(Animesh Mishra, 19, is studying Engineering in Gwalior. His hobbies are watching movies and playing video games. His grandmother, Kanti Mishra, is the niece of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.)There are two types of people: one who are destined to be great and the other who become great by their hard work. And then there are people like Atal Baba - a modest man, soft yet firm like his name.
Beyond the stories and legends of him is a humble and disciplined man, a patriot who helped India grasp its independence and then liberated India from vices of its own.
People remember him as a statesman, a gifted writer and poet and many other things. But for me, he is a man who believes that dreams can come true and working hard requires only a clean heart.
It's the great things that make people famous, but small acts of kindness make a person great. He is a master, a guardian, a leader, a poet and above all a humble servant of mother India.
All that I have known about him is mostly from my father - Atal Baba and my father share more than the relationship of a grandfather and grandson, they were friends who spent much time together. My father remembers him as fun-loving and a foodie.
I met him on several occasion during my childhood. Once he visited Turkey in 2004, while he was the Prime Minister of India. And as my father was posted there, we met him. Then I realised how important and famous my great grand-father Atal Baba was, as after our meeting, we got attention from the Turkish media as relatives of the PM.
I recall that on his birthday in 2005, he introduced me and by brother Anirudh to Advaniji saying that we are his fourth generation.
I would try to keep up with his legacy which has reached another level as he today has been conferred with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
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