ATALJI A MAN OF COMPASSION

In the passing away of Atal ji, a world is lost. In the passing away of Atalji, a poet’s world has been silenced. The rhyme and rhythm of politics has been lost to us. With the going away of Atal ji, the grass on the other side is no more green.

When I opposed him in the election of 1998, it was like two lovers fighting for one beloved - Lucknow. All I felt about Lucknow and its people were immediately noticed and addressed. The line on my poster from my first film GAMAN touched the poet in him and every time he met me he nodded his head in its metre and recited ‘Seene mein jalan aankhon mein toofan sa kyon hai

Is shahr mein har shaqs pareshan sa kyon hai’.

I would smile in affirmation and he would smile again, this time to the poet in himself, repeating the lines gently. He could afford to take his time to dwell on a thought for as long as he wanted. The world would stand with abated breath for him to breath in and out a cherished moment. The gentleman in him that stood out as a poet was forever brimming with a smile on his face, gleam in his eyes, ready and waiting to enrich himself with the poetry of life. And like a poet enriched with the love for the country, he kept his heart forever clean and bore no grudges.

A few years later I met him with my project of making a feature length film on Rumi. He was excited like a child. He said he would do anything to help me. I wondered why but soon he addressed my inquisitive wonder, gently revealing the secret behind his child like joy.

He said in his inimical style that Emperor Akbar was illiterate and whenever he had Rumi recited to himself, he wept. And that moment I saw his eyes glisten and his voice quiver dragging his statement into the realm of an inexpressible truth. He took his time to say that that was the birth of his ‘Deen e Illahi’, Confluence of Faiths.

Atal ji went to the amazing extent of announcing in Turkey during his trip in 2003 that one of our foremost filmmakers has taken on the challenge to make a feature film on Rumi.

He was a poet in garb of politics, not a politician in the garb of a poet. This is what made him Atal.