Varun Gandhi rediscovers the poet in himself - second time in 15 years

Politician Feroze Varun Gandhi, the BJP Member of Parliament from Sultanpur, has turned into a poet. He has released his second book, titled Stillness’, a collection of poems written over the years, for sale. His first book, The Otherness of Self’,  was published 15 years back, when he was just out of his teens. In fact it was the contents of that first book which caught the attention of the then BJP leadership, Atal Behari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Pramod Mahajan. They saw a spark in him that could be useful to the party. The new book begins with a poem titled Control and ends with two others titled Hope and Want. The poems suggest that he has matured as a writer from the time he published his first book. [caption id=“attachment_2219170” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Stillness[/caption] Varun’s poetry captures a myriad mix of emotions, giving the reader a rare sneak peek into the inner self of a politician, who is more than just that. The emotions demonstrate a diverse range - from a sense of melancholy (Poem: I want to be the end) to a sense of hope (In my Heart). The message is subtle at times, but often clear and prominent. It would be difficult for anyone without introspective powers to write such a book. The collection stands out for its sense of grace, tranquillity and self-exploration. A reader could find Varun’s introspective silence, or stillness, evocative. Hence the title. It offers an escape from the maddening crowd to solitude. It is evident that Varun, despite being an active politician who is in the thick of all kinds of pulls and pressures, has kept his composure and retained the mystical insight of a poet. While Varun’s writer avatar might remind one of his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was a prolific writer, his poetry aligns him more closely with the tallest leader in his party, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was also no mean poet himself.