अलावा और किसी चीज की जरूरत नहीं है। चलिये! बहानेबाज! -ओके डीयर। आज रविवार की इस शाम पूरे परिसर में मेधा थी, करण था और थी अनगिनत दिनों और अनगिनत रातों की कहानियाँ। नजरों नजरों में बात चलती…होंठ हिलते…स्मृतियाँ ताजी होतीं…कुछ याद करते, कुछ भूलते! समय ने उन्हें आगे बढ़ते हुए आज मिलाया था और सिखाया था कि लोग आयु के एक दौर में सीखते हैं तो दूसरे दौर में जीते हैं। जीते-जीते उन्हें पता चलता है कि स्कूल और कॉलेज से निकलने के बाद भी लोगों को ज़िंदगी भर सीखना होता है और सीखने की ये प्रक्रिया ज़िंदगी के स्कूल में कितनी कठिन होती है और कैसी परीक्षाएँ देनी पड़ती हैं। ब्लू लैब का ये प्रेरक एकांत, शाम का रंगीन माहौल, मेधा और करण की भावनाएं आपस में गुंथ पड़ती हैं और एक दूसरे की नजर से दुनिया को देखते हुए वो लाला जी को बुलाते हैं। लाला जी बड़ी अदा से चाय रखकर कंधे पर पड़े गमछे में पसीना पोछते हुए वापस जाते हैं। चाय की मीठी चुस्कियों के साथ जीवन के मीठे दौर की शुरुआत करने के लिए वो आज फिर से एक-दूसरे की हथेली थामते हैं। शायद आज कोई फिर से बड़े शहर की चकाचौंध और दमघोंटू माहौल को छोडकर आरा कि सहरसा कि भागलपुर के अपने छोटे से गाँव में वापस आया है और आँगन में लगी खटिया पर बैठकर, रसोई में चूल्हे पर ताव देती अपनी पत्नी को, खेत से लौटकर आ रहे अपने पिता को, ओसरे पर चावल चुनती अपनी माँ को, कमरे में छुपके अपनी भौजी का काजल लगाती अपनी छोटी बहन को, बल्ला-विकेट लेकर खलिहान से खेलकर लौटते अपने भाई को देखकर लंबी सी सांस भरता है, ‘घर में सब ठीक है!

-क्या समझती हो तुम?- करण उसके नजदीक आया और उसे कंधों से धक्का देता दीवार पर ले गया। -करण!-मेधा ने छूटने की कोशिश की। -क्या करण!- करण ने आवाज अचानक मीठी की- चलो स्टार्ट करते हैं! देखो न! दूर-दूर तक कोई नहीं है। सिर्फ तुम!- करण ने मेधा के होठों पर उंगली रखी और बोला- सिर्फ मैं! -करण! छोड़ो!- मेधा कसमसाई- प्लीज! छोड़ो न! करण धीरे-धीरे उसके चेहरे पर झुकता गया। मेधा की सांसें अनियंत्रित थ, वो सिसकियाँ ले रही थी। करण के होंठ उसके होठों से मिले और करण की पकड़ ढीली पाकर वो अलग हट गयी। करण फिर बढ़ा। मेधा ने सिसकी भरी और एक थप्पड़ चला दिया करण के गाल पर- प्लीज करण! -यही आग लगी है न! करण ने मेधा की दोनों बाँहें मरोड़ी और मेधा को फिर से दीवार की तरफ खींच लाया- तुम देखना चाहती हो न! -मुझे जाने दो प्लीज! -तुम कहीं नहीं जाओगी!- करण ने उसके मंगटीके को खींचा। -आह! -प्यार का कीड़ा कुलबुला रहा है न दिमाग में!- करण ने दूसरे हाथ से उसके केश खींचते हुए कहा- आज ठंडी कर देता हूँ सारी आग! मेधा की सांसें, उसकी इच्छा-अनिच्छा, उसकी तड़प, उसका दर्द, उसकी सिसकियाँ सभी करण के ताबड़तोड़ चुंबनों में कैद हो गईं। करण को हिसाब नहीं था कि उसने कुछ पलों के गुजरते-गुजरते कितने घाव लगा दिये थे मेधा के शरीर पर, उसके चेहरे के छोटे से छोटे हिस्से को भी वो घायल कर चुका था। मेधा बेजान सी बेजान दीवार के सहारे बैठ गयी। उसकी आँखों में आंसू थे, उसके चेहरे पर ज्योंकी गहरे-गहरे घाव लगे थे, वो बिलकुल से टूट चुकी थी। -अच्छी पूजा की तुमने एक लड़की की…करण ने पीछे मुड़कर देखा और फिर नजर फेरकर आगे बढ्ने को हुआ। -तुम्हें वहाँ से निकलना पड़ेगा करण! थोड़ा पहले या थोड़ा बाद! करण उसे अनसुना कर गया। मेधा ने देखा तो वो माँगटीका वहीं, उसके सामने गिरा हुआ था। उसने अपना हाथ बढ़ाया और उसे हथेली पर उठाया। मुट्ठी बंद करते वक़्त उसकी आँखें फिर से छलछला गयी।

