Gujarat Initiates 'Atal Lecture Series' To Honour Late PM, Share His Thoughts And Vision

The leader, with his mass appeal, sowed the seed of critical socio-economic reforms and good governance that have given India a credible voice on the global platform and put the country on an irreversible growth path.

As India marks Vajpayee’s centenary birth anniversary, the Gujarat government has initiated a 12-part Atal Memorial Lecture Series under the Atal Vyakhan Mala umbrella, not only to remember the leader but also to understand the deep philosophy embedded in the principles of human and social development that guided him and his policy making.

The lecture series, organised by the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) and The Secretariat, under the aegis of the state government, was inaugurated by Gujarat’s Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi.

Soumya Kanti Ghosh — State Bank of India’s Group Chief Economic Adviser, and member of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and 16th Finance Commission — delivered the first lecture of the series.

An Event Attended By Important Officials

The event was attended by senior bureaucrats and officials of the state government. Among prominent ones, Jyanti Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the state revenue department, SJ Haider, ACS, Energy and Petrochemicals Department, T. Natrajan, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, S. Aparna, Chairperson of Gujarat Institution for Transformation (GRIT), Aarti Kanwar, Secretary, Economic Affairs, Adra Agrawal, Secretary (Planning) of General Administration Department (GAD), Jenu Devan, Superintendent of Stamps, and Shruti Charan, CEO of Water & Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO), were present.

Joshi Highlighted Vajpayee’s Ethos

Speaking on the occasion, Joshi underlined Vajpayee’s ethos that has been encapsulated in his vision — “haar nahi manunga…geet naya gata hoon.” The poem penned by the late prime minister himself was showcased in the award-winning film, 12th Fail.

He said that the lecture series is not only a way to remember Vajpayee’s thoughts and values, but also a mantra that will provide a new direction to the country's students, youth, and citizens.

Vajpayee was always guided by the principles of democracy, development, and foreign policy, he added.

Joshi pointed out that understanding Vajpayee and his perspective will further strengthen the spirit of 'nation-first'.

Ghosh Remembered Vajpayee's Impact On India's Mindset

Delivering his speech and outlining the life and principles of Vajpayee, Ghosh noted that Vajpayee was instrumental in bringing a change in India’s mindset with the concept of ‘can-do’ mentality since the early 2000s.

Ghosh added that Vajpayee’s stable full-term government, with support from myriad political affiliations across the nation, enriched the idea of true Bhartiyata or Indianness. His political inclusivity was focused on deeply entrenched reforms and good governance, based on the concept of evolving requirements of efficiency, fairness and ease of doing business warranted by free markets, while anchoring the quest of ‘Viksit Bharat.’

“The green shoots of the early 2000s are reverberating today in the giant strides the nation has been taking…. I think history will one day be kind enough to glance back and mark on the ebbs and flows of waters since the developmental juggernaut unleashed in the early part of the millennium under Atal Ji’s extraordinary vision, which helped India clock impressive growth in later years before the policy paralysis stopped the needle midway post 2010,” Ghosh said.

Incidentally, Vajpayee was the only parliamentarian elected from four different states at different times. He had been elected from UP, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. 

"Vajpayee, with Operation Shakti in May 1998, paved the way for India to transform into a nuclear-weapon state while demonstrating its advanced weapon designs – a significant step towards achieving both the scientific objectives," Ghosh said, adding that reforms in the telecom sector during that period also laid the foundation of Digital India.

Vajpayee And His Appeal Across Political Parties

It is no secret that Vajpayee, with his vision and stature, commanded respect and love across party lines.

Ghosh referred to an interesting anecdote. In the 1962 General Elections, the late Subhadra Joshi was the candidate fielded by the Congress against Vajpayee from the Balrampur seat at a time when the latter was the sitting MP. 

But interestingly, Ghosh pointed out that the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru, despite much cajoling from his party, refused to campaign for his own party's candidate, as he said that the young parliamentarian Vajpayee had a keen understanding of external affairs and its intricacies.

“Perhaps Nehru remembered Atal Ji’s sagacious words on Tibet a few years before in the parliament, demanding caution and foresight in dealings with an untrustworthy neighbour, and its nefarious intentions,” Ghosh noted.

Vajpayee Ethos And The Post-Millennials

In India, for the need to prepare for passing the baton to the post-millennials who would eventually take the country to the next phase of development, Vajpayee’s life, inclusive politics and vision would be crucial to drive the new generations.