India bid goodbye to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today, who died at the age of 93 this evening. The stalwart of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for nine weeks before breathing his last. Vajpayee was facing critical health issues and was under observation in the hospital since June 11 this year. Always dressed in a Khadi Nehru Jacket and white kurta-pajama, Vajpayee's presence in the Indian political scenario was defining and important. He served as the Prime Minister of India three times in his life but managed to complete his full tenure only once. Vajpayee, who began his career as a journalist, is one of those unique politicians who has inspired a kind of respect that very few politicians have been able to till today. But it was not just his politics with which Vajpayee made such an indelible mark on India and its people. It was also for his penned melodies, poems and his oratory skills that the late politician was revered for. ALSO WATCH: Atal Bihari Vajpayee once got Shah Rukh and Amitabh together The journey of writing poems started early for the former Prime Minister. He started writing right from the time when he was jailed during the Emergency. As we say goodbye to the former Prime Minister, take a look at some of the most beautiful poems from the pen of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Do Anubhootiyan Doodh Mein Daraar Pad Gayi Kadam Milakar Chalna Hoga Bharat Ek Baras Beet Gaya<doc-sep>Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poem Battle with death (Photo: Penguin India Twitter/@PenguinIndia) | Photo Credit: Twitter Atal Bihari Vajpayee lived a complete and full life in terms of struggle, endeavours, victories, pain, joys, sorrows, losses and gains. In his Hindi poem 'Maut se thunn gayee', the gifted poet that he was, Atal Bihari Vajpayee foresees and depicts the last battle every one ultimately faces, the battle with death. Here is the poem, loosely translated from the original Hindi, as tweeted by Penguin India. A Battle With Death A battle with death! What a battle it will be! I had no plans to take her on, We had not agreed to meet at that curve, Yet there she stood, blocking my path Looming larger than life. How long does death last? A moment, perhaps two -- Life is a sequence, beyond today and tomorrow. I have lived to the full, I will die as I choose, I will return, I have no fear of letting go. So, do not come by stealth, and take me by surprise, Come, test me, meet me head on. Unheeding of death, life's journey unfolds. Evenings sketched with kohl, nights smooth as the flute's notes. I do not say there was no pain, There were sorrows, of my own and of this world. Remembering the poet and the statesman with a poem that he wrote. Rest In Peace, Mr. Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/qLx1tTWeWl — Penguin India (@PenguinIndia) August 16, 2018 Death seems to have obliged Vajpayee as it did not sneak up on him, all of a sudden. It did give him that last battle, the kind he had beaten death in before. At 93, Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided to let death have this victory, even if it is for a moment or two as he pens in his poem. But India loses a gem of a leader for eternity.<doc-sep>A poetic journey of timeless statesman, Atal Bihari Vajpayee NEW DELHI: In the winter of 1988, a critically ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted to a New York hospital. From the hospital bed, he wrote a letter and a poem to the editor of Dharmyug, a popular Hindi magazine of its time that has since ceased publication.“Kavya ki kasauti par mera prayas bhale hi khara na utre, kintu yeh meri zindagi ka dastavez hai,” wrote Vajpayee, which roughly translated into English as “My effort may not stand up to the benchmark of poetry but it is my life’s document.”The poem, where he wrote of his face-off with death, was published with the headline, Zindagi ka dastavez, in the magazine’s Dec 8-14, 1988 issue and became much-discussed. Wrote the politician-poet, cryptically and philosophically, “Maut ki umra kya / Do pal ki bhi nahin (What’s the life span of death / Not even a few moments). "In his lifetime, Vajpayee penned hundreds of poems which found their way into collections such as Meri Ekyavan Kavitayein (My 51 poems) and Na Dainyam Na Palayanam (Neither self-pity nor escape).The books sold well. Within four years of its publication, Meri Ekyavan Kavitayein was in its 12th edition. And they were translated into various languages, including Bulgarian. One of his poems, 'Kya khoya kya paaya', was set to tune by Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh. Actor Shah Rukh Khan starred in the