Mumbai: Pravin Davane’s awards occupy pride of place in his living room in Thane. One frame, which the veteran poet-lyricist refers to as his ‘prized possession’, stands out in the crowd: a picture, taken in 1998, of himself, wife Pradnya and son Aditya with the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mr. Davane’s eyes turn moist as he recalls the chance meeting two decades ago, made possible by their shared love for poetry. “On a family holiday in the national capital, we went to the Prime Minister’s residence. I was anyway a great fan of his poetry, so when we heard that he was there for some important meetings, we requested the guards to pass on a message to him: “Maharashtra se ek kavi aapse milna chaahta hai (a poet from Maharashtra wishes to meet you),” Mr. Davane, now in his 60s, told The Hindu .
In no time, they were escorted to an enclosure where Mr. Vajpayee met them. “It was surreal. We never expected the man of his stature to entertain our request. But there he was, talking about his poems and Marathi literature,” Mr. Davane said. “He spoke about his own poems, enquired about my poetic endeavours, and spoke fondly about Kusumagraj (V.V. Shirwadkar, a Marathi literary stalwart).”
This was no ordinary place they were visiting, and security was high. They had to deposit their cameras before entry, and this was not the age of smart phones. Mr. Vajpayee extended a small courtesy following the visit: he ensured the camera was delivered to the Davanes in no time. “Once the camera arrived, I started taking photographs of my family with him. Suddenly, he asked me to join them and asked a security guard to take a picture. I was over the moon about this,” he said.
At the same time, Mr. Davane felt a deep connect. “I have met various high-profile personalities, but he was the only one who did not let his stature and position matter when speaking to us. It is still unbelievable that the Prime Minister could interact with a poet only as a poet.”
