Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A life in pictures

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first non-Congress leader to serve a full term in power, died August 16 2018, at AIIMS in New Delhi, where he had been undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment since June. Renowned for his powerful oratory and poetry, Vajpayee, 93, one of the founder members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), served as prime minister for 13 days in 1996, 13 months (1998-99) at the head of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and then for a full five-year term (1999-2004)

Curated By: Forbes India

Published: Aug 16, 2018

In the 1942 Quit India Movement, Atal Bihari Vajpayee participated as an 18-year-old, and was arrest

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In the 1942 Quit India Movement, Atal Bihari Vajpayee participated as an 18-year-old, and was arrested and kept in jail for 23 days. (Pictured- Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressing Jan Sangh Session at the Ambedkar Stadium- New Delhi, India March 5, 1975)

The political activism of Atal Bihari Vajpayee started with Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior, the youth w

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The political activism of Atal Bihari Vajpayee started with Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior, the youth wing of the Arya Samaj. (Pictured- Future Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with Prime Minister Morarji Desai welcoming US President Jimmy Carter and Rosalind Carter during January 1978 visit to India.)

Greatly influenced by Babasaheb Apte, Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (R

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Greatly influenced by Babasaheb Apte, Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a swayamsevak in 1939. Later in 1944, he became the general secretary of the Samaj. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became 'full-time pracharak' in 1947. (Pictured- Atal Bihari Vajpayee during convention of Janta Party workers to form a new party called Bhartiya Janata Party at Firoz Shah Kotla Road- New Delhi, India April 5, 1980.)

A sensitive poet and a prolific orator, Vajpayee was admired for his pragmatism, and astute statesma

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A sensitive poet and a prolific orator, Vajpayee was admired for his pragmatism, and astute statesmanship. He was the country’s prime minister when India won the war against Pakistan, which took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC). (Pictured- President R Venkataraman conferring Padma Vibhushan Award to Atal Bihari Vajpayee- New Delhi, India April 6, 1992.)

Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms between 1996 and 2004. (P

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms between 1996 and 2004. (Pictured- BJP Leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee with former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao during the 50th Year of Independence Day Parliament House Function- New Delhi, India December 9, 1996.)

At an international platform by speaking in Hindi at the United Nations, Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave t

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At an international platform by speaking in Hindi at the United Nations, Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave the Indian language a boost, and became the first person to speak in Hindi at the UN. (Pictured- Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Union Cabinet Ministers Ram Jethmalini, Murli Manohar Joshi and others [BJP, News Profile])

In late 2000, his health started deteriorating, Vajpayee underwent a knee replacement surgery in 200

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In late 2000, his health started deteriorating, Vajpayee underwent a knee replacement surgery in 2001, and suffered a stroke in 2009, which impaired his speech. (Pictured-Then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gestures to the press at New Delhi's Presidential palace, after submitting his resignation. Vajpayee resigned as Prime Minister of the 12-day-old Hindu nationalist government, the shortest-lived government in Indian history, ahead of an almost certain defeat in a parliamentary confidence vote)

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President KR Narayanan and New Ministers of his Cabinet after t

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Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President KR Narayanan and New Ministers of his Cabinet after the swearing in at Rashtrapati Bhavan- New Delhi, India March17, 1998.

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen (Second From Right), And Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar (Right) after recie�

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Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen (Second From Right), And Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar (Right) after recieving India's Highest Civilian Award 'Bharat Ratna' with the then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 16,1999. On December 25, 2014, Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna

Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani next to the vacant seat of Pramod Mahajan during the BJP conven

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani next to the vacant seat of Pramod Mahajan during the BJP convention held in Mumbai- May 3, 2006.

Najma Heptullah, former Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chairperson and Rajya Sabha Mem

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Najma Heptullah, former Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chairperson and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, filing her nomination paper for the Vice Presidential election. Other dignitaries along with her are Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, Lal Krishna Advani, Former President of Bharatiya Janata Partry (BJP) and Former Deputy Prime Minister, George Fernandes, former Union Cabinet Minister of Defence and other BJP Leaders in New Delhi, India.