When Pakistan reciprocated Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peacenik bus trip to Lahore with a military invasion of the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir in 1999, the Indian Army was not allowed to cross the Line of Control and strike at the invaders’ bases and supply lines in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. This raised the death toll among Indian soldiers, the typical Gandhian price for a pose of saintliness,

Delhi was the political capital and the Parliament where Atal went, allowed a vantage point that gave him a bird’s eye view of what was happening across the country. This gave him a sort of detached view and enabled him to rise above the party line. It also made him realize what makes India tick and appreciate the unity in the diversity of the country.

बिखरा शीशे-सा शहर, अपनों के मेले में मीत नहीं पाता हूँ, गीत नहीं गाता हूँ। पीठ में छुरी-सा चाँद, राहु गया रेखा फाँद, मुक्ति के क्षणों में बार-बार बँध जाता हूँ, गीत नहीं गाता हूँ।

रूप, तेज, बल, पवित्रता, आयु, आरोग्य, निर्लोभता, दुःस्वप्नका नाश, तप और मेधा—ये दस गुण स्नान करनेवालोंको प्राप्त होते हैं— गुणा दश स्नानपरस्य साधो! रूपं च तेजश्च बलं च शौचम् ⁠। आयुष्यमारोग्यमलोलुपत्वं दुःस्वप्ननाशश्च तपश्च मेधाः ⁠।⁠।

बाद मुद्दत के मिले हैं दिवाने, कहने सुनने को बहुत हैं अफसाने. खुली हवा में जरा सांस तो ले लें, कब तक रहेगी आजादी कौन जाने.

The differences in the life chances of the rich and the poor, men and women, Brahmins and Doms and, for that matter, Keralites and Biharis, Hindus and Muslims across India are so sharp that, until these inequalities are bridged, it is impossible for the nation as a whole to prosper, let alone be a world leader.

छकि रसाल-सौरभ, सने मधुर माधुरी-गंध।

समै समै सुंदर सबै, रूपु कुरूप न कोइ। मन की रुचि जेती जितै, तेति रुचि होइ।।

Nowadays anybody is aware of what it's miles. But let’s have a recap, shall we? On 1st July 2017 Government of India released what we name now, “GST” beneathneath the governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But, the idea of GST turned into first proposed all through the authorities of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. So, after nearly a long time it returned. We pay GST whilst we purchase meals items, clothes, electronics, transportation, etc. We do now no longer pay it at once to the authorities but, it really works in a chain. Before the product reaches the customer, there are producers, wholesalers, and retailers. They upload this tax and the closing individual on this chain, to finish it's miles us! Get your Gst Registration done today at

My lord! Do not place me so high, That I cannot embrace Those who are not my own. - Never Place Me So High

To those who try to reach The throne of power Over mounds of dead bodies Of innocent children Old women Young men, I have a question: Did nothing bind them To those who died? - Power

Do you ever recommend low-dose naltrexone to your patients? For those reading this who aren’t familiar with low-dose naltrexone (LDN), I’ll give a brief explanation. Naltrexone is an FDA-approved medication, approved to help heroin and opium addicts by blocking opioid receptors. In 1985, Dr. Bernard Bihari experimented with lower doses of naltrexone and realized that it can modulate the immune system. Soon thereafter, it was found that LDN can benefit many people with autoimmune conditions, certain types of cancers, and some other chronic health conditions. While at times I recommend LDN to my patients, it’s not something I jump into for the following reasons: 1. LDN doesn’t do anything to address the cause of the problem. Although LDN can modulate the immune system, it doesn’t do anything to address the underlying cause of Hashimoto’s. However, some people choose to take LDN while simultaneously trying to detect and remove their triggers. 2. LDN isn’t always effective. Although I can’t say that I’ve had a lot of patients who have taken LDN, I’ve worked with enough people to see that LDN sometimes is effective, but, at other times, it doesn’t seem to help at all. 3. LDN can have a negative effect on sleep. Initially, it is common for LDN to interfere with sleep. However, this seems to be more common in those people who start with a higher dosage (i.e., 4.5 mg); thus, if this occurs, you would want to lower the dosage. Better yet, start with a lower dosage of LDN and then gradually increase it if necessary. When Do I Recommend Low-Dose Naltrexone? In most cases, I will recommend a natural treatment approach first, and if the person isn’t responding after a few months, then I’d consider LDN as an option. In addition, before someone takes LDN, it’s important to address certain imbalances in order to increase its effectiveness. For example, low or depressed vitamin D levels should be corrected before someone starts taking LDN. In addition, according to some healthcare professionals, having a Candida overgrowth also can make LDN less effective.

