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Vajpayee remembered through 2 exhibitions detailing his life, legacy
An exhibition titled Atal Prashasti at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya offers a more intimate, chronological account of his life — ending with a deeply symbolic artefact
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s legacy of value-based politics, dialogue and governance was recalled on Thursday, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inaugurated an exhibition on his life and contributions at its headquarters, while a separate month-long exhibition at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya traced his public and personal journey through photographs, archival material and artefacts — culminating with the Ambassador car he last used in May 1996.
Speaking after inaugurating the exhibition at the BJP headquarters on Vajpayee’s 101st birth anniversary, BJP national working president Nitin Nabin said the former PM had “laid the foundation for a new era of development and good governance” through his “unwavering commitment to ideology and value-based politics”.
“Through his unwavering commitment to ideology and value-based politics, Atal ji laid the foundation for a new era of development and good governance in the country,” Nabin said, adding that Vajpayee symbolised a political culture that taught democracy “the culture of dialogue, not just noise”.
While the BJP headquarters exhibition foregrounded Vajpayee’s ideological legacy and political ethos, a parallel exhibition titled Atal Prashasti at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya offers a more intimate, chronological account of his life — ending with a deeply symbolic artefact.
On a May afternoon in 1996, Vajpayee travelled in his Ambassador car to Rashtrapati Bhavan, uncertain of what lay ahead. The BJP had emerged as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, but without a majority. He returned home that day having been invited to form a government and seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the House. Within hours, his security cover was upgraded and the familiar Ambassador was replaced by another vehicle. The car he rode that afternoon was never used by him again.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) director Ashwani Lohani said the exhibition was part of a broader institutional effort. “The museum has begun celebrating the birthdays of former Prime Ministers through talks and exhibitions on their lives and contributions,” he said.
