Atal Bihari Vajpayee : Learn The Art Of Staying Atal
An outstanding parliamentarian, master orator, poet and liberal, Atal Ji was hugely respected across party lines. The whole nation mourns the death of this veteran leader. Born on 25th December 1924 Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not only a political stalwart but was also a great poet. One of the strongest pillars and forefathers of the Bhartiya Janta Party Vajpayee ji breathed his last breath on 16th August 2018. He was the first non-congress Prime Minister to have served a full term of 5 years in the office. Conferred by the highest civilian award The Bharat Ratna, India truly has lost a Ratna (Gem) in form of Atal Ji.
In a mesh of political dirt, a man untouched, unfazed honourable and so much more Atal Ji was one of the most respected politicians not only by the members of BJP but also the opposition. One of the greatest leaders of his own kind, Vajpayee Ji was admired by every Indian irrespective of cast, creed, age and political inclination. Let's have a sneak peek into some of the lesser known facts about Atal Ji who was a man of dignified words and silence.
Lesser Known Facts about Atal Bihari Vajpayee
- The only parliamentarian to have won from 4 states: He was the only parliamentarian to have won seats from four different states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat.
- He was his father's classmate: During the time Vajpayee ji was pursuing law from DAV College Kanpur his father also expressed his desire to study the same subject.
- He was a man who once spoke in favour of his political opponents: While addressing a rally in Gwalior in the year 1984 he asked the people to vote for Congress and show that one cannot get away with assassinating our PM. The very same year he lost to Madhav Rao Scindia. However it was the only time when he had lost from that state.
- The Pokhran Nuclear Test: If Kalam Saab was considered to be the Missile Man of the country, then Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Nuclear Man of India, under whom the Pokhran Nuclear test was conducted successfully and the country was declared as full-fledged nuclear state.
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a Brahmin by birth but loved non-veg cuisines very much. His favourite food was Prawn and his favourite restaurant was Karim's in Old Delhi.
- When Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered his maiden speech in the Indian Parliament, Jawaharlal Nehru (then Prime Minister of India) predicted that someday he would become the Prime Minister of India.
- He was often taunted by his opponents by the phrase ‘Right Man in the Wrong Party', which says a lot about his charismatic personality that even the opponents wanted him in their party.
Listen to 2 of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji's most popular speeches here :
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji's Kargil War Speech
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji's Pokhran Speech
He remained a Member of Parliament for 47 years, 11 times from Lok Sabha and 2 times from Rajya Sabha. One of the longest-serving parliamentarians, Atal Ji was in the opposition for almost 4 decades. He took the Hindi language international level by addressing the UN in Hindi. He was the first person to have spoken in Hindi at the UN. Vajpayee Ji was a man of values, who decried the divisive ideology of sections of his party men. He had a vision for the country and sought its rightful place in the comity of nations.
Here is a list of some of the most popular poem collections and biographies of Atal Bihari Vajpayee if you wish to have a further and detailed insight into his life and career.
Sankalp Kaal