In 1998, when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was unseated by a vote of no-confidence, Sonia made an abortive bid to become prime minister. She was thwarted by Mulayam Singh Yadav who withdrew support to the Congress-led government after indicating an initial willingness to offer it.

Though clad in blue, the dark night cannot hide her as she goes to meet her lover. The flame-like brilliance of her body illumines the night itself.

Atal also wondered whether Indira Gandhi was mulling a presidential system for India and was planning to rule India with the army sharing power. He said, ‘[The] PM is glibly telling the world that there is no harm in having a national debate on the desirability of the presidential system. One wonders if the PM has any clear concept apart from perpetuating her family in power.

There is nothing that succeeds like success and conversely nothing fails like failure.

Atal also answered the charge that his party should not have tried to form the government since the BJP got only a minority of votes. He pointed out that the first-past-the-post Westminster system that was followed in the country counted only the seats that a party won and not the percentage of votes polled. By implication, the BJP could not be blamed for jumping in to try and form a government.

He told India Today in the interview quoted earlier: ‘Yes, the tests have entailed a price. But we should not worry about it. India has a reservoir of resources and inner strength. If we tap its reservoir, the benefit will be a hundred times more than any price that we may have to pay in the short run.

Further, a solution to the Kashmir problem must take into account the interests of India, Pakistan and above all the Kashmiri people (the words ‘above all’ were inserted at the instance of Atal).

on 12 October 1984, just a few weeks before the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Atal declared, ‘Our hour of trial is approaching. This government is a danger to democracy. In its insatiable lust for power, one single family has jeopardized the unity of an entire nation. In Punjab there is neither peace nor settlement. In Assam there is lull before a storm; a terrible crisis in Assam can erupt now.

On 17 April 1999, the government got 269 votes in its favour while 270 votes went against. On the morning of that day, Atal spoke to BSP chief Mayawati, who promised to support the government. However, when Mayawati stood up to address the Lok Sabha, she announced that her party would vote against the government.

Atal realized that if the Congress party was successful in hanging on to power, it was because it reflected the desires and aspirations of the citizens in some measure. The easiest course for an opposition party is to launch a course of action and espouse an ideology that is diametrically opposed to that of the ruling party. However, Atal never aspired to do so. He knew that if the Congress party was doing something right, it had to be imbibed even at the risk of being criticized.

The greatest curse, not merely of Indian politics but of national life as a whole, is the general incapacity to work together. Let’s learnt to unite, instead of dividing to create harmony where disharmony exists and to keep our self-interest and ego in leash.

He also believed that ‘you can change friends but not your neighbours’, and that is why he aggressively pursued peace with neighbours like Pakistan.

Greatness does not come from bigness of position or out of victory in wars. Greatness comes out of showing respect for others and being sensitive to their needs.

in August 1962, Atal introduced a private member’s bill that sought to amend the Companies Act of 1956, to bar companies from making donations to political parties. Atal argued on the floor of the House that those in charge of companies had no moral right to spend shareholders’ money funding political parties: ‘Why do companies want to donate money to parties? Do the owners of companies give money to political parties to show they are patriotic? Companies are set up for financial aims and there is no need for them to give money as donations. Political parties to whom they give donations malign politics. Money is needed to run parties but parties represent the people and they should go to people to collect money.’ There was a furious debate on the bill and after discussing it three times, it was ultimately rejected on 27 November 1964.

in the late 1950s, when the entire opposition was busy criticizing Nehru, Atal had stood up and asked whether it was mandatory for the entire opposition to criticize every move of the government just for the sake of opposition. He had said that when it came to the integrity of the nation, everybody needed to stand by the leader, cutting across party lines.

