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| Former PM Shri Atal BIhari Vajpayee at an AIR children's programme recording in 2000 |
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| F. Sheheryar, DG, AIR |
ATAL, THE AJAATSHATRU
(AIR captures facets, some of them little known)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
freedom fighter, parliamentarian, Prime Minister, visionary, poet, indeed a
multi-faceted personality, is a name to conjure with when one is talking about
world leaders that left an indelible mark on history of nations and world
leaders.
Atal
Ji, as he is fondly called, is enemy to none, a quality that endeared him to
the people at large. As a true karmayogi, he focused
on development per se rather than politicizing development which tends
to impede progress. His style of good
governance – unobtrusive and yet effective – had an imprint of his personality
and is worth emulating by every leader irrespective of his/her political
affinities and ideological predilections.
A grateful nation is observing the 25th December as the Good
Governance Day.
Eradication of illiteracy was another goal close to his heart and he
contributed a lot to popularizing school admission through his own methods to
arrest the drop-out level of children which created a nation-wide buzz----- ‘School Chalein Hum’.
His
vision in consolidating the Indian Diaspora and people of Indian origin to help
the country making rapid strides on the path of development will always be
remembered. He was the one who hailed
Mahatma Gandhi as the first Pravaasi Bharatiya who had
returned to India to lead the freedom struggle.
India celebrates the Pravaasi Bharatiya Diwas every year, to rekindle
the interest of all non-resident Indians and PIOs in addressing the problems
that bedevil the country.
All
India Radio is putting out a plethora of programmes over its vast national network
on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Organization, with its love for the
legendary leader, has abandoned the beaten track to put out programmes in a
style that is non-conformist and suited to the demands of modern sound
Broadcasting and contemporary milieu.
We
wish him long life and many more years of guidance to us all.
This article is a contribution by F. Sheheryar, Director General, All India Radio
