Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A Tribute

ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE: A TRIBUTE

Yes, we knew you were old
Yes, we knew you were sick
Yes, we knew it was a matter of time
But still . . .
When the news finally came
It took some time to sink in
And when it did sink in
A heaviness descended on our chests
An emptiness filled our hearts
A darkness wrapped around our souls
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father.

Suddenly after all these years
Of a long silence
And a longer forgottenness
Your voice rings in our ears
Your face shines in our eyes
Your smile lights up our hearts
We hear you again
We see you again
We feel you again
Just like it was yesterday
All these years of separation
Filled up in a mere instant.

Leader, poet, philosopher
You built a modern Brahmastra
And adorned Mother India's arms
You built modern necklaces
And connected India's corners
You built modern airwaves
And connected Indians all over
You freed our economy
And unleashed prosperity
By slaying the demon of socialism
You ruled us for 6 golden years
A rule that ended too soon
Cut short by our own stupidity
If only we had given you more time
If only we had given you more power
Today we would be in a different place
For you did not need us
But we needed you.

So this is what it feels like
To lose someone
Whom we thought was far away
But was so close to us
Indeed was a part of us
The wise tell your achievements
And contributions to the land
But somehow none of that
Really matters to us now
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father
We are your orphaned children
We now have only your memories
To console us in this darkness.

We lost you in 2004 itself
2018 is just a technicality
How you must have laughed then
At our monumental stupidity
No doubt you would have said
"Forgive them, Father
For they know not what they do"
For the loss was not yours
But the loss was ours
We, your foolish children.

The most painful words are "What if"
What if we had been wise
What if we had given you more time
What if we had given you more power
What if . . .
But gone is gone
And the past shall not return
How do we fill this emptiness?
How do we lift this heaviness?
How do we dispel this darkness?
How do we bring back the light?
People miss the light
Only after it goes out
We will now miss your smile
Because we will never see it again.

A selfless child wishes peace
For his departed father
But we are selfish children
All we see is our loss, our sorrow
We, your selfish children
Why did you have to be so good?
Why did you have to be so kind?
Why did you have to be so gentle?
If only you had been like others
This would not hurt so much
We would have thrown a flower
And walked on ahead
Without looking back
But this time is different
Because you were different
A poet among rogues
A saint among sinners
A philosopher among knaves.

There will never be another like you
None with your heart
None with your voice
None with your words
None with your smile
And above all
None with your love
Farewell, our beloved father
Go to your Divine Father
Let your wisdom be with us
Let your strength be with us
And above all
Let your love be with us
We, your orphaned children.