Vajpayee's Poem on Election Defeat

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The Indian Express: May 21, 2004

Vajpayee's Poem on Election Defeat

"Honour lost at busy crossroads,

Knights defeated by pawns..."

 

'Manmohan returned my call past 11 pm, he praised my work, said he

will carry it forward'

 

Lonely, Vajpayee turns to verse. What road should I go down, he

asks, and then reflects on what lies unfinished on his trail

The Prime Ministerial bungalow is deserted, the security staff

suddenly appears excessive and inside 7, Race Course Road, Prime

Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee brushes aside a list his aide holds up

for him. It's perhaps a list of people scheduled to meet him

tomorrow. ``Why does he want to meet me now?'' Vajpayee asks,

referring to a senior bureaucrat.

 

There is no need for an answer to this question. The poem he recited

to

Express

 

Rah Kaun Si Jaaoon Mai?

 

Chaurahe par loot-ta chir,

Pyade se pit gaya wazir,

Chaloon aakhiri chaal ki baazi chhor virakti rachaoon mai?

Rah kaun si jaaoon mai?

 

Sapna janma aur mar gaya,

Madhu ritu mein hi bagh jhar gaya, Tinke bikhre hue batoroon ya nav

srishti sajaoon mai?

Rah kaun si jaaoon mai?

 

Do din mile udhaar mein,

Ghaate ke vyapaar mein,

Kshan-kshan ka hisaab joroon ya punji sesh lootaoon mai?

Rah kaun si jaaoon mai?

 

What Road Should I Go Down?

 

Honour lost at busy crossroads,

Knights defeated by pawns:

Do I make my final move, or do I withdraw from battle?

What road should I go down?

 

A dream was born, and died,

The garden dried up in the season of spring:

Do I gather these scattered leaves, or do I fashion a new universe?

What road should I go down?

 

Two days, on loan, is all I've earned

In a bargain already lost:

Do I take stock of each moment, or do I squander

what little remains? What road should I go down?

 

 

 

 

Days before he officially steps down as Prime Minister, Vajpayee'############ is

sombre, melancholic. Breaking his public silence on his

shock defeat, he tells The Indian Express: ``Kuch tajjub to hua ki

kya ho gaya yeh (I was somewhat amazed, as to how did all this

happen) We were expecting 30 in UP, we were banking on it to take

our tally up.''

 

The only thing he is sure of the road ahead, Vajpayee says, is the

unfinished task behind him. ``Bahut kaam karne theh. Ab adhoore reh

gaye. (There was a lot of work to be done. It now remains

incomplete).''

 

The poet then slips into the Prime Minister. Vajpayee cites the

ambitious project the NDA Government had launched for the

interlinking of rivers with canals, still in its drawing-board

stage.

 

``Work on the project could have gone on faster but some state

governments went on having discussions. This single project could

help resolve the country's water problems and be a boon for

irrigation,'' he says.

 

He adds that a member of the inter-linking task force had come to

see him two days ago wondering whether the project would ever take

off with the Government changing at the Centre.

 

Another unfinished agenda, of course, is Kashmir. His landmark

dialogue initiative with the Hurriyat has just seen two rounds so

far. ``Usmein to bahut samay lage ga. Abhi kuch bhi nahin hua (That

will take a lot of time. Very little has been done so far).''

 

Bring him to the current and he is more cautious. Mention Sonia

Gandhi and he says he would rather not comment. On Manmohan Singh as

Prime Minister, he opens up, calling his press conference today

a ``positive beginning'' for the new government.

 

``I wish Dr Manmohan Singh well. He's a learned, practical man who

understands the problems of the country very well,'' Vajpayee

says. ``And he's very loyal to the tasks he takes up. I have noticed

in him a trait of getting after a job once it's been given to him

without thinking of any selfish gains.''

 

He recalls that while Singh hasn't been in Parliament long enough,

he has worked with him on several committees and is familiar with

his work. He singles out a report Singh had written on the economic

agenda for Commonwealth countries when he was Finance Minister in P

V Narasimha Rao's Cabinet.

 

That was over a decade ago but it's in recalling an anecdote from

last night that you can catch a hint of delight in Vajpayee's

voice. ``When I called to congratulate on the phone, he was not at

home. I was wondering whether he would call back but he did though

it was well past 11 pm.''

 

``We had a long conversation,'' says Vajpayee. ``He (Dr Manmohan

Singh) kept praising all the work we had done and the projects we

had begun. He said he would carry on the work and mentioned the

Golden Quadrilateral project as one such project. He also said he

would call on me soon.''