Citizens remember their rendezvous with the stalwart

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was known as ‘Ajatshatru’ — a man with no enemies. Ludhiana, too, had a strong connection with the first non-Congress Prime Minister, who completed his full term. A few residents in the city had the privilege of meeting him. Recalling their rendezvous with the stalwart, here is what they have to say: 

Bunking classes for the 

‘man with the silver tongue’

Dr Ravinder Vatsyayan, a city based Ayurvedacharya, was so influenced by Vajpayee’s  oratorical skills, that he would bunk classes whenever he would visit the city. 

“He was a man with a silver tongue. One day, I was coming back home from school, when I heard him addressing a gathering at Daresi Ground. Out of curiosity, I went to listen to his speech only to return as an ardent fan of his speaking skills. Whenever he visited the city, I would bunk my school to listen to him. The next day, I would be scolded,” he remembers. 

Vajpayee at that time was leading the Grand Alliance Party and would often come to Ludhiana for addressing rallies and gatherings. 

In 1971, Dr Vatsyayan managed to get an autograph, which he still has. 

Recalling another incident, he said: “Once, Vajpayee ji was invited for dinner at somebody’s house, where I was also invited. That day I came to know that he had a sweet tooth. He loved sweets.”

He said later, when he became an Ayurvedacharaya, he met him in Delhi again. “It was a meeting of Ayurvedic doctors and Vajpayee was also there. We both were wearing dhotis and later, he asked me about my style of wearing dhoti. I told him that I was a Punjabi and we wear dhoti in this style,” he said.

Bonding over books

Dr Kewal Dheer, founder of Adeeb International, met Vajpayee twice. He said: “Once, during the Jnanpith Award ceremony, AB Vajpayee, who was the PM, was invited as the chief guest, where Sardar Jafri was also to be honoured. He took me along. After the ceremony, we got an opportunity to interact over tea. He was a man of literature and had great liking for books,” he said.

Dr Dheer again met Vajpayee after a-year-and-a-half to present him a book written by him. It was a detailed meeting, where both discussed books, He also recited one of his poems to Dheer and expressed his desire to be a part of the mushairas, which Dr Dheer used to organise.

Old friendship 

Dr Inderjit Singh Dhingra, another city-based resident, also met Vajpayee on two occasions. Dr Dhingra’s father, Sardar Gian Singh Dhingra and Vajpayee were friends. Dr Dhingra runs an acupuncture hospital. In 1979, when Vajpayee was the MP, he visited his hospital for some event and in 1982 Dr Dhingra went to Delhi to treat his brother for back pain at their residence. 

‘A person with a sweet tooth’

City resident Yashpal Gupta remembers him as a person with a ‘sweet tooth’. 

“We knew Vajpayee as my family was also associated with the same party. Once in 1978, his lunch was packed from our home, but we forgot to put any sweet dish in the tiffin. He sent us a message saying — “Tell them a Brahmin does not eat his food without mithai”. He had to buy laddoos from Ambala to end his supper. “In 1980, he came to our home and had lunch with us. I gave him two laddoos saying that one was for today and the other for the last time, when they forgot to put a sweet dish in the tiffin,” he smiled.

Gupta said in 2008, when he went to meet him at his Manali residence, he showed him his picture at his residence so that he could recall. After seeing the picture, he said he remembers him, as he was the one who forgot to put the sweet dish in the tiffin, he said. —Manav Mander