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LATE ARJUN SINGHJI: HOW I REMEMBER HIMKN RAO

30 May 2016, 6:46 AM

In the last twelve years of my service in I.A.A.S. from where I retired as Director General in

1990 I had interacted with top political leaders of India in different ministries and mostly inthe meetings of the Pulic Accounts !ommittee. "ut more people came to meet me at night

to consult me astrologically at my residence. I went to the houses of four politicians fordifferent reasons# to the house of late Dinesh Singh$i to meet some old and e%periencedastrologers on his invitation# to late !haran Singh$i when he was the prime minister for

astrological consultation twice when he had e%pressed a desire to meet me and to the houseShri &atwar Singh$i to meet a remar'ale Irish psychic. "ut for astrological consultations

Dinesh Singh$i and &atwar Singh$i came to my house. 

(he only e%ception I made was in the case of late Ar$un Singh$i whom and whose wife I metfor the first time in 19)* when I had gone to their official residence when Ar$un Singh$i was

(elecommunications +inister in the government of Sri ,a$iv Gandhi. (he reason was theinstruction of a great saint +auni "aa whom I had first met in the house of late Sri

&agendra Singh- former $udge of the International !ourt of ustice and with whom I hadlost touch. /ater I came to 'now from a woman disciple of his that after the death of

&agendra Singh$i - "aa was coming to the house of Ar$un Singh$i in Delhi. In my presence-once "aa told Ar$un Singh$i and his wife to consult me only for astrology and as'ed me to

give them consultation in their house. 

"efore I had met Ar$un Singh$i and his wife- his daughter eena$i had come to meet with SriA..Singh Deo- now a memer of ,a$ya Saha- at my house and loo'ing at her horoscope I

had as'ed her to concentrate on social wor' which she has een doing very well and withgreat enthusiasm. /ater- the second son of Ar$un Singh$i - Shri A$ay had come to me meet

me and I had as'ed him who had advised him to $oin politics. Surprised- had as'ed me whatwas wrong. I had told that he was going to get involved in a ig controversy and that

happened when the !hurhat lottery episode ecame e%plosive for some years till it dieddown.

 

2hy "aa gave such an instruction ecame clear to me later when I came to 'now that anastrologer of Delhi- more notorious for sensational prediction than real aility- had told the

wife of Ar$un Singh$i that her husand would e shot dead and a pistol shot would penetrate

his forehead. (here were some matters which had etter een discussed in the privacy ofhis house and that suited me.

 In so many meetings of ours- we never discussed politics and if we had- some itterness

could have crept in. 2ith the passing of the Gandhian era- greatness in pulic life hadcollapsed into opportunism- pseudo secularism had ecome a vote catching shioleth. I

had served as a personal volunteer of +ahatma Gandhi in Sevagaram in my early teens andam only one year $unior to Ar$un Singh$i in age. As the son of an idealist great and famous

editor of the &ational 3erald- the founder editor of the &ational 3erald- late Sri 4.,ama ,ao-

I had personally seen from closest 5uarters the famous political leaders of the Gandhian eraand 'nown them personally in the pre independence era. I had my own political convictionsthough it is the government service I drifted into and 'ept my political opinions to myself.

Ar$un Singh$i 'new it and appreciated that I had my own strong private political convictions.6ortunately- no occasion arose ever for us to discuss politics and disagree disagreealy.

 &o ig occasion arose for the ne%t four years for me to give any ma$or prediction to Ar$un

Singh$i. In 1990- when the !ongress party was out of power an article had appeared in the&avharat (imes- the 3indi sister paper of the (imes of India- under the name of Ar$un

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Singh$i- pathetic in tone and a half willing acceptance of fate. 3e had undergone an openheart surgery and was resting in an air conditioned room of a hospital. It was as though the

ra77le da77le of politics was only a faint memory now and what awaited him was olivion. 

I loo'ed deeply into his horoscope and 'ept the readings to myself till one day +rs.Ar$unSingh sent me a message to meet them in the hotel room. I went there - saw the depressed

face of Ar$un Singh$i and straightaway told him that in 1991 the !ongress Party would comeac' into power and he would e an important cainet minister. (he rest is history888in 1991the !ongress party formed a government at the centre under the late P..&arasimha ,ao

and Ar$un Singh$i ecame 3,D +inister.

 3aving retired in 1990- I had to vacate the government ungalow in si% months and while I

was preparing to move- Ar$un Singh$i as'ed me not to move and made me the vicechairman of the Sans'rit Parishad where the wor' was of financial nature - for which

Sans'rit scholarship was not re5uired. I could retain the government ungalow. "ut after ayear a half- I re5uested him to relieve me of this post as I wanted to move into a small

private flat I had decided to uy and not remain dependent on the charity of government.3e and his wife were surprised and I moved away to east Delhi ut remained in touch with

them throughout often going to their house for dinner or lunch and occasional astrological

consultation.

If I ever envied Ar$un Singh$i it was for his huge lirary- a great collection of various oo's

which have now een donated to some lirary. 3e was one the est read politicians Indiaever had though this facet of his personality was not 'nown to many e%cept me ecause

often he referred to some oo' to see' support for his arguments. Academically - he and hischildren have een rilliant.

 Strangely- one day Ar$un Singh$i as'ed me to meet him privately- not in the presence of his

wife for an astrological prediction sometime in 199) and as'ed me whether his life span wasover as an astrologer had told him. I assured him that for another eight or nine years there

was no danger e%cept health prolems which would increase and that he would once again

ecome a cainet minister at the centre. 

&DA in power then had introduced astrology as a su$ect of study in non Sans'rituniversities ut in 00: when the PA came into power and Ar$un Singh$i ecame 3,D

minister for the second time- I had as'ed him whether he would allow astrology to continue.3e smiled and said that he would not touch the decision as he 'new more than eighty

percent politicians consulted astrologers and were not opposed to astrology.

Some years later he was dropped from the cainet of +anmohan Singh$i and I told

+rs.Ar$un Singh that her husand;s career was over and they should e%pect it all as the finalsun set on the long career of Ar$un Singh$i.

 (he mahadasha was changing- from upiter;s to Saturn and I had seen it as eing away of

his stellar political career and life itself. In Saturn Saturn enus period he reathed his laston : +arch 011.

 ( From a souvenir SADBHAVANA produced by Smt Veena Singh on her father in

April 2!"#