Among the other legislations introduced by Atal, one was to amend the Constitution so as to remove Article 370 that gave special status to J&K. Debated in the House twice, the amendment put forth by Atal, however, lost in the voting.

Indira Gandhi lambasted the Jana Sangh for its concept of ‘Indianization’ which is said to have been directed against Indian Muslims. She said she would deal with a party like the Jana Sangh in five minutes. Atal was mighty miffed. He replied, ‘PM says she can deal with the Jana Sangh in five minutes. Can any democratic PM speak like this? I say in five minutes you cannot even deal with your own hair, how you can [sic] deal with us. When Nehruji was angry he would at least make a good speech. We used to tease him. But we cannot do that with Indira. She gets angry on her own.

Mehta added that Atal summoned A.B. Bardhan and Harkishan Singh Surjeet (leaders from the left whose parties were holding demonstrations against the Iraq invasion) and asked them how the demonstrations were doing. They said that they were going well. Vinod Mehta further writes, ‘Vajpayee said, “But I cannot hear anything.” The canny old fox was suggesting that they raise the decibel level of the protests so he could tell Bush that his hands were tied. Note the subtlety of his strategy,’ he adds.

He said on the floor of the Lok Sabha, ‘I know that Panditji practices shirshasana and is welcome to continue doing so, but this does not mean that he should look at issues with an inverted vision.

During a trip to the Soviet Union, Atal made it a point to emphasize to the leaders there that ‘normalization of relations with other countries will not be allowed to affect relations with you’.

बाधाएं आती हैं आएं घिरें प्रलय की घोर घटाएं, पावों के नीचे अंगारे, सिर पर बरसें यदि ज्वालाएं, निज हाथों में हंसते-हंसते, आग लगाकर जलना होगा. कदम मिलाकर चलना होगा.

Once India achieved its nuclear power status as did Pakistan, Atal felt that it was time that the two countries started working towards good relations. Atal’s counterpart in Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, also believed that the two countries should foster good relations. Sharif sent an invitation to Atal to visit Pakistan. Pakistan wanted to test the commitment of the new BJP government. Atal responded wholeheartedly and crossed the Attari–Wagah border in Punjab by bus on the afternoon of 19 February 1999. He was accompanied by twenty-two distinguished Indians who included journalists like Kuldeep Nayar, cultural personalities like Mallika Sarabhai and film personalities like Dev Anand and Javed Akhtar. The bus that Atal went by was to become a daily feature from Delhi to Lahore and back. The bus service was to foster better people-to-people contacts, including allowing families that lived on either side of the border to meet each other.

Immediately after crossing the border, where he was received by Nawaz Sharif, Atal said, ‘This is a defining moment in South Asian history and we will have to rise to the challenge.’ Atal’s aide Sudheendra Kulkarni later recalled how Pakistani information minister Mushahid Hussain had said to him on the sidelines, ‘Vajpayeeji has real guts to come to Pakistan like this and at this time.

The composite dialogue could, however, not get going in Atal’s tenure because elections were called early and the results pushed his government out of power. Although Atal could not achieve lasting peace with Pakistan, his intentions can never be doubted. In fact, Alex Perry wrote in TIME magazine, on 26 April 2004, that Atal’s plan to ‘visit Pakistan to talk with Musharraf in Islamabad and the agreement to end half a century of war and hostility’ had only one parallel in modern history and that was Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s 1977 mission to Jerusalem.

A remorseful Atal, after losing the Lok Sabha elections held after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, said in Gwalior (from where he had contested) that he wanted to clear any misgivings: ‘As a student of class X, I had written “Hindu Tan Man, Hindu Jeevan, Rag Rag Hindu Mera Parichay.” People say that Atal, who had written the poem, is not the same who does politics. There is no truth in it. I am Hindu. How can I forget that? However, my Hindutva is not constricted, it is not narrow.

ACCORDING TO NEWTON’S THIRD law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This holds true for the physical sciences, but in the field of policy reforms and political moves, while every action leads to a reaction, the reaction is not equal to the action.

