5 quotes by Vajpayee that prove he was a great wordsmith and visionary

One of the most loved Prime Ministers of India, the iconic Atal Bihari Vajpayee breathed his last on August 16. Suffering from kidney problems, urinary tract infection and chest congestion, he had been admitted to AIIMS for the last few days.

Vajpayee was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janta Party and served the country thrice as Prime Minister.

Vajpayee was conferred the Bharat Ratna Award in 2014 and on the same year, the Modi government declared his birthday December 25 as a Good Governance Day.

A poet and author extraordinaire, his speeches often proved that he was much more than just a politician.

Here are five such examples:

• Kyon na main kshan kshan kp jioon? Kan-kan mein bikhare saundarya ko pioon? (Why shouldn’t I live every moment to the fullest? Why shouldn’t I admire the beauty in every fragment?)
• I dream of an India that is prosperous, strong and caring. An India, that regains a place of honour in the comity of great nations.
• Mere Prabhu! Mujhe itani oonchaai kabhi mat dena, Gairon ko gale na lagaa sakoon, Itani rukhaai kabhi mat dena. (My Lord, Never let me climb so high/ That I am unable to embrace another stranger,/ Deliver me ever from such arrogance!)
• I have a vision of India: an India free of hunger and fear, an India free of illiteracy and want.
• Maut ki umar kyaa hai? Do Pal bhi nahi, Zindagi silsila, aaj kal ki nahi. (What is the age of death? Not even a couple of moments. Life is a progression, it’s not a matter of a day or two!)