The reason for silent lips: Humble tribute

• Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan

On April 08, I saw her in Ahmedabad hospital through a mirror. It was not easy to understand her unbearable pain. Many memories passed in front of my eyes like a movie. It was August 1995. I was a postgraduate student in biochemistry. I got to know from the newspaper that Dr. Girija Vyas had been appointed as the National President of the Mahila Congress. She left the post of a central government minister and accepted the work of the organization. Such was the importance of the organization in those days. I went to meet her. Her office was at 26 Akbar Road. She used to meet everyone. No slip had to be given. Media persons were present. Someone asked, “Women keep fighting with each other. What will they be able to do?” In a patriarchal environment, it was natural for such a question to be asked in a mocking tone. Without getting irritated, she laughed and said, "They fight for each other, not with each other." The journalist remained speechless. After that, I worked under her guidance for many years.

In 1996, I went to Udaipur for her election campaign. I stayed for about a week. She was extremely busy. Lok Sabha elections are held in summers. Seeing me, she asked me how my exam preparations were going. It meant that she knew that the exams were approaching and I had arrived here, dazzled by the aura of politics. I was startled and thought I would not face her. But she kept an eye on me. She herself was a D.Litt in Philosophy. She kept telling me to do a PhD. After staying for a week, I went to bid her farewell. Despite such a crowd, she came back from the kitchen, instructing to get parathas and pickles packed. She was a very motherly politician, inspired by feminine values, without any ego taking over her.

She was of a very religious nature. Her religiousness was the source of her respect for all religions. She had done spiritual study of various religious texts. She believed that subtle waves of a person's thoughts are always present. She saw it as rebirth. Then, the movement for the state of Uttarakhand was going on. We all had gone to Dehradun with her, where we got to know of her poetic side. Her poems, songs, and poetry were the drops of her loving personality. In 1996, I moved towards student politics. Coincidentally, she herself had announced me for the post of President of the Indian National Student Organization as the Party spokesperson on March 26, 1996.

Perhaps our bonds were tied to stay connected with each other. We did not get to meet often. But whenever we met, we felt the shade of the same pure affection. It was also a coincidence that in 2009 I contested elections from Mandsaur and she contested from Chittor. Both the areas are so geographically bound to each other as if they are embracing each other. Many times, the winding roads after passing through each other's area would take us back to their area.

She was famous for her dignified speeches in the House. Before entering politics, she taught and studied in an American university. She wrote a book on the similarity between the Gita and the Bible. She was the Chairperson of the Women's Commission. She was elected as a public representative every time from 1985 to 2014. She had decided to remain unmarried. Her affection for Meera was important in her decision to contest from Chittor. The sound of Meera's voice from the Chittor fort has always drawn me towards it. There were many emotions of Meera in her. Emotions of rebellion, poet, affection, decency. With the same rebellious consciousness, she had written –"Khamosh hothon ka tha sabab koi, waqt aaya hai, hum bhi bolenge." Now her words will not be heard anymore. The echo of her conscious silence will keep on vibrating the aura of Mewar for years. I went to her house in Daityamagri, Udaipur for the first time in the summer of 1996. While returning, I had the tiffin given by her. Today, after so many years, I visited Daityamagri again. As soon as the soul left, the home became a house. I am returning from there. This time with empty hands.

The author is a former MP & AICC Incharge, Telangana