Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary: PM Modi, President Kovind pay tribute at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ Memorial

Not a single tree was cut down in developing 'Sadaiv Atal' at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, which also houses samadhis (memorials) of former presidents, prime ministers among others.

The project was funded by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society. An official said "Atalji's thoughts and vision are a source of inspiration to the people of the country. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)

New Delhi: On the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a memorial was dedicated to the nation at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal today. The event was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manmohan Singh and other eminent personalities at the memorial near Rajghat. A vacant piece of land was made available for the memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and the memorial was constructed by the Centre Public Works Department (CPWD) at a cost of Rs 10.51 crore. The project was funded by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society. An official said "Atalji's thoughts and vision are a source of inspiration to the people of the country. To enable people to pay their respects to the great soul, an initiative to develop his samadhi was taken up by the society," the official said. Senior BJP leader and society president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told media that the memorial is spread over 1.5 acres of land at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where Vajpayee was cremated on August 17. He said the memorial reflects the former prime minister's personality as a poet, humanist, statesman and a great leader. It is enclosed by nine bas-relief walls which have inscriptions of the poetry of Vajpayee, he added. Malhotra said not a single tree was cut down in developing 'Sadaiv Atal' at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, which also houses samadhis (memorials) of former presidents, prime ministers among others. Vajpayee had passed away at AIIMS after prolonged illness on August 16. He was cremated on August 17 with full state honours.