Meet Major (Retd) Ved Prakash saw rise and fall of Rajiv Gandhi to long years of Sonia
Meet Major (Retd) Ved Prakash
saw rise and fall of Rajiv Gandhi to long years of Sonia
Major Ved Prakash
President of Congress Ex-Servicemen Organization,
Who rang his birthday on June 3 was knocked by the cruel hands of death inside 24, Akbar Road.
It was lunch time and the chairman of ex-serviceman was, perhaps, heading for a discreet corner to have his packed, home-cooked lunch, a ritual he followed for almost four decades or more.He was 85. A blitzkrieg of condolences followed. Even condolences followed from the US, where Rahul Gandhi is busy making ways difficult for PM Narendra Modi ahead of the prime minister’s state visit to the US
Ved Prakash was a witness to the rise and fall of Rajiv Gandhi, entry and exit of
P V Narasimha Rao, whims and fancies of Sitaram Kesri and long years of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Priyanka Gandhi, Manish Tiwari, Pawan Khera and hundreds of ‘beat correspondents’ had their own collection of stories and snippets about the genial ‘Major saheb.’
Affection and appreciation for the deceased is not uncommon, but in the case of Ved Prakash, the bond was not the friendship of utility but that of the good, drawing joy from being with him.
Affection and appreciation for the deceased is not uncommon, but in the case of Ved Prakash, the bond was not the friendship of utility but that of the good, drawing joy from being with him.
Throughout the 1980s, 1990s and during the UPA years, Major was on the dot during all press conferences or media interactions, but he seldom leaked any information. Yet, he earned tremendous media respect for always being there, being courteous and maintaining a high level of dignity and poise.
The veteran Congressman saw rise and fall of Rajiv Gandhi, coming and going of P V Narasimha Rao, whims and fancies of Sitaram Kesri and long years of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Mallikarjun Kharge. The Fauji must be having his own likes, dislikes, preferences but he never ever uttered a word against any. This correspondent often tried to induce, incite, act as agent provocateur of sorts but even when nobody was around, Major would not open up, laugh off at the ‘leads’ and say, “Congress interest” is supreme.
For the discerning observers, Ved Prakash was an inseparable part of a troika – Gadgil, Chandulal Chandrakar and the army major, often acting as Gandhi’s three wise monkeys. The three monkeys have their origin in the writings of Confucius, Taoism, and Japanese Shintoism. As per Japanese Shintoism, Mizaru would not see evil; Kikazaru hears no evil and Iwazaru speaks no evil.
Chandulal Chandrakar had a look as if he had not seen anything while Gadgil would act as if he was hard of hearing. For Major, speaking was strictly rationed. Together they tied over several storms, particularly when TV news had turned private, boisterous and forever hostile.
Major Ved Prakash may not have become a Lt Governor or a senior functionary in the AICC but his spirit lives on in the memories of those who loved and valued him.
News input KV Raman
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