Atal Kalam

                Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s demise and the Kerala floods have hogged the limelight last week, from news studios to office cafeteria and social parties- and understandably so. One gives us a glimpse of the terrible consequences of human fallacy with nature, while the other gave hope by the very fact that such a soul existed among us. For a dinner at a friend’s house the discussions inevitably turned to Vajpayee’s death. Our friend, who’s not into politics (or probably not as much as I believe I am!) remarked “Well I felt sad on his death. But I was more saddened when Dr. Kalam passed away”. This was an innocent and honest statement coming from a friend. I nodded halfheartedly and we continued with other discussions. Halfheartedly because –although I respected Kalam sir and was aggrieved at his demise as much as any patriotic Indian would, the sheer thought of comparing them disturbed me. Besides this was a very dangerous territory to venture into! I mean, discounting the extreme (and perhaps flawed) political ideologies, who in their right mind would disregard the contribution of either of these men?  Still, the question got me thinking over the rest of the evening. Whose death aggrieved me more? In other words, whose contribution do I acknowledge the most?

                At the outset, there seemed to be little common ground except perhaps for the popularity they enjoyed and their vision of India. One was a scientist to the core while other was a hardcore politician and a poet. Apart from his oratory par excellence and depth of poetry, Vajpayee was a metaphor for ‘good politics’. Everything that can be good in a democracy. Running a coalition of twenty odd parties successfully for five years, he gave us the confidence that a non-congress government could indeed survive, thereby deepening the democratic roots in this country. A statesman par excellence, he steered the country out of complex economic and strategic challenges leading to emergence of a stronger India. Dr Kalam on the other hand was an out and out technology man with significant contributions to the Indian space and missile program, making the country more self-reliant and militarily stronger. His vision, simplistic living and love for the nation was unparalleled. A sage whose purpose in life was devotion to the nation. In terms of ‘popularity charts’, Dr Kalam might win hands down. Primarily because he was ‘apolitical’ and we Indians were moved by his simplistic living, struggles in life and his vision for the country. Vajpayee on the other hand was a politician and that too from the BJP- a party still untouchable to many Indians. Besides few understand the nuances of politics and International affairs to give him credit.

Why then was I in the dilemma?

                At the core of this seemingly unrelated comparison lies the core question- Who has contributed more to the evolution of mankind- Scientists or statesmen? I must say that for the five thousand years or a little more of known history, we have been a bit unkind to the men of science, not calling out or lauding their contributions exclusively. Given that the human race has continuously evolved should be attributed to the millions of scientific minds who gave the ‘next’ breakthrough all these centuries. Unfortunately the credit of the technological advances have more often been attributed to regimes, with rare mention of individuals-with a few exceptions ofcourse. However the numbers are miniscule given the thousands of years of history. Compare this against the vast history of rulers and aggressors whose ‘achievements’ have been listed at greater lengths. One could attribute this to the social dynamics of the respective era where the King ‘had’ to be the tallest being of all of his subjects. It’s only since the past century and a half that the world has started taking note of scientists and Engineers- attributing a ‘face’ to the great discoveries, inventions and engineering feats. Of course, technological advancements have led to more wars and destruction of mankind. But here as well, the politicians and rulers are as guilty (or tad more) as the technologists. One must also not forget the fact that most of these scientists were employed and nurtured by the ruling class, not always for reasons of war. So in a sense the ruling class was equally responsible for the technological evolution – good or bad.In other words they have always been ‘hand in glove’!

           Coming back to the Vajpayee-Kalam argument, as I said both were men of exceptional vision and commitment. Kalam-the thinker gave us a vision of developed India and left it to likes of Vajpayee (and his brethren) to implement it, while Vajpayee gave us a roadmap for a strong and developed India, and left it to the comrades of Kalam to execute the same! This relationship can best be exemplified by the history of Pokhran. Kalam wanted the bomb for a stronger India and it was Vajpayee who ordered the tests, executed with perfection by Kalam and the team! So the discussion about Kalam and Vajpayee is not ‘apples and oranges’ or 'Kohli vs Smith' but more like what makes a good ‘chai’! A good blend of tea leaves brewed to perfection? Or the right amount of milk and sugar? One could still live without the other and add value .But it’s the right mix of both that wakes you up! Add a little ginger from me and you are ready to roll!

I imaging them discussing over a cup of tea in heaven and wondering ‘What next’? J

P.S – Please contribute to the Kerala relief fund if you have not already done so.