Only blackmark on Mr. Vajpayee's Legacy....

On Buddha Purnima today, I was discussing with a friend about importance of this day in Indian History post-Independence : the day has given India the membership of exclusive Nuclear Club (twice). Remembered the day in 1998 when all Indians took the sigh of relief and pride of belonging to this club. The goosebumps we had when we knew that our nation has taken a strategic and important step in becoming Super power.

Would like to put a note someday about how I felt when i met Mr. Vajpayee for first time and wasn't able to breath because I thought I was meeting a living Indian legend and a real man at helm since Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

But I also remembered probably only but biggest black mark on Mr. Vajpayee's leadership. I rate him only third to daughter-father duo (in that order) in terms of best Prime minister India has ever had... Someday I would like to put some pointers on why this order but that's due for some other day...

Something which I wrote during IC 814 crisis and release of terrorists by Indian Government led by Mr.  Vajpayee at that time. I know of other Indian goverments doing worse in terms of tackling terrorism but I hoped a lot more from Mr. Vajpayee, something similar of what Israel did in Operation Entebbe (Read more here at Wikipedia link)..

जिस सरकार ने फिर किया अणुबम निर्माण था
जिन्होने किया उँचा भारतमाता का अभिमान था

आज वो स्वयं आतंकियों को विदाई दे आए
अर्जित किए देशाभिमान की पाई पाई दे आए

बताते हैं कुछ जानों को बचाने की मजबूरी थी
लूट गई जो करोड़ों की लाज़ वो भी तो ज़रूरी थी
जिस लाज के लिए हज़ारों वीरांगनाओं की टूटी चूड़ी थी
सैकड़ों सैनिकों की शहादत क्या बस जीहज़ूरी थी

सोच रहा है हर जन आज, कलिंग के बाज़ार में
क्या खोया क्या पाया उसने व्यर्थ के संहार में

जो जीता क्षणभंगूर निकला, जो हारा वो मानवता थी
जो पाया वो मौत की चादर, जो खोया वो मानवता थी

हर भारतीय के मन में बस यही दोहराव था
देशभक्तों के बलिदान का भी नेताओं के पास भाव था 

-- Kalingaa...