Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the prime minister of India from 1998 to 2004, was a political worker for over five decades. But he was a poet for much longer. This collection of twenty-one poems, marked by disarming simplicity, passion and sincerity, highlights his concerns and convictions, both public and private. His themes range from social inequality and the evils of war to the perils of self-serving attitudes, and the supreme importance of love for our fellow human beings. Also in the collection are moving and very personal poems written at moments of crisis.
Twenty-One Poems provides a rare and rewarding glimpse into the mind of the leader of over a billion people. The English translations, by the bestselling author Pavan K. Varma, retain the simplicity and immediacy of the Hindi originals, which appear alongside the translations in this bilingual edition.