music video.In one of his works in prose, Atmakathya (My story), the former Prime Minister wrote that he had inherited the craft from his father who was a well-known poet in the Gwalior riyasat.By his own admission, he was inspired by Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Jaishanker Prasad’s Kamayani, Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’s Ram Ki Shakti Puja and Mahadevi Verma’s geet.Some Vajpayee poems carry Hindu mythological and medieval historical references. One of them, Parichay (Introduction), begins with the line: Hindu, tan-man, Hindu jeevan, rag rag Hindu mera parichay (Body and soul Hindu, Hindu life, Hindu in my every vein, Hindu my introduction).His poems, often written in a flowery style, touched upon the themes of valour and nationalism. Vajpayee also wrote of self-resignation and oppression, particularly by the state during the Emergency.Vajpayee admitted that balancing poetry and politics wasn’t easy. He credited his jail visits with keeping the poet in him alive. Some of his light-hearted but politically-aware verses were written in prison during the Emergency. In these poems, he described himself as “Qaidi kavirai. (Prisoner-poet)”In his poem Jail ki suvidhayain (Facilities of jail), “Daktaran de rahi dawai / police de rahi pehra / bina blade ke khurdura hua / chikna, chupra chehra (The doctors have given medicine / The sentries guard the jail / But there’s no razor / my clean-shaven face has gone rough and scratchy).In verse, he also saw the funny side of the Watergate scandal. But there was a self-introspecting side to his poetry as well. Zindagi ka dastavez, later published as Maut se thhan gayee (Face-off with death) is one such poem. Vajpayee wrote, “Tu dabe paon, chori-chhipe na aa / Saamne vaar kar, phir mujhe aazma. (Don’t come tiptoeing, playing hide and seek / attack me from the front, and then test me)In the end, though, death tiptoed quietly and slowly for Vajpayee.<doc-sep>
Atal Bihari Vajpayee also emerged as a miraculous poet with many of his famous poems in Hindi. The Former Prime Minister of India and an eminent political leader of Bharatiya Janata Party from 1980, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is one of the most respected personalities. The veteran politician had served as the Prime Minister of India in three non-consecutive terms. Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a multi-faceted personality: He is very famous as an all-rounder who has remarkable poetry skills. He has written and published many poems in Hindi Born in a middle-class family in Gwalior, his love for the native language, Hindi is beyond words. He became the first person to deliver a speech in Hindi at the UN General assembly Not only this, even he is well known for his oratory skills as many of his speeches influenced people to a great extent Read: Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former PM who took law classes with his father Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a poet: Apart from his successful political career, Atal Bihari Vajpayee also emerged as a miraculous poet, an influencing and a resonating orator and an insatiable reader. In order to depict the critical situation in pre-independence era, he took the help of his words and inked them down in the form of poems in Hindi which are still admired by the entire nation. He started to create poems from the time when he was jailed during Emergency. He wrote, 'Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian' and 'Amar Aag Hai' published in 1994 His present condition: Atal Bihari Vajpayee is admitted in AIIMS since June 11. According to the reports, his health is falling in the last 36 hours. As per the latest information given by AIIMS, no improvement is seen in his health condition since last night and he continues to be on life support. The entire nation is praying for the recovery of such an eminent personality. Have a look at some of his famous poems in Hindi! Atal Bihari's poem 'Manali Matt Jaiyyo.' Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poem, 'Doodh Mein Darar Padh Gayi' In the poem, he has clearly expressed his views on the terrifying condition at the time of the Partition of India in 1947. He has depicted the picture of separation, brutality and bloodshed during migration after gaining independence from the British rule. 'Ek Baras Beet Gaya' by Atal Bihari Vajpayee! The poem is about the feeling of liberation. It talks about the lost love and hope. One of the most famous poems by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 'Do Anubhutiyan' Read: Government introduces Mission Buniyaad to assist kids who cannot read, write as per grade