प्रखर प्यार से वंचित यौवन, नीरवता से मुखरित मधुवन, पर-हित अर्पित अपना तन-मन, जीवन को शत-शत आहुति में, जलना होगा, गलना होगा। कदम मिलाकर चलना होगा।

पाँच दशकों से अधिक राजनीतिक यात्रा के बाद भी देश की बँटी हुई राजनीति को जोड़ने की आवश्यकता स्पष्ट दिखाई देती है। जो केवल सत्ता के लिए नहीं अपितु विघटनकारी शक्तियों से लोहा लेकर राष्ट्रीय हितों की रक्षा करने के काम में आगे बढ़ सकें, उनके लिए ऐसे मंच की सार्थकता सदैव रहेगी।

One of Atal’s best-known poems is ‘Geet Naya Gaata Hoon’ (I Sing a New Song). The poem begins with the protagonist in a crestfallen mood saying, ‘Geet nahin gaata hoon [I do not sing]’, and further, ‘Benakaab chehre hain, daag bade gehre hain; toota tilism, aaj, sach se bhaya khata hoon, geet nahin gata hoon.’ In the second stanza, the protagonist has regained his confidence and says, ‘Geet naya gata hoon; toote hue taaron se, phoote vasanti swar; paththar ki chaati mein ug aaya nav ankur.’ It ends, ‘Kaal ke kapal par likhta, mitata hoon.

Mere Prabhu, Mujhe itni unchai kabhi mat dena, Gairon ko gale na laga sakoo, Itni rukhai mat dena. [My Lord, Never let me climb so high that I can’t bend down to embrace another human, Deliver me from such arrogance.]

eminent journalist Vinod Mehta wrote, ‘I am convinced if Vajpayee had not been the PM, India would have been sent to fight in George Bush’s Iraq invasion. He dreaded phone calls from George imploring him to send even a token force. “His soldiers are dying and now he wants my soldiers to die. I will never let that happen,”’ Mehta remembered Atal having told him.

Padmanabhaiah says that one year he was surprised and elated when he went to meet Atal to wish him on his birthday. The civil servant was accompanied by the director of the IB. The prime minister after accepting their birthday wishes, said, ‘You two are able to save three hundred to four hundred lives in Nagaland every year due to your interventions. Thanks are due to you.

At the same time, when, on one of his visits, Padmanabhaiah recommended a Bharat Ratna for Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Atal said, ‘For Bharat Ratna no recommendations are accepted.’ Padmanabhaiah persisted and said, ‘He is getting old and may not live much longer.’ Atal shot back, ‘About twenty days back I attended his concert in Pune. He is fine.’ There ended the conversation.

In Parliament, Atal impressed many with his oratory, which combined both thoughtful content and style of delivery. It is not that he was inhibited in his earlier years and gained confidence with time. Quite early on in his career, he had occasion to disagree with Pandit Nehru. He said on the floor of the Lok Sabha, ‘I know that Panditji practices shirshasana and is welcome to continue doing so, but this does not mean that he should look at issues with an inverted vision.

A piece by Vinod Mehta sums up Atal’s pleasant style. He wrote: ‘It was impossible not to like him. Periodically I would go to 7 Race Course Road to have tea in his genial company. We would gup-shup. I told him the latest joke doing the rounds and he would pass on whatever came his way. He is the only PM I have known who has a sense of humour and enjoyed the exchange of witticisms. Once when I went to see him, he did not seem his usual jovial self. I asked him why he was so glum. He said, “Apke baad Jayalalithaa aayengi.” Then he laughed uproariously.

The assassination of Indira Gandhi, on the last day of October 1984, just ahead of the general elections, had a cataclysmic effect. It is common wisdom that the RSS worked for the Congress party in the December 1984 elections. Whatever be the case, the Congress won 414 of 545 seats in the Lok Sabha, its biggest ever win that has never been bettered. The BJP was routed as it could merely win two seats. Atal Bihari Vajpayee also lost. The BJP merely got around 7 per cent of the votes against the Congress’s 49 per cent. Reading the writing on the wall, Atal had decided to abandon New Delhi, the seat that he got elected from in 1977 and 1980.

जन्म-मरण का अविरत फेरा, जीवन बंजारों का डेरा, आज यहाँ, कल कहाँ कूच है, कौन जानता, किधर सवेरा, अँधियारा आकाश असीमित, प्राणों के पंखों को तौलें। अपने ही मन से कुछ बोलें!

He can be called eclectic akin to ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from various schools of thought. Thus he had imbibed and projected a catholicity of views,’ says Supriyo Banerjee, an academic from Kolkata.

