Shekhawat steps out

Strange how the elixir of power 8212; evanescent yet close at hand 8212; can transform, even heal, an individual. Over the past six months...

Strange how the elixir of power 8212; evanescent yet close at hand 8212; can transform, even heal, an individual. Over the past six months, random visits to the sprawling bungalow of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, now vice-presidential candidate, had convinced me that the Grand Old Man was weak and ailing.

But once news came in of his candidature for the vice-presidential post, I encountered a new man 8212; glowing, jubilant, basking in the new-found attention he was receiving. Like a quick change artiste, he disappeared indoors to exchange his resplendent yellow silk kurta for a starched white cotton one.

And as he walked out to his garden, posing for photographs with the fawning multitudes assembled, there was a new spring to his step.

Back inside, it was time for reminiscences.8216;8216;You might call Rajasthan politically dull, but politicians here are a different breed 8212; gentle and courteous 8212; we don8217;t harbour grudges. We are all friends,8217;8217; he said.

As an example he recalled how traditionally it was required of the best speaker in the Rajasthan assembly to distribute ladoos to everyone in the House. More often than not, given his brilliant oratory, it fell to Shekhawat8217;s lot to do the honours. On one occasion, everyone plotted to force veteran Congress leader, Jagannath Pahadia, to part with his money. Chuckled Shekhawat,8216;8216;He was very stingy, so we bombarded him with questions, until he was forced to put his hands up and let us extract his wallet.8217;8217;

True to tradition, there were boxes of giant ladoos reposing in his study. 8216;8216;You have to eat two,8217;8217; he urged me,8216;8216;they are special ones from Sikar.8217;8217; I was then treated to a culinary guide to 8216;sweet8217; Rajasthan 8212; which mofussil town was famous for which sweet. 8216;8216;Take the pedas of Chirawa 8212; you can keep them for months without their getting stale.8217;8217; Then he dropped another nugget of information,8216;8216;You must eat puri-sabzi at a dhaba near the railway crossing at Ringus. I promise you won8217;t be able to stop once you begin.8217;8217;

From that he switched to hairstyles.8216;8216;There8217;s a computerised hair salon only in Chirawa 8212; I wanted to go there and check out my style but I had no time.8217;8217; Obviously, the imminent move to Delhi was pulling at his heartstrings.8216;8216;So you8217;re not confused any more?8217;8217; I questioned.8216;8216;No8217;8217; he replied, 8216;8216;I8217;m going to contest and try to win. I8217;m not a good loser.8217;8217;

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Suddenly a tiny old man rushed in and accosted Shekhawat,8216;8216;You can8217;t leave me alone in Jaipur. How can I live without you?8217;8217; The next moment, the two were wrapped in a warm hug, their contrasting heights appearing almost comical.8216;8216;I8217;ve known him since the 40s and have always kept his terrible temper in check. Now every time I call him up, the first question I ask is if he8217;s still alive.8217;8217;

At 83, Brij Mohan Chhabra, who founded the Jan Sangh in Rajasthan, is one of Shekhawat8217;s closest buddies. For a moment, the room was choked with emotion. As I watched, I wondered whether this breed of politicians was fast becoming extinct.