Prini mourns, 15 villagers to attend final journey

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.