“Main humesha se wade lekar nahin, balki iraade lekar aaya hun”
(I always come with a will not promises.)
The nation is grieving the loss of an exemplary leader and politician with a soul, the one who was termed as the ‘Bhishma pitamah’ of the Indian politics Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the above lines penned by him prove the former Prime minister’s conviction.
Apart from being a great leader and visionary, the one quality that everyone will remember about him was his public speaking abilities. His tone always full of encouragement and enthusiasm, measured gaps between the lines to let the effect sink into the audience and end on a high and positive note, establishing himself as one of India’s greatest orators.
Coming from a family of poetry enthusiasts, Vajpayee had an early exposure to various kavi sammelans (gatherings of poets) where, as a keen listener he started developing liking towards poetry, writing and speaking, mostly in Hindi.
His keen interest in politics and background in poetry helped him carve a niche for himself in the Lok Sabha where he was often seen giving impactful speeches leaving his fellow parliamentarians enthralled.
It is among one such time in 1957 when young Atal gave his maiden speech in Parliament that impressed Jawaharlal Nehru so much that he said, “This young man will become the Prime Minister of India.”
But during an interview, Atal Bihari Vajpayee once credited his speech skills to his family lineage. According to him, his father and grandfather both had the innate ability to woo people with their talks. In an interview with senior journalist Tavleen Singh he said, “My father was a great orator, it is just that people have not heard of him as he never came into limelight.” Adding to this he also mentioned that his grandfather was a great orator too.
Sarcasm, wit, humour, and poetry were always handy for the maverick speaker. He would often use these to answer or dodge questions from the press. He once remarked about Indian politics, “Humari politics itni dukhad hai, agar mai strong nahi hota to suicide kar chukka hota.” (Our politics is so sad, had I not been this strong, I would have committed suicide.)
Atal Bihari learned from the best; Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. He was a politician and a president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha from 1943 to 1946 and also Vajpayee’s mentor. Together they are credited for the formation and taking forward of the Jana Sangh precursor to the current BJP.
Senior journalist and Writer Kingshuk Nag in his book ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A Man for All Seasons’ a biography of the former prime minister has written that Atal’s poetry, writing and speaking skills is what got him into Lok Sabha. “The then bosses of the fledgling Jana Sangh realised that Atal’s way with words and the passion that he brought to his speeches were invaluable assets,” writes Nag.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a towering nationalist who softened the often sharp edge of his party's politics with a gentle sophistry of words, earning him the sobriquet "ajaat shatru" or the man with no enemies. Even after coming from a strong Hindutva political background, he did not condemn anything openly but rather spun witty sentences to express his opinion. "Mera experience hai, aap dost badal skte hain neighbours nahin." (In my experience we can change friends but not neighbours.) he once said while talking about Pakistan.
With his rich experience in politics and humble demeanour, he remains favourite among many and even during his last days in politics he could deliver the best speeches with maximum impact.
During his last speech as Prime Minister at the 2004 Independence day, he signed off saying, “Badhaye aati hain aaye, ghire parlay ki ghor ghataye, paon ke neeche angare, sir par barse yadi jwalayen, nij haathon se haste haste, aag laga kar jalna hoga, kadam milakar chalna hoga”. (Let there be hindrances, let the dark clouds loom over us, even if its raining fire, keep a smile on your face and walk together, matching step by step together.)
Here are some excerpts from his speeches on a range of subjects, from nuclear tests and Kashmir to education and freedom of the press
*Education, in the truest self of the term, is a process of self-discovery. It is the art of self-sculpture. It trains the individual not so much in specific skills or in specific branch of knowledge, but in the flowering of his or her latent intellectual, artistic and humanist capacities. The test of education is whether it imparts an urge for learning and learnability, not this or that particular set of information. [December 28, 2002 - inaugural speech of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the University Grants Commission]
*The Pokhran-2 nuclear tests were conducted neither for self-glorification, nor for any display of machismo. But this has been our policy, and I think it is also the policy of the nation, that there should be minimum deterrence, which should also be credible. This is why we took the decision to conduct tests. [In Parliament on the 1998 nuclear tests]
* One cannot wish away the fact that before good neighbours can truly fraternise with each other, they must first mend their fences. [June 23, 2003 - At Peking University]
*If I break the party and forge new alliances to come to power, then I will not like to touch that power even with a pincer. [While replying to the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha in 1996]
*We should strive hard to ensure that every R&D rupee brings greater benefits to the nation.
*Mutual suspicions and petty rivalries have continued to haunt us. As a result, the peace dividend has bypassed our region. History can remind us, guide us, teach us or warn us; it should not shackle us. We have to look forward now, with a collective approach in mind. [Talking on South Asia at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad January 2004]
*We in India are inheritors to a great civilisation whose life chant has been “Shanti” — that is, Peace — and “Bhaichara” — which means, Brotherhood. India has never been an aggressor nation, a colonizer or a hegemon in her long history. In modern times, we are alive to our responsibility to contribute to peace, friendship and cooperation both in our region and around the world. [January 31 2004 - PM’s speech at inauguration of Global Convention on Peace and Non-violence].
*The freedom of the press is an integral part of Indian democracy. It is protected by the Constitution. It is guarded in a more fundamental way by our democratic culture. This national culture not only respects freedom of thought and expression, but also has nurtured a diversity of viewpoints unmatched anywhere in the world.
*Persecution on account of one’s beliefs and insistence that all must accept a particular point of view is unknown to our ethos. [September 13, 2013 - Vajpayee’s speech at the 125th anniversary of The Hindu]
*Gun can solve no problem; brotherhood can. Issues can be resolved if we move forward guided by the three principles of Insaaniyat (humanism), Jamhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir’s age old legacy of amity). [April 23 2003, Vajpayee in Parliament on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir].