India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior. He was the first head of government from outside the Congress party to serve a full five-year term, as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A Padma Vibhushan awardee, he is also a recipient of India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, which was conferred on him in 2015. Perceived to be an astute statesman and political leader, his birthday was declared ‘Good Governance Day’. Vajpayee is also admired for his poetry. He passed away at the age of 93 on August 16, 2018, at AIIMS, New Delhi.