Despite his saffron hues, he actually displayed colours of the rainbow: Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Vajpayee

Member of Parliament, National Spokesperson Congress, Chairman Parliamentary Standing Committee and jurist Dr Abhishek Singhvi on the passing of Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 

Few politicians today are made in the mould in which God made Vajpayee. He had a natural warmth and even in bad moments, you could not call it a hypocritical or an invented stance. Perhaps no one could, with a greater economy of words, gestures, or facial expressions convey more than Vajpayee. His natural tendency was to metaphorically embrace the person he was interacting with and convey a feeling of utter receptivity, reciprocity, non-adversialness and absorption. His magnanimity was legendary; his lack of vendetta and pettiness, known globally; his laid-back ease and conviviality hid the sharpest of minds and the wittiest of tongues.  

I recall many anecdotal interactions with this great man. Once, when I attended some formal book release function at the PM’s official residence auditorium, Panchvati, a day after ferociously attacking his government as Congress spokesperson, I was deliberately avoiding his eye contact in the tea held after the function. From the other end of the lawn, he came up to me with a twinkling eye and said, “Badshahon, agar bahar attack kartey hain, to kam se kam aankh to nahi churaiye.” He then plied me with tea and sweets personally.  A second incident in which I was not present but saw photos and videos of, was the remarkable atmosphere when Vajpayee’s poetry was sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the drawing room of the palatial 9 KPG London, the official residence of the Indian High Commissioner, which was then my father. A third moment of touching warmth I recall was when a book by Vajpayee himself was released with an unusual panel comprising Shivmangal Singh Suman, my father LM Singhvi and Narasimha Rao.

These and several other moments validate the fundamental point that India’s democracy is capacious and personal grudges, vendettas and narrowness of thought and deed can be eschewed among the heat and dust of politics. It means that you don’t have to attack above or below the belt but only on issues and even after the most vicious attack, only Vajpayee ji had the capacity of retaining friendship, loyalty, camaraderie and communication. Most political parties wish that if there must be a government of a party other than their own, then it has to be a Vajpayee ji government.

That is an unprecedented achievement for a man who despite his saffron hues actually displayed the colours of the rainbow. His oratory and choice of words are far too well known but they were marked with precision and an economy of words. He referred to my father as Saraswati-putra and Lakshmi-putra and they shared the deepest of literary and philosophical bonds. He himself was a Kawach-putra, namely a man who nobody could hate even if they tried their best. To have this quality is rare, almost impossible. In one’s worse moments, one would never dream of attacking Vajpayee with venomous hatred and personal pique. Is this not the ultimate achievement which any man or woman can achieve in the community of mankind?

India is truly poorer today. India has truly lost a real Indian, a true epitome of the idea of India. A true kindred soul and spirit who exemplified what India is all about. One can only hope that a personality such as him, apart from a life such as him, imparts a lesson to emulate, to all rulers everywhere with special emphasis on the current dispensation. Everyone wishes that the BJP was Vajpayee but not that Vajpayee was the BJP.

(As told to Amrita Madhukalya)