Virbhadra Singh statue unveiling ceremony in Shimla today
Sunil Chadha
Shimla: More than four years have passed since six-time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh passed away, but for the people of the hill state, their “Raja Sahib” never really left.
Virbhadra Singh may have been royalty by birth, but his true legacy was that of a leader who ruled hearts — not through power, but through presence, says an admirer.
Whether it was walking miles through remote Kinnaur and Chamba villages on foot without security, helping the poor people’s daughters get married with his own money or arranging a government job for deserving youth, Virbhadra Singh became a symbol of accessible, empathetic leadership rarely seen today.
As his statue was unveiled at Shimla’s iconic Ridge ground amidst chants of “Raja nahi fakir, Himachal ki taqdeer”, emotions overflowed. For thousands of Himachalis, the event was not just a tribute, but a personal memory revived — of a man who never let power create distance.
Walked miles, shared meals, lifted lives
Virbhadra Singh’s presence was never limited to the Vidhan Sabha or Chief Minister’s office. His reach extended to the last house in the highest village. Locals from tribal belts like Pangi and Spiti recall how the former CM would walk for hours just to visit an ailing villager or inspect a school building.
A former aide remembers a visit to a remote part of Kullu where Virbhadra Singh arrived without a convoy only to meet a widow whose grievances were pending. “He sat on the floor, shared tea and ensured her pension started the very next day,” the aide recalled.
In Rampur, an old woman wept while remembering how “Rajaji” had once helped fund her granddaughter’s education, personally writing a cheque from his account. Others talk about job letters being issued on compassionate grounds to families in distress — “not as favours,” they say, “but as rights he restored.”
Leader whose aura was admired even by opposition
Though a lifelong Congressman and a trusted aide to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, Virbhadra Singh transcended party politics in public perception. In a sharply divided era, his politics was marked by dignity and dialogue. Even opponents grudgingly acknowledged his unmatched connection with people.
“He treated even the harshest critic with courtesy. But he wouldn’t hesitate to fight tooth and nail if he felt the bureaucracy failed the poor,” says a retired IAS officer who worked under him during the 1990s.
His residence, Holly Lodge, was always open to the public — from dawn to midnight. People from distant districts would line up outside, often not to meet a politician, but to speak to someone they saw as family.
Six decades of service and legacy etched in stone
Born on June 23, 1934, and crowned Raja of Bushahr at the age of 13, Virbhadra Singh’s journey from a royal to a people’s champion is as poetic as it is political. With an MA in History and the blessings of Lal Bahadur Shastri, he entered Parliament in 1962 from Mahasu and never looked back.
He served as Union Minister in tourism, steel and small industries, but his heart was always in Himachal. He became CM six times — 1983-85, 1985-90, 1993-98, briefly in 1998, 2003-2007 and finally from 2012 to 2017.
His contributions to education, healthcare and infrastructure were transformational. It was under his leadership that IGMC-Shimla started open-heart surgeries, thousands of schools were opened in rural belts and the road network expanded deep into tribal regions.
Notably, he once said, “If there’s even one child in a village, we will build a school there.” That philosophy alone changed the educational map of Himachal.
At the statue-unveiling ceremony, Congress leaders from across the country, including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, gathered at the Ridge. Yet, it was the ordinary people who stole the moment, offering flowers, tears and silent prayers.
His son and cabinet minister Vikramaditya Singh summed it best: “Baba was not just my father. He was Himachal’s soul. His legacy lives in every road, every school and every beating heart of this land.”
