Punjab Kesari 9th July 2021

◦ AN EXEMPLAR OF EVERYTHING HIMACHAL,IN THE PASSING AWAY OF RAJA VIR BAHADUR SINGH WE HAVE TRULY LOST AN ICON .RAJA SAHIB WAS NOT JUST THE MOST POPULAR POLITICIAN THE STATE HAD PRODUCED BUT ALSO A TRUE REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS HUMBLE BUT HAPPY HILL STATE .HIS ,IMPOSSIBLE TO EMULATE POLITICAL RECORD OF HAVING BEEN CHIEF MINISTER SIX TIMES ,FIVE TIMES M P AND NINE TIMES MLA ,IS THE KIND OF POLITICAL LEGACY THAT IS ONLY A HINT OF HIS TRUE POPULARITY.THERE IS UNLIKELY TO BE A LEADER LIKE HIM AND THERE CERTAINLY WONT BE ONE AS GRACIOUS EVER AGAIN .

◦ BROUGHT INTO POLITICS BY NONE OTHER THAN JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU WHO SPOTTED VIR BHADUR ‘S FIRE ,ACUMEN AND TALENT WHEN HE WAS JUST A STUDENT IN DELHI’S ST STEPHEN COLLAGE . HIS UNBROKEN POLITICAL JOURNEY WHICH BEGAN THEN AT THE AGE OF TWENTY FIVE CARRIED ON FOR A LIFE TIME .DESPITE SO MANY IMPRESSIVE VICTORIES,THIS GIANT OF A LOVEABLE MAN ,WAS A FIGHTER TO HIS LAST DAY .GIVING UP ,WAS NEVER AN OPTION .SPEAKING HIS MIND,IN HIS STATELY BUT FORTHRIGHT STYLE WAS JUST ONE ASPECT OF HIS ENDEARING PERSONALITY.

◦ FROM MY VERY CHILD HOOD WHEN RAJA SAHIB WAS A COLLEAGUE OF MY LATE FATHER,HE WAS A BEACON OF SUPPORT AND COMFORT AT ALL TIMES .THIS UNWAVERING AFFECTION AND ATTACHMENT MADE ME FEEL SPECIAL AS A DAUGHTER OF HIMACHAL. A WARM HOST AND MADE ALWAYS REMEMBERED YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES . A MEAL AT HIS HOME “HOLLY LODGE “ WETE FULL OF FUN AND ONE ALWAYS CAME BACK WITH NEW INSIGHTS INTO ISSUES . HE WAS ALWAYS JUST A CALL AWAY WHERE EVER I WAS .LAND MARK OCCASIONS WERE NEVER COMPLETE WITHOUT HIS ARRIVAL,DESPITE THE KIND OF SCHEDULE TERRAIN AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WOULD HAVE SHAMED MANY HALF HIS AGE OR IMPORTANCE .HE WAS A MAN OF GIVING .NEVER HAD ANY DEMANDS .MANY A TIME I REMEMBER HE WOULD GIVE HIS CHAIR TO A AGED OR A REAL HUMBLE PERSON FROM A VILLAGE . THERE WAS NEVER A SENSE OF ARROGANCE . SOFT SPOKEN ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIVING FOR HIS CONSTITUENCY. FOR HIM THAT MEANT THE WHOLE OF HIMACHAL.FORGIVING TO HIS COMPETITORS AND ALWAYS LARGE HEARTED .

◦ HIS HOME WAS ALWAYS IN AN OPEN HOUSE MODE .THERE WERE NO HOURS ,NO CLOSED DAYS AND CERTAINLY NEVER A LACK OF WARMTH .IN LOSING HIM TODAY ,I HAVE LOST A FATHER FIGURE THAT I WILL MISS SORELY ,BUT AM LEFT WITH MEMORIES THAT I WILL CHERISH .HIS LOVE FOR HIMACHALI FOOD AND HIAS SKILL FOR NARRATING STORIES OF THE PRESENT AND THE PAST,PUNCTUATED WITH HIS DROLL HUMOUR AND HIS IMPISH LAUGHTER WITH EYES TWINKLING WITH MIRTH ,,MADE THE MANY EVENINGS WE SHARED AS FAMILY MEMORABLE AND PRECIOUS.

◦ ELEMENTS OF THIS SAME ATTENTION AND AFFECTION WERE PART OF HIS CORE PERSONA .THAT MADE HIM ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH PROBABLY HALF HIS HOME STATE .DESPITE HIS ROYAL LINEAGE HE WAS TRULY A MAN OF THE PEOPLE AND NOTHING PLEASED HIM MORE THAN BEING WITH HIS FLOCK .HE WAS COMPASSIONATE AND ALWAYS PAID MORE ATTENTION TO THOSE WHOSE WHOSE NEEDS WERE GREATEST ,THE POOR AND THE MARGINALISED.THEY LOVED HIM BACK EQUALLY FIERCELY AND WITH HIS PASSING THE ENTIRE STATE IS TODAY ENGULFED IN A PALL OF GLOOM .A DIGNIFIED FIGHTER .FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL FOR HIS FOR HIS SUPPORTERS.A MASS LEADER WHO FOUGHT FROM TOUGH CONSTITUENCIES AROUND THE STATE AND WON HEARTS OF THE LOCALS ALONG WITH HIS SEAT . “Yeh Raja nahi fakir hain himachal Ki taqdeer hain . “ so true .

◦ MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES AND MY GRIEF ARE SHARED WITH PRATIBHA AND HIS CHILDREN ,AS ALSO WE HAVE ALL BEEN CHILDHOOD FRIENDS .