How Vajpayee eased quake victims’ pain

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s oratory and ready wit are the stuff of legend.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s oratory and ready wit are the stuff of legend. He could enthrall an audience for hours. Quite to the opposite was his rarely talked about trait—his phenomenal capacity to listen. It is the latter that made him truly great. I believe so because I once witnessed its magic.  

The earthquake of January 2001 had flattened much of Bhuj and other towns of Kutch in Gujarat. Relief material was pouring in but distribution was in disarray because the sheer scale of the tragedy was overwhelming. The official machinery, already overburdened, was facing undeserved criticism and morale had hit rock bottom.

That was when Prime Minister Vajpayee visited Kutch. I was the security in-charge at the public sector guest house where he stayed with his entourage for two days.On the morning of the second day, the PM visited the earthquake-affected areas in the interior and returned to the guest house before lunch time. In the afternoon, around 2 pm, he settled down to hear the delegations of petitioners.   

The time allotted to the petitioners was two hours but the stream of victims, who wanted the PM to hear them out, seemed unending. And they were on edge. If they were not heard, there could be trouble. On the other hand, the 76-year-old leader had been without rest since morning.  

I was at the gate contemplating all this, when around 4 pm I was told that the PM would like to see everyone. No one was to be turned back. I checked inside and found a group of petitioners narrating their woes. The PM heard them with his eyes closed. I thought he was dozing, but when the petitioners finished, the PM opened his eyes and asked a couple of questions. Tired though he was, Vajpayee remained attentive and alert.

That was how he heard the petitioners—with rapt attention, compassion and unending patience. He was so engrossed in this task that it went on for more than three hours beyond the allotted time and all other engagements were cancelled. The PM got up only after he had heard the last of the petitioners.
It turned things around. The same people who came in bitterly criticising the authorities went home satisfied. I could distinctly sense the relief they got from the way the PM patiently listened to them. When the PM left the next day, gloom had given way to hope. A hope which helped the victims focus on picking up the pieces to rebuild their homes and lives.


Email: satish_k_sharma@hotmail.com

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