Manohar Parrikar: A Breath Of Fresh Air!

I did not know Manohar Parrikar personally, nor do I know anything more about him than what is out in the media. But since his passing two days ago, I feel a sense of personal loss. I am sure many of you do too.

He was like a breath of fresh air in the murky world of politics. A quintessential aam aadmi, he was a true son of his home state, leading a simple life that resonated with the spirit of Goa. He was everything that we do not usually associate with a politician: an IIT Mumbai graduate, unassuming, open, accessible, shunning any kind of special treatment in public places, drinking tea at roadside stalls, playing football, riding a two-wheeler, wearing sandals and sporting a casual half-sleeved shirt that became his trademark. All this and more of his personality endeared him to people who are used to seeing pictures of politicians wielding brooms and going through the facade of sweeping clean streets only for photo opportunities. He did not do things for building his image. What we saw him do was actually how he lived.

A popular chief minister, he had an easy rapport with people. Again in tune with the carefree and laid-back lifestyle of Goa! When he assumed the responsibility of defence minister and moved to Delhi, the cold climate (literally and figuratively) of Delhi did not suit him. He longed for the warmth of Goa. He felt restrained by the restrictions Delhi put on him in terms of his movement and speech. He occupied only one room in his spacious government accommodation so that he could pack up and move back to Goa quickly when it was time.

When the deadly disease knocked at his door, he faced it bravely. His appearance changed beyond imagination in a short span of time. The sprightly gentleman was reduced to being a frail person with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. But that did not stop him from going around on his official engagements, complete with a tube in his nose and a cap on his head. It is shocking and painful to look at his pictures in that state. The more you try to find his former self in these images, the more it eludes you.

Even though those pictures were a reality, it will be unfair to remember him in that way. He was a rare bird in the political firmament, and it will be apt to think of him as someone who caught people's imagination by soaring high in turbulent skies.