Befitting tribute to Vajpayee
Lucknow is still grappling to come out of shock after the demise of its beloved Atalji who represented this seat of Awadhi culture for a record five times in the Lok Sabha. In what would be a befitting tribute to the former PM, the iconic Hazratganj crossing would be named after the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The decision has been taken by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) corporators. “The LMC body has also decided to set up a huge park in the honour of the former prime minister,” Lucknow mayor Sanyukta Bhatia said. The park will have an open auditorium where literary events will be held on a regular basis. A suitable plot will be identified for the project.
Immortalising the colossus
In Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, the people are doing their bit to immortalise even the smallest memories of its tallest leader in whichever way they can. Two adjacent flats at a government residential colony, La Palace, are set to be converted into a museum as the BJP patriarch had stayed there for several years. Articles with Vajpayee connect will be put on display there. Both the flats no. 301 and 302 are on the third floor of the residential complex in the busy Hazratganj area. Vajpayee used to stay there during his tenure as five-time MP of Lucknow.
Painting for a cause
Students of IIM-Lucknow found a novel way to help Kerala’s flood victims. They sold their paintings at a local mall. The catch line they gave to their endeavour was “learning with a cause for a cause”. The money thus collected will go to the Kerala Flood Relief Fund. The students raised over C2 lakh by selling around 140 paintings. “The students learn how to negotiate in a situation where there is a limited time and the interaction is with strangers,” explained Himanshu Rai, professor at IIM-Lucknow. Though many students made their paintings, those who were not good with the brush and colours got paintings done by their friends.
Historic Lahore bus trip
Vajpayee charisma is such that almost all Lucknowites have their own anecdotes. The historic Lahore bus journey undertaken by the late former PM in 1999 has a Lucknow connect, says BP Masih, the then principal of the Lucknow Christian College. He had accompanied Vajpayee along with several other dignitaries. “I can recall Vajpayeeji boarded the bus at Amritsar. We all accompanying him on the bus had the privilege to sit next to him for a couple of minutes. I too had my chance. When I reminded him of his promise to visit to our college, Atalji just smiled reassuringly,” says a pensive Masih whose wait never ended. Masih came in Vajpayee’s touch in 1997 when the then Lucknow MP was invited to the Lucknow Christian College for releasing an Awadhi translation of the New Testament of the Bible.