Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary: Remembering the poet Prime Minister of India

Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary: Today is the fourth death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other dignitaries paid tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpyee at Sadaiv Atal in Delhi. Sadaiv Atal is a memorial of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was known for his oratory skills and choice of powerful words. A man of the masses, Vajpayee inspired people through his poems that touched on the themes of patriotism and nationalism. Vajpayee had once said that he was a poet by instinct and a politician by accident.  

Born in 1924 in the family of a school teacher in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Vajpayee was a student of political science and law and had developed a keen interest in foreign affairs in college. The former prime minister’s first brush with politics was during his student days when he had joined the Quit India Movement in 1942.  

He had also embarked upon a journalist's career, which was cut short in 1951 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.  

Vajpayee's Parliamentarian whose career stretched over four decades. He was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and twice to the Rajya Sabha.

Vajpayee first took charge as Prime Minister of India for a short period in 1996, followed by a second and a third term between 1998-2004. He was the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to have become Prime Minister of India with two successive mandates.

Vajpayee was an active participant in shaping the country's post-Independence domestic and foreign policy. He had served as the External Affairs Minister after the Emergency in the Morarji Desai government.  

Vajpayee was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award, in 1992. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, in 2015.

Vajpayee retired from active politics after 2004 general elections due to poor health. He died on August 16, 2018, at AIIMS in Delhi due to an age-related illness.

Vajpayee will always be remembered as an erudite politician, a selfless social worker, forceful orator, poet and litterateur.