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he would tell Vidya Bhabhi to make sweets on four or five
Thursdays in a year saying that it was my birthday, and after
that, he would say that it was not Narendrabhai’s birthday.

Much in the same manner, he often teased his Shanti Bhabhi
too. He would conceal her items, terrify her, caught cockroach
and threw it on her; and sometimes, he raised a commotion
with her son in the house in joy. Thus, he made fun and kept
himself in good spirits. Vasantbhai loved to bathe in rain. He
would bathe in it even if he was unwell. His last rain bath was
with us. It was raining heavily. Rao Saheb put on his clothes
and took me along. We sat in the garden in front of his house.
The rain continued for two hours and we enjoyed in it fully.
Rao Saheb was enjoying the drops of rain like a child, and was
watching the nature’s glory. It was the final Savan (month of
July-August) of his life. He lived a simple, quiet and natural
personal life even while holding crucial responsibilities of
Gujarat Jana Sangh and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Vasantbhai lived a short life, yet it was fully glorious. He
was the living example of striving for the values. The three most
important things that contributed to success in his life were
clarity of thought, faith in conviction and character to act. The
final days of Vasantbhai were very painful. He had to undertake
extreme physical and mental burden due to the threat to
democracy during the state of emergency, as well as in his
capacity of a leader in the struggle being led in other states. He
decided to undergo surgery in Bombay so that his body could
undertake more responsibility.

On the night of 6 February, 1976, we went to see off
Vasantbhai in Gujarat Mail. As always, he started his cycle of
talks with the lighter moments. The elections for the Rajya Sabha
were about to be held in Gujarat, and he was as good as the
final candidate for the Rajya Sabha. At the station, I started my
talk with that point, “What Rao Saheb, you were supposed to
prepare for Delhi, and here you are going to Bombay.” At this
he commented, “Our vehicle runs in the reverse.” This talk in
lighter vein was the last that we have had together. Vasantbhai
was admitted to Bombay Hospital on 9 February. On 12