मन हारकर, मैदान नहीं जीते जाते, न मैदान जीतने से मन ही जीते जाते हैं।

आदमी की पहचान, उसके धन या आसन से नहीं होती, उसके मन से होती है। मन की फकीरी पर कुबेर की संपदा भी रोती है।

If he had succeeded in conducting nuclear weapon tests in the winter of 1995, as he had planned to, his tenure would not only have begun with a bang but also ended with one, so to speak. In the event, he left the opportunity to test and declare India a nuclear weapons state to his friend and successor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

I am ready to ask kar sevaks who were small in numbers to come forward and openly confess that they demolished the structure and face the music. I would also like to state that there were a large number of kar sevaks not involved in demolition. If the intent was to demolish secretly and according to a plan it would not require kar seva. Whatever happened there, we regret the incident.

When Atal was in office, some of his associates had raised the clamour that he should award the Bharat Ratna to himself. This was after his success in the Kargil conflict. His predecessors, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, had awarded themselves the Bharat Ratna, Nehru getting it in 1955 and Indira Gandhi in 1971. Atal, however, was not a man to do such a thing.

Manmohan had thought very highly of Atal ever since the mid-1990s. Apparently, Atal had sternly criticized Manmohan in the Lok Sabha when he was the finance minister. Manmohan was so taken aback that he went to submit his resignation to his boss Narasimha Rao.

L.K. Advani wrote a personal letter to Manmohan Singh, putting forth the demand. Stories doing the rounds suggest that Manmohan Singh, the then prime minister, was not averse to it, but UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi would not agree.

Nehru once introduced Atal to the British prime minister, stating, ‘He is a young leader of the opposition who is always criticizing me, but I see in him a great future.

At the same time, Atal also advised that journals connected with the RSS should not take sides in the power games going on in the political arena. He also said that the RSS should not be involved in youth bodies that interacted with political parties or with trade unions. He significantly advised the RSS to formally enunciate its accepted stand that by Hindu Rashtra it meant Bharatiya Rashtra.

Every time, however, Atal rose to the defence of the RSS. For instance, on 27 May 1996, when the short-lived Atal government was sought to be replaced by Deve Gowda, Atal said on the floor of the Lok Sabha that the RSS was an organization that was wedded to the cause of the nation. He gave two examples, one of the Republic Day parade of 1963 (after the Chinese debacle) when the RSS was one of the organizations invited to send in representatives to participate in the march past to demonstrate national unity. The other one related to 1965 when, at the time of the Indo-Pak war, the government had deployed RSS men to regulate traffic on the roads of Delhi. Atal went on to quote Deve Gowda who, while speaking at a function in Bangalore in the midst of the Emergency, had said, ‘RSS is a spotless organization.’ Atal added that the RSS was an independent organization and while ‘you can differ with the RSS, the allegations against them are not required’.

A livid Atal answered, ‘Main aisi charcha mein nahin padna chahta [I do not want to be drawn into such discussions].’ He added: It is alleged that I work under pressure. I do not work under anybody’s pressure. Your party under pressure stopped nuclear tests. The dates were ready and the preparations had been made. But under foreign pressure the tests were stopped. But we went ahead with the nuclear tests in spite of the pressures. When we were fighting in Kargil, Clinton pressured us to talk to Pakistan. But we said that so long as Pakistan holds one cent of our land we will not talk. What does Soniaji want to say? When she was in Italy I had started doing parliamentary work. I know about my countrymen more than you. Who are you to tell about the Sangh Parivar pressure? This is an internal Parivar matter. Aap dakhal mat dijiye.

ACCORDING TO NEWTON’S THIRD law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This holds true for the physical sciences, but in the field of policy reforms and political moves, while every action leads to a reaction, the reaction is not equal to the action. In some cases, the reaction is greater than the action and in others it is the reverse.

WISE MEN SAY THAT a combination of bad luck and overconfidence can lead anyone to disaster

समुद्रवसने देवि पर्वतस्तनमण्डिते ⁠। विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे ⁠

Fifteen million people were uprooted from their homes by India’s 1947 Partition. Seventy years later, during the pandemic, India was in the throes of its worst reverse migration. This time, the population exodus was estimated to be more than double. For two months, India’s national highways were filled with millions of migrants trudging hundreds of kilometres on foot, cycles, trucks and trains, back to their villages. For the ruling classes, these reverse migrants desperately walking home might as well have been ghosts. Most of them were returning from developed industrial cities and towns in southern and western India to their impoverished homes in the backward eastern states, Bihar among them. Due to poverty, unemployment, landlessness and hunger, more than half of Bihari households have at least one member who is a migrant, largely within India.