Residents of Prini village honour Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the village. Tribune file photo
Tribune News Service
Shimla/Manali, August 16
The scenic village of Prini, located on the banks of the Beas on the outskirts of Manali, is in mourning. It has lost its most illustrious resident, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who gave the village its identity and drew inspiration from the snow-capped mountains and cascading river waters for his poetry.
The former PM last visited his house in Prini in 2006, his health having deteriorated by then. But the villagers would never skip “Nav Griha” puja on his birthday on December 25. “He considered Himachal his second home and would extend liberal assistance to the hill state, never declining a request,” said former Chief Minister PK Dhumal.
“Fifteen residents will attend his cremation in Delhi,” said Roshan Lal, Up Pradhan of the Prini panchayat. Despite his busy schedule as PM and later as MP, Vajpayee would visit the village every summer, accompanied by his daughter Namita and son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya, until his health declined.
Manali residents will always remember him for his simplicity and humility. “He loved the local cuisine,” said Maheshwar Singh, BJP MLA and scion of the erstwhile royal family of Kullu. “He would sit for hours on the stairs of the PWD Rest House at Mohal in Kullu, looking at the Beas and penning poetry,” he recalled.
Panchayat Pradhan Shiv Dyal said the villagers enjoyed unhindered access to his cottage. “We were a part of his extended family.”
Residents recalled his visit to the government primary school which was upgraded on their request. “He first recited his own poems and then heard poems written by school kids,” reminisced Thakur Das and Lok Ram. "He once invited the local deities and hosted ‘dhaam’ (traditional feast) for the residents," added Kundan Lal.
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