Raj Bhavan all decked up to host the PM

When Atal Behari Vajpayee puts up at Raj Bhavan on August 26 and 27, during his first visit to the city as Prime Minister, he will become the first top leader of the country to have spend such a long time in the beautiful mansion.

The Raj Bhavan has hosted among others, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, all former prime ministers. The impending two-day stay of Vajpayee has thus lend an air of apprehension to the majestic mansion.

The structure is a red and white painted brick and wooden work topped with the customary tiles. The symmetry of the sprawling 45-room structure is accentuated by a tower bedroom in the middle. This room, overlooking a terrace was said to be a favourite spot of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The structure itself overlooks a huge manicured lawns surrounded by numerous flowering plants.

When Dr Alexander took over as the Governor, the maintenance was taken over by the Governor’s Secretariat. Special maintenance funds were marked and a full-time estate superintendent appointed. The damaged parts were renovated and magnificence restored to the structure.

There have also been hushed debates about the logic of maintaining such a huge structure and property, that has practically little use. There has been a feeling that the premises could well be turned into something more useful and open to the public.

As of today, however, the Raj Bhavan awaits one of its rare guests, decked in all magnificence.