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COVER
STORY: A.B. VAJPAYEE
There's
Very Little Wrong With The PM
The
arthritis surfaced in mid-1998 and was initially attributed to the ageing
process. Vajpayee delayed an examination till early this year when doctors
diagnosed the problem. He was advised physiotherapy under the supervision
of Dr D.R. Belsari of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
and a treadmill was installed at Race Course Road. Till August, he was
exercising regularly on the treadmill. Says foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya:
"Baapji would exercise longer than I could without his blood pressure
shooting up abnormally."
 |
| THEN:
During the early '80s |
Unfortunately,
that hasn't helped and the arthritis appears to have become severe. The
problem has been compounded by overweight. His doctors reckon that Vajpayee
is at least 15 kg heavier than he should be. In 1979 he weighed 79 kg,
now he is 83 kg. But weight reduction isn't going to be easy for a man
who relishes food. "The prime minister loves his food and has a sweet
tooth," says a cook in his household. Adds one of his doctors: "He
eats heavy and oily food which means he has no problem with his heart.
The only thing he dislikes is regular exercise."
 |
| NOW:
Forced by official compulsions Vajpayee frequently reads prepared
speeches |
Actually,
apart from painful knee joints, there seems very little wrong with Vajpayee.
He did not go in for the customary medical examination even when he assumed
charge as prime minister, putting it off until June. This prompted wild
speculation about his having developed prostrate cancer. The fears are
unfounded. Says Dr Ramesh Kumar, his chief physician since 1973: "We
have done extensive tests and haven't noticed any growth in any part of
the body." Adds Health Minister C.P. Thakur, himself a physician:
"The prime minister is completely healthy except for his knee-joint
problem. His responses are clear, much clearer than some ministerial colleagues."
When he took over in March 1998, Vajpayee's personal physicians were cardiologists.
Now they have been replaced by Dr Anup Mishra and Dr Randip Guleria, both
general physicians from AIIMS.
It's not
that there haven't been other nagging problems. Vajpayee has undergone
two cataract operations in the past four years and wears hearing aids.
He has been advised rest thrice for sore throat but hasn't been hospitalised
in the past three years. Since 1997, he has taken merely 20 days off for
vacation, less than half the number the much younger Rajiv Gandhi took
as prime minister.
True, Vajpayee
looked disoriented during his Independence Day speech in 1998 but less
than a year later he sat through eight hours of daily meetings during
the Kargil war and followed it up with a punishing schedule during the
general election when he addressed 103 meetings. Like others of the Kapha
body type, Vajpayee performs well under pressure. Prolonged inactivity
depresses him.
The knee
pain has had an unexpected side-effect, but purely psychological. A natural
orator prone to theatrical flourishes, Vajpayee has been ill at ease with
speaking from prepared texts. With arthritis adding to the discomfort,
he has become wary of public appearances. His schedule in the US was pruned
to lessen his public-speaking engagements.
Says one
of his doctors: "His speech writers are his biggest enemies now.
They have restricted his body movements and his emotional links with his
audience. He is constantly worried about his pain while reading. If he
is allowed to be natural, he will be able to adjust his delivery with
the pain." His colleagues too have noticed this problem. Minister
of State for Disinvestment Arun Shourie told him bluntly: "Atalji,
your reading speeches is like Chattrapati Shivaji riding a scooter to
battle." Shourie was being wilfully light-hearted because, on a more
serious vein, Vajpayee hasn't let the pain get the better of his duties.
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