28 Lesser-Known Facts About Atal Bihari Vajpayee, The ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ Of Indian Politics
1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in Gwalior on the 25th of December in 1924 to Smt. Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, who was a school teacher in his hometown.
2. Atalji did his schooling from the Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gwalior and graduation from Gwalior’s Victoria College (currently known as the Laxmi Bai College) with distinctions in Hindi, English and Sanskrit.
He completed his post-graduation in M.A. in Political Science with a first class degree from DAV College, Kanpur.
3. In the year 1939, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a volunteer.
In 1944, he became the General Secretary of Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior which was the youth wing of the Arya Samaj. That was the starting point of his activism. By 1947, after being influenced by Babasaheb Apte and attending the Officers Training Camp of the RSS, he became a full time worker.
4. Beginning of the political career
• In the year 1942, Atalji along with his elder brother participated in the Quit India Movement and was arrested for the same.
• After the RSS was banned for its alleged role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, Atalji was appointed as a national secretary for the then newly formed Bhartiya Jana Sangh which was based in Delhi.
• In the year 1954, Atalji went on a fast-unto-death in Kashmir along with his party leader Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who later dies during this strike.
• When in 1957, Atalji was elected from Balrampur for the Lok Sabha, the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehra was so impressed with his oratorial skills that he predicted that one day Atalji would become the Prime Minister of India.
• His exceptional oratorial skills made him acquire the reputation of being the most eloquent defender of the Jana Sangh’s policies and soon in 1968, he became the national president of the Jana Sangh.
5. Arrested during emergency
In the year 1975, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency, he and several other leader from the opposition were arrested.
6. Minister of External Affairs
In 1977, after the formation of the Janata Alliance under the leadership of Morarji Desai, Atalji served as the Minister of External Affairs in his cabinet.
7. As a foreign minister, Atalji was the first person to deliver a speech in Hindi in the United Nations General Assembly in the same year (1977).
He later termed it as one of his life’s happiest moments.
9. First President of BJP
After the dissolution of the Janta Party, Atalji joined hands with his long time friends LK Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekawat to form the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
10. His first PM term in 1996
After winning elections in Gujrat, Maharashtra in 1995, it was announced in one of press conferences in Mumbai in November, the same year, that Atalji would become the Prime Minister of India. And in May 1996, BJP won the parliamentary elections.
11. Served thrice as the Prime Minister of India
He was elected as the Prime Minister of India three times, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 11 months in 1998-1999, and finally for a full term in 1999-2004.
12. Atalji was India’s first non-congress Prime Minister to complete a 5 year term.
13. He is the only parliamentarian to have been elected from 4 different states – Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat.
14. In May 1998, under Atalji’s governance, India conducted live underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran desert of Rajasthan.
15. Initiated Delhi-Lahore bus service
After a tension brew between India and Pakistan in 1998-99, after India’s nuclear tests and Pakistan’s reply to it, Atalji initiated a peace making process by introducing a bus service between Delhi and Lahore. He also signed a Lahore Declaration ensuing a commitment to peace making attempts and expanded trade relations between the two nations.
16. Indian Army won the war of Kargil under the governance of Atalji after which he was regarding with utmost respect and an epitome of strength and perfect leadership.
17. Atalji’s secret letter to president of United States
It is said that during the Kargil War, Atalji sent a ‘secret letter’ to US President Bill Clinton, stating that if the Pakistani infiltrators do not withdraw from the Indian territory, ‘we will get them out one way or the other’ implying that he did not rule out the use of nuclear weapons or crossing the Line of Control (LOC).
18. During his administration, he worked on two crucial projects
His pet projects during his term in 1999-2004 were National Highways Development Project and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna.
19. In December 2005, Atalji announced his retirement from active politics.
20. Atalji suffered a stroke in 2009 and it impaired his speech.
He was confined to a wheelchair and had trouble recognising people. He also suffered from dementia and long term diabetes.
21. In 2014, the Modi government declared Atalji’s birthday, December the 25th, to be marked as a Good Governance Day.
22. In the year 2015, Atalji was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.
23. Atalji has remained a bachelor all his life.
24. Atal Bihari Vajpayee adopted the daughter of his longtime friend Rajkumari Kaul and BN Kaul and raised her as his own child.
Her name is Namita Bhattacharya.
25. Atalji wrote poetry and has a book published as well
In the book ‘Values, Visions and Verses of Vajpayee : India’s Man of Destiny’, the words he used for his poetry were:
‘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 despirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory’.
26. Also published six poetry books, the most popular being “Nai Disha” in which his words were sung by the Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh.
27. His favourites
Among his favourites, the muscicians he liked the most were Bhimsen Joshi, Amjad Ali Khan(sarod maestro) and Hari Prasad Chaurasi(Flautist). His favourite food was fish and khichdi and he was fond of the Chinese cuisine. His favourite colour was blue. The places he likes the most are Manali, Almora and Mount Abu. His favourite singers were Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.
28. On June 11, 2018, Atalji was admitted to AIIMS, Delhi in a critical condition and he passed away on August 16, 2018 due to age related issues.
As we remember him, we feel grateful for his existence, his hard work, commitment, dedication and sacrifices towards the country. As they say ‘A life that touches others, goes on forever’.