Former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna, Atal Bihari Vajpayee died at 93 on Thursday, August16, 2018 at AIIMS in New Delhi. He once quoted “Empowering the individual means empowering the nation. And empowerment is best served through rapid economic growth with rapid social change.”

The above quote shows his sincere feeling towards the masses of India, he indeed was a man of the down trodden. Coming to my views on politics, I have always considered as bad man’s domain area, and have seen them as dishonest folks who do not keep up to their promises. But then I come across an amazing collection of poems and to my utter disbelief they have been penned down by the then PM, Mr. Vajpayee. Those poems had an impact on me and that made me ponder that an artistic person can never be fake. His poem” kadam milakar chalna hoga” is an inspiration for me

Baadhaen aati hain aaen,
ghiren pralay ki ghor ghataaen
paaon ke neeche angaare,
sir par barsein yadi jwalein,
nij haathon mein haste-haste
aag lagakar jalna hoga.
kadam milakar chalna hoga

I did my bit of research on his achievements and his tenure as the PM of nation and I was truly mesmerized to acknowledge his achievements. The list is long and to comprehend it in few words will be impossible but making an attempt towards it.

Weapons but not aggression- He was a versatile person and looked for all round development. He made India to move in the path of progress in the fields of science and technology. He permitted to send the first spacecraft of India to the moon. And also made India a nuclear weapon state. That was an achievement yet all owing to his humble nature and the forgiving legacy of India he claimed that we have the weapon but not aggression. It was a breakthrough and helped india to emerge as a super power but owing to his cool calm nature he never took it to get back at people but only for self –defense.

Education is the key- He had a vision for educated India and thus free education at elementary level that is age 6 to 14 years was introduced. This was something that our country needs the most and he gave us a vision and mission.

Global ties- He loved peace and harmony and agreed to the fact that only a society that has all friends can grow. It was for this reason that he was loved by friends, enemies and oppositions alike. Even the political opponents were awestruck by him and his persona. When you are at successful level it is difficult to be loved and your foes being fond of you is a mirage, but it is true in his case. He was respected even by the opposition and all cherished his achievements were in consent of his vision for India. He even invited General Musharraf to India for Agra summit to discuss terrorism. He started road connectivity between India and Pakistan.

Calm personality tough interior- It was during his tenure that india saw the attack on Parliament, Kargil war, earthquake, 2 cyclones, oil crisis, horrible drought but very calmly he maintained the situation and India’s growth rate. The GDP rate continued to be 8% and this is something commendable as it is tough to do so. When so much so is happening trying to stay firm and also moving ahead is a challenge but he did that and set an example.

Insight for future- He approved privatization, thus private sector had more involvement in industry and this is truly the need of hour. This assured the progress can be achieved if the hurdles are removed. Telecom industry rose with fixed license fees. He had the vision for future.

He indeed was a man of vision and in spite of his soft calm exterior there was a super busy mind and soul who continuously worked for the up liftment of the weaker sections of the society. He laid the path on which we treaded and became the country of one dream. Today when he is no more his work, his poem, his guidance and his dreams are with us. We have lost a gem but its aura continues to be with us.

*Image source- Google