Pradeep Sardana shares memories of Atal Vajpayee at Atal Smriti Vyakhyan Mala in Uttarakhand

December 28, 2025. A person is kept beaten but not allowed to cry, this should not happen. He should be given the right to atleast cry. Simply memorizing things won't help; only internalizing them will lead to success in life. Senior journalist and thinker Pradeep Sardana captivated everyone by sharing several such recollections of Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The occasion was the "Atal Smriti Vyakhyan Mala." Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen. Gurmeet Singh was the chief guest, while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was the distinguished guest. The event was organized by Lekhak Gaon 's Patron Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank," and Director Vidushi "Nishank".

In his address as the keynote speaker of the Atal Smriti Vyakhyan Mala, Pradeep Sardana shared his memories and thoughts about Vajpayee. Mr. Sardana said, "When Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister, L.K. Advani was BJP President. Furthermore, after his Rath Yatra for the Ram Mandir, Advani had become the emperor of Hindu hearts. At that time, it was unimaginable that Atal Bihari Vajpayee would be the next Prime Minister. But I wrote in the cover story of my newspaper, "Punarvas," on April 30, 1995, that "Vajpayee will become Prime Minister." When the then Chief Minister of Delhi, Madan Lal Khurana, released this annual issue, he was shocked to see the headline and said, "If this comes true, to aapke mooh me ghee shakkar" (your mouth should be filled with Clarified Butter and Sugar).

When I sent this issue to Vajpayee, he responded by writing a letter to me. During our meeting, he said, "I am grateful for your gesture, but how is this possible?" How could I possibly become Prime Minister?" But my assessment proved correct and exactly one year later of my cover story, Vajpayee became Prime Minister for the first time. He then served twice more, though I never got any ghee shakkar (clarified butter & sugar).

Earlier, when the Janata Party government was formed in 1977 under the leadership of Morarji Desai, Vajpayee served as Foreign Minister. However, Chaudhary Charan Singh then left the Janata Party and shook hands with the Congress. This led to the fall of Morarji Desai's government in July 1979, and Charan Singh became Prime Minister. Recalling his meeting with Atal ji after this, Pradeep Sardana said that Vajpayee ji was disappointed and, in his characteristic style, said, "Chaudhary Charan Singh stabbed his comrades in the back to hoist the flag on the Red Fort."

The crowd also appreciated Vajpayee's remark that young Atal ji learned from his grandfather that even if his father beats him, he should have the right to cry. He also learned from his mother that if something is to be said or implemented in life, it must be understood thoroughly, not just memorized.

Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and former Education Minister in the Modi government's cabinet, established Lekhak Gaon in the picturesque valleys of Dehradun, inspired by Vajpayee. Last year, on the birth centenary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first 'Atal Smriti Vyakhyan Mala' was started. This is the second year of this lecture series.