Planting a sheesham, or tahli in Punjabi, tree in our ancestral farm today in the memory of my father, a flood of memories flashed past. Realisation also dawned that Gurdas Singh Badal, fondly known as Das ji, is no more, and that the roof above my head no longer exists.
He was born in another era, when politics was almost a hallowed profession, entering which meant sacrifices and struggles that often led to the use of the term ‘political prisoner’.
For many in the power corridors of Chandigarh and Delhi, Das ji was a name that rang a bell. He was Manpreet’s father, and Parkash Singh Badal’s younger brother. But move into the heartland and you would comprehend his true impact.
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An inspiration for Punjab’s politicians
The Shiromani Akali Dal benefitted from his sagacity during many a turmoil that the party faced. So did his elder brother, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. For the elder Badal, Das ji was his eyes and ears — particularly in the erstwhile Firozpur Division, where he was once an uncrowned skipper. I can fairly claim that as a son (and as a friend), I have undoubtedly been the most prolific recipient of his counsel and advice.
A generation of political leadership in the Malwa belt of Punjab owes their career to Gurdas Singh Badal. He had a knack for spotting talent, and like a farmer, could truly separate wheat from chaff. He was the best listener that I have ever met, and this helped him develop an uncanny knack for sensing and sussing out and anticipating events that were still in their embryonic stage. It was this ability to discern change, analyse events, and foresee the future that made him such a remarkable person.
But what set him apart was his earthly wisdom, often described in Punjabi as desi mutt — “ਦੇਸੀ ਮੱਤ”. His observations on politics, society, culture, and emerging scenarios were like pearls of wisdom distilled through decades of personal experience coupled with a keen eye for details.
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Accessible to all, a perfect sounding board
Perhaps, no Punjab politician could match Gurdas Singh Badal’s witticism; and his wisecracks aptly conveyed the gravity of the issue in a manner that would leave everybody in splits. He could couch it in the local language and idiom, making it easier for everyone to appreciate and understand.
His continuous interactions with one and all made him a perfect sounding board. His health wasn’t perfect, and this affected his mobility in his later years. He preferred staying in his village, and in recent times, his visits to Chandigarh were rather limited.
At home in village Badal, access to him was easy and he loved to meet everyone — whether young or old. With him, conversations were never one-sided. He would sit on his chair and encourage people to come up and talk to him, and once anyone had talked at length, Das ji would respond with a pithy one-liner that summed up the situation. The visitor would inevitably return wiser.
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A representative of ‘Silent Generation’
It is a conversational art form that is now getting lost, and had Gurdas Singh Badal not been a politician, perhaps he would have been Punjab’s best-known newspaper columnist. Conversations were his forte, and one only wishes that he had penned his experiences, along with the numerous idioms and proverbs that he came up with.
Friends and foes alike would treat him with respectful admiration. Associates enjoyed his friendship, while foes demurred. Detractors would be guarded and wary, but always considerate. He wielded considerable power for most part of his life, but never sought a “post” or “position”. That, he left to his elder brother Parkash Singh Badal.
He was truly a representative of the Silent Generation. Unfortunately, subsequent generations have had fewer opportunities to gain from his experience.
Patience was his hallmark, earthly wisdom was his characteristic trait, and politics was his life.
The sheesham (tahli) that we planted is among the hardiest of trees. It is indigenous and grows unconstrained and unfettered, while providing people with numerous unfathomable benefits.
That was what Das ji epitomised.
Manpreet Singh Badal is the finance minister of Punjab. Views are personal.