My Father L K Advani

'There is a song that fits my father. It is from the Dev Anand film Hum Dono, which goes Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya...'

This feature was first published on Rediff.com on December 30, 2005.

Pratibha Advani, Lal Kishenchand Advani's daughter, says she felt angry when her father was criticised for his comments on Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

The incident forced him to resign as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party for a short period before agreeing to return at the request of senior party leaders. L K Advani finally stepped down as BJP president on December 31, 2005.

In an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Onkar Singh, Pratibha says she would be happy if she could emulate her father -- whom she endearingly calls 'Dada' -- by even 10 per cent.

"I have seen tears in his eyes while hugging Atalji (former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee). They are great friends. The relationship these two have shared is often misunderstood by the press," she says.

I don't think anybody knows him better than I do. I am very close to him as are my mother and brother Jayant. I spend a lot of time with him and continue to do so on a regular basis.

As a person and politician, I feel the media has always demonised him. It has been unfair and uncharitable to him. He is the softest person I have ever known. I have seen sides of him no one else has.

He is well up on issues close to his heart, be it India, the party or anything else. Even if I weren't his daughter, I would still say there are very few people who come close to perfection and he does. He is a person who has worked for the people. His ambition is to work for the party but, on a personal level, his ambition is close to zero.

In terms of his attitude towards life, he is the same. There is a song that fits my father. It is from the Dev Anand film Hum Dono, which goes Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya....

It has been a beautiful experience for me and my family, to be in politics and yet away from it. There is nothing that is not discussed in our home. The conversation is politics when we sit together. But we disassociate ourselves from active politics. Frankly, my brother and I have never discussed whether either or us should get into politics. I have not thought about it myself.

It cannot be that just because one's father is in politics, one should too. It is not a profession that can be passed on to the next generation. Others may think politics is a profession, but, to me, it is a commitment. I feel my calling has not yet come. It is not the right time to do so. The feeling of working for the nation is there within me, but not so much that I should give up everything and work for the nation.

I want to be well settled in my profession, television production. Being in politics means committing yourself to working for the people, the nation. My father is a shining example of that.

Politics is in my and my brother's blood, but the time is not right. We have not discussed it with our father either. I do not want to be taken into the party because of my father. I want to stand on my own.

I have never heard of him wanting to be prime minister. He has no personal ambition. He has ambitions for the party.

Whenever someone asks about his age, I say he is fitter than most of us because of his lifestyle. He does not waste his energy. He often tells me not to sweat over small matters. That is the secret of his success.

Atalji (former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) and my father are great friends. He is very fond of Atalji and I have seen this since I was a child.

It is a relationship often misunderstood by the press. Sometimes, I say why bother if people do not want to understand their relationship. It is their bad luck. I cannot change the perception of the people.

Let me tell you L K Advani is not fazed by circumstances. People writing positively or negatively about him do not bother him at all.

As a daughter, I do get overprotective, hurt and angry. But when I look at his peace of mind, I tell myself if he is strong enough to handle it, why shouldn't I do the same?

He has been a great source of strength to me and I would like to emulate him.

I think his contribution is immense and his place in history is assured.

Why should he repent visiting Pakistan? None of us do.

In fact, it was one of the most memorable yatras for the family.

He has always had time for his family.

He comes home for lunch and we sit together and exchange views. He is a frugal eater.

That we have time for each other is more important for us than anything else in life.