2018

Of course we will miss Kuldip Nayar. He was already a journalist perhaps a few months into the profession when I was born, and an editor when I became a reporter.
In the fifty or so years I knew him and received the warmth of his friendship, I never worked with him in the profession. Indeed, I never worked in the newspapers and agencies he went to head as editor.
But I did not have to, to recognise the subtle way he would mentor the reporters, or correspondents if you so wish to describe (…)

by Vijay Kumar
The predictable, and yet extremely sad, news of the death of Vajpayeeji is an irretrievable loss for the country.
Atalji was a born leader, gifted statesman, quintessential liberal and classic democrat. No wonder, the epithet “right man in the wrong party” was gaining currency throughout the 1990s, when the period marked the resurgence of the BJP in the national political arena. He was dubbed the “right man” because he was temperamentally a liberal in a party, known for (…)

One is saddened to learn of the demise of Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India. The All India Forward Bloc expresses heartfelt condolences and pays rich tributes to the dignified memory of Vajpayee. He was an outstanding parliamentarian and statesman. His extraordinary oratorical skill was applauded by all irrespective of one’s party affiliation. The Agra Summit of 2001 between Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf was a new beginning in the relations (…)

The following is a statement issued by the President, Socialist Party (India), Dr Prem Singh, after Kuldip Nayar’s demise on August 23, 2018.
Kuldip Nayar was one of the strongest symbols of trust in the Indian civil society. He was among the few persons who could not compromise on basic constitutional and human values even in front of biggest troubles or temptations. With his demise a burning torch in today’s dark phase for the Indian society and polity has been extinguished.
At the (…)

by H.K. Dua
In the passing away of Atal Behari Vajpayee, the country has lost not only the BJP’s first Prime Minister, but also a national leader who, over the decades, had emerged as a statesman with a national appeal.
Whatever his political affiliation, Vajpayee came to believe that a national consensus had to be evolved, surpassing the traditional faultlines of India’s diverse society such as caste, religion, region and language. He believed in democracy, freedom of the press, right (…)

IMPRESSIONS
My Lord, Never let me climb so high that I’m unable to embrace a stranger.
The humanism in Atal Behari Vajpayee made him taller than a Prime Minister. In the vastness of his mind the ephemerality of political glory counted for what it was. He once said: You might become an ex-Prime Minister one day, but you will never become an ex-poet. He was a universalist, his literate self dwelling above his political persona.
Vajpayee was reared in the RSS school, attending officers’ (…)

TRIBUTE
by Mahendra Ved
In a span of 10 days, on August 7 and 16, India lost two of its titans, Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee, whose contributions reflected its unity and diversity.
Their exit, albeit after age and ailment had long rendered them ineffective, marks the end of the post-independence era. If their respective legacies will endure remains to be seen.
Some obvious comparisons and contrasts: Three-time Premier Vajpayee was from India’s North and five-time (…)

by Sanjay Parikh
On June 26, 2018, human rights organisations had assembled at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, Delhi to remember the dark days of Emergency. This was an annual affair and Shri Kuldip Nayar was a regular speaker in these meetings. This time, too, he came and spoke. But his speech was different; it came from his heart and was quite moving. He ended by saying that the fight has not ended—there are issues much more serious than the Emergency and they have to be fought fearlessly (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
The following piece was written by N.C. 22 years ago. It is being reproduced now while also remembering Kuldip Nayar, the just deceased human rights crusader and eminent journalist who began the tradition of Indo-Pak amity at the Wagah border since that time to mark the two neighbouring states’ Independence Days on August 14 and 15.
Three landmarks to cover in a single day—that was how some of us spent our fiftieth Independence Day.
The first of the pilgrimage was (…)

Call it gumption or desperation, the ruling political force is now out to rearrange the electorate ahead of the 2019 general elections. Indeed, it is out to do so by hook or crook, and never mind the pertinent questions that may be asked of it.
We are told Assam is overloaded with illegitimate residents, but the government simultan-eously seeks to pass a legislation that would allow the Indian state to grant citizenship to any and all non-Muslim aspirants from you know where—Afghanistan, (…)