pranab Da
| Date :03-Sep-2020 |
HIS political and public positions apart, for the public and Republic of India, Dr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee was just the darling Pranab Da. For sixty-plus years, he strode on the national and international stage with consummate ease, standing taller than his physical frame, standing equal to whosoever was best in the land, and standing for his steadfast belief in democratic values and conduct -- utmost respect for others underlying all his relationships in personal and public life. His demise is one of the saddest events in India’s public life in recent years.
He fought hard to win the final battle, but succumbed as his old body loaded down with disease gave way. And as he went away, he took with him something truly great, something truly sublime, something truly democratic, something that could not be so easily defined by or confined to narrow, short-sighted considerations. Dr. Pranab Mukherjee was everybody’s man -- from the people in highest places in public life to those who walked in corridors of power as their own domain to the people who walked in the streets anywhere in the country. For all those, Pranab Da was their man -- in high places. In fact, he could have been India’s Prime Minister in his own right. But then, Destiny had willed him to rise higher -- to become President of India. However, the Rashtrapati Bhavan was not Pranab Da’s final destination; it was the people’s heart. Official recognition came even after he stepped out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan when the Government honoured him with Bharat Ratna.
That one moment demolished all old bipartisan political theories. And then also came another moment -- of accepting the invitation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to address their senior cadres in Nagpur. All hell broke loose, as if, and his own party -- the Congress urged him to decline the invitation. But Pranab Da went and made a memorable address . It was not a clash of ideologies; it was, in other words, a confluence of differential thoughts that could still co-exist. That was Pranab Da’s actual destination, the real purpose of life as a statesman, political leader, and democrat of highest credentials. The nation knew him only as that, a person who could jump the small frame and become part of a bigger whole where narrow ideologies do not disturb the natural flow of conjunctive thought. To that sublime zone of thought of unity, integrity, sanity, sanctity and dignity all of which often highlight democracy Pranab Da belonged. He held so many positions -- of power and ideology.
He also took sides that his political affiliation mandated to do. He also participated occasionally in some policy decisions that did not go very well with ultimate Indian interests. But those superficial smears did not tarnish Pranab Da’s core values. Fundamentally, the people believed what he also believed -- that he was a thoroughbread democrat whose faith did not swerve with petty nuances. That was the reason why people adored him for whatever he was and stood for.
Even his political rivals did not have much to complain about Pranab Da’s personal foibles. He was that kind of a colossus -- well beyond normal confines. His three books -- “The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years”; “The turbulent Years: 1980-1996; and “Coalition Years” -- showed what kind of a high-ranking scholar Pranab Da was. The book may be taken as his memoirs, all right. But between those covers one finds a magnificent coverage of India’s contemporary history, written in masterly prose that was the hallmark of the quality of education and grooming he received. The most endearing and enduring quality of Dr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee’s personality was his ability to digest whatever life offered -- with a rare sense of equanimity and aplomb.
Life handed him down many bitter pills when he came very close to the highest-possible political responsibility. He did nurse those ambitions, but his party blamed him for harbouring those, so much so that he was named a rebel without a negative cause. Pranab Da digested all that, offered a wry smile, and withdrew honourably to wait for his moment. His moment did come -- and most honourably. His party -- Congress -- could not bear the brunt of Pranab Da’s transparent gravitas, and chose to offer him presidentship. And in that coveted position, Dr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee rose to Himalayan height -- far beyond the confines of politics. He conducted himself with a real people’s President -- beyond narrow considerations. And therefore, when Mr. Narendra Modi got elected as Prime Minister with a rare mandate, the two became genuine admirers of each other. Very rarely had the Rashtrapati Bhavan seen such a fine melding of ideologies that seemingly were so different. So thick became that connect that some political vested interests even described the whole affairs as the Prime Minister’s effort to gobble up a leader from opposing ideology. Of course, such observations made little sense on the ground of reality.
The world saw the spectacle of Mr. Modi bending to touch Mr. Mukherjee’s feet, an action that defied all established political logic. But that was possible because Pranab Da was that kind of a personality, accommodative and patriotic. He took his discourse to sublime heights, his discharge of duty to tear through ideological barriers, his delight in honouring human dignity to never-before levels. That was the quintessence of Dr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee’s personality -- an all-encompassing accommodation of people of all kinds and their aspirations and inspirations. India has had a great array of Presidents who enhanced the prestige of the institution to tremendous value and virtue. But even among all of them, Dr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee was of a kind of his own, unique in multiple ways that were hard to define, difficult to come by, and very tough to emulate. Such a man is no more, having felled by life’s ultimate truth -- Death.
He will be sorely missed, and fondly remembered for all times to come. For, that little man with thick-rimmed glasses and a genuinely sober face always steeped in deep contemplation, had endeared himself to one and all, presenting to the nation an example of how a true Indian democrat is supposed to be -- fully within the realm of practical life with all hard and soft options, the symbol of India of everybody’s dream.