ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE

Atal ji , as called by many is a tall figure in Indian politics and mesmerised one and all with his oratory skills.He is a clean person in our dirty Indian politics.It would have been so difficult for him to stick to his identity inspite of being in a party of hardliners.Its a well known perception in India that he is a right man ,stuck in wrong party.What i love the most about him is his witty nature and funny one-liners.

Once at an election rally, when he was presented an ornate garland, he responded, "Main har (garland/also defeat) nahin, jeet lene aaya hoon." Commenting on Pakistan's offer of friendship once he said " PADOSI KEHTE HAIN KI EK HAATH SE TALLI NAHIN BAJTI,HUMNE KAHA KI CHUTKI TO BAJ SAKTI HAI!!!".And the all time witty comment of his is :When RamVilas Paswan made a comment in Parliament "Bjp bahut ram ki baatein karti hai.. par unmein koi ram nahi hai.. mera naam tho ram hi hai," immediately Atajli responded..." Ram vilas paswanji... HARAM MEIN BHI RAM HOTA HAI"

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a poet and philosopher .He is the lone Non-Congress leader who is popular among masses and attained unparalelled respect from all quarters of life.I find myself lucky to be in an era when he happened to be the Prime Minister of India and luckier to see him speak in Parliament. All his speeches were mesmerising and pleasing for ears. His words of Confidence when he won the Vote of confidence, or his emotional speech when Jayalalitha withdrew support and his government lost by one vote, his words of anguish during Babri Masjid demolition or his disapproval of Modi during gujarat riots...all will be recorded in the annals of Indian history.

Shri Vajpayee was Prime Minister of India from May 16-31, 1996 and a second time from March 19, 1998 to May 13, 2004. With his swearing-in as Prime Minister, he has been the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to occupy the office of the Prime Minister of India through three successive mandates. Shri Vajpayee has also been the first Prime Minister since Smt. Indira Gandhi to lead his party to victory in successive elections.
Born on December 25, 1924 at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh to Shri Krishna Bihari Vajpayee and Smt. Krishna Devi, Shri Vajpayee brings with him a long parliamentary experience spanning over four decades. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1957. He was elected to the 5th, 6th and 7th Lok Sabha and again to the 10th, 11th 12th and 13th Lok Sabha and to Rajya Sabha in 1962 and 1986. He has again been elected to Parliament from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for the fifth time consecutively. He is the only parliamentarian elected from four different States at different times namely - UP, Gujarat, MP and Delhi.

He was the first person to deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi (in 1977), the "most unforgettable" moment in his life by his own admission.

Awards

Shri Vajpayee was conferred Padma Vibhushan in 1992 in recognition of his services to the nation. He was also conferred the Lokmanya Tilak Puruskar and the Bharat Ratna Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Award for the Best Parliamentarian, both in 1994. Earlier, the Kanpur University honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in 1993.

One of his Poems:

Let us speak to our own selves[Poem by Sri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee]
What have I lost or gained on earth?

In this journey of meeting and separation

I've known deception at every step,

But I have no grievance, no complaints,

As I appraise the past, sift though memories.

The earth is a million years old,

And life a story without an end,

But the body has its limitations

Though it longs to last a hundred autumns.

I will be content if at that last knock,

I open the door on my own.

The ceaseless wheel of birth and death,

This life, like a gypsies' camp,

Here today, a new journey tomorrow,

Who knows where dawn will break¯

The dark sky stretches on forever,

let us test the wings of life.

Let us speak to our own selves.