January 5 was the 90th birthday of Murli Manohar Joshi. The veteran politician was felicitated by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, and other senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an expected ritual, as LK Advani also knows.
Some days before the anniversary, I had two surprise visitors: Dr Joshi’s talented daughters, Priyamvada and Nivedita. They came to seek my advice on arranging a celebration for their father.
I have known Joshi ji for many years now. We have our ideological differences, but he is the kind of person with whom you can have an intellectual discussion about them. His views are influenced by the fact that he is a committed member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from his college days, but he welcomes a counterview, often with his trademark hearty laugh. At 90, his face still has the tej (glow) of his younger days.
Besides, Dr Joshi is the kind of political leader — rare to find these days — with whom one can talk on a range of issues apart from politics. He did his doctorate in physics from Allahabad University in the subject of spectroscopy and taught physics at the same university. Apart from science, for which he did a great deal as Union human resources development minister, he is exceptionally well-read, with an interest in art, music, poetry, and literature.
Philosophy — especially Hindu philosophy and understanding its true essence — is one of our favourite topics of discussion. I have spent hours dissecting the myriad aspects of this profound subject with him, and it has been a learning experience for me. Sitting in his small study, lined with books and a large portrait of the Hindu goddess of knowledge Saraswati, as witness, we have had endless cups of tea and the delicious namkeens he serves. The essential point is that he is not unidimensional in his interests, obsessed only with the lowest common denominator of politics.
This is not to say that his life was not dominated by politics. He spent the entire period of the Emergency (1975-77) in jail. In 1977, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Almora and became the general secretary of the Janata Parliamentary Party. A founder-member of the BJP in 1980, he embarked on the Ekta Yatra in 1991, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. He represented Allahabad thrice in Parliament, and Varanasi and Kanpur once each. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha (RS) from 1992-1996.
His crowning success was when he became Union human resource development minister in 1998 in former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet. While the PM, of course, was primus inter pares, the BJP cabinet then appears to have been far more collegial, with Advani, Joshi and other senior leaders having the freedom to freely discuss and disagree on issues.
The celebration on January 6 was exceptionally well organised by Nivedita and Priyamvada. After a short visual presentation on Dr Joshi’s multifaceted life, the opening address was given by another rare philosopher-statesman, Karan Singh. This was followed by an animated discussion, moderated by me, on Joshi Saheb’s current overwhelming concern: A sustainable world. Besides Karan Singh and Dr Joshi, other panelists included the celebrated environmentalist, Vandana Shiva, and thinker Sanjoy K Roy. Kabir bhajans, sung melodiously by Khushal Sharma of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, preceded dinner.
The venue was jam-packed with friends, family, and admirers of the birthday boy. Perhaps the BJP could have thought it fit to appropriately celebrate this important milestone in the life of one of its most prominent founder-architects. But there was almost no one from the party of which he was once the president. The only two senior leaders I saw were former ministers Harsh Vardhan and Prahlad Patel, and I hope they are not embarrassed by my mentioning their names.
In politics, power is ephemeral, memories are short-lived, and loyalties are agile. In the sunset of his life, Dr Joshi may have perhaps been thinking of these lines of Ghalib:
Bazeecha-e-atfal hai duniya mere aage/ Hota hai shaab-o-roz tamasha mere aage (The world is but a child’s play for me/ Morning and eve this theatre unfolds before me.)
Pavan K Varma is author, diplomat, and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). Just Like That is a weekly column where Varma shares nuggets from the world of history, culture, literature, and personal reminiscences with HT Premium readers. The views expressed are personal
Murli Manohar Joshi at 90: The storied journey of a politician
3
0
13.01.2024
January 5 was the 90th birthday of Murli Manohar Joshi. The veteran politician was felicitated by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, and other senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an expected ritual, as LK Advani also knows.
Some days before the anniversary, I had two surprise visitors: Dr Joshi’s talented daughters, Priyamvada and Nivedita. They came to seek my advice on arranging a celebration for their father.
I have known Joshi ji for many years now. We have our ideological differences, but he is the kind of person with whom you can have an intellectual discussion about them. His views are influenced by the fact that he is a committed member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from his college days, but he welcomes a counterview, often with his trademark hearty laugh. At 90, his face still has the tej (glow) of his younger days.
Besides, Dr Joshi is the kind of political leader — rare to find these days — with whom one can talk on a range of issues apart from politics. He did his doctorate in physics from Allahabad University in the subject of spectroscopy and taught physics........
© hindustantimes
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
