A picture of Sonia Gandhi voting and Kaka helping while Rajiv watching smilingly was very dear to Kaka

This is the real incident of the voting day in 1991 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi polling booth when Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi, the then PM came to vote in the New Delhi by election being contested by Rajesh Khanna as Congress candidate against the BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani. I was with Kaka at that point in time.  It was the voting day n Kaka was the Congress Party’s official candidate from New Delhi Parliamentary constituency.  I was with Kakaji on the same day n went inside the polling booth at 4 Bhawan in the morning with RK Dhawan standing there in advance waiting for Rajivji n Soniaji. It was 7.30 or 8.00 in the morning. When we went inside the polling booth vicinity to check n supervise the polling arrangements hundreds of cameras clicked on us. However we came out  at the entrance of Vigyan bhawan n waited for Rajvji n Soniaji. In just ten minutes, thereafter,  a smiling Rajivji n Soniaji came n the trio went  inside. Me kept at bay due to security reasons. But a bad omen had already occured on that day. When Rajivji arrived the Congress women volunteer who tried taking the arti of Rajiv ji n Sonia, suddenly got imbalanced due to nervousness n the Aarti Thali with flowers, incense etc fell down sending whispering n rumour mongering of some bad omen in the offing. Anyways, it was not taken seriously at that moment except a small news item in Indian express the other day in tit bits column, expressing it to be something unusual termed as unlucky. Some derived it with meanings like Kaka losing the election or something else but in nutshell, nothing much serious about Rajivji was ever thought over. But if we believe in this,  just a day or two after, the entire course of Indian political history was changed. Rajivji was shockingly assassinated in Sriperumbudur n the anguishing news reached Kakaji’s ears in a marriage function of my younger brother at Rama Krishna Puram, New Delhi where he was blessing my younger bro Anil Negi n his wid be wife surrounded by hundreds of his fans n invitees at the marriage function. I remember how shocked Kakaji was on that day. He just murmured while tears in his eyes that he has lost his mentor n God. Rajivji loved n adored him the most n it was only at the former’s request or advice that Rajesh contested n won from New Delhi n became MP, the desire he had kept in his heart since long, finally the dream coming true by his mentor Rajivji’s Kripa. You will be surprised to learn that this picture ( as above) Rajesh Khanna helping Soniaji caste her vote with pleasing n smiling Rajivji prime minister looking over,  appeared on the front pages of  almost all the newspapers of the country with Delhi’s largest selling newspaper Hindustan times giving it place on the front page with banner news. This was Kaka’s best photograph n he adored this pic very much. Since those days there weren’t mobile phones, digital cameras n coloured pics it was in black n white n the pictured couldn’t be procured. Kaka wanted its negative by all means n used to personally request me repeatedly to arrange it. I tried my level best to find the negative but of no avail. He wud sometimes even challange me saying whatconnection do u have in media that u can’t even arrange this negative through my sources? It wasn’t possible bcause the photo journalists kept it in their record n can’t  part with the only negative as it was unique n outstandingn an archive for them. If I m not wrong Mr Suresh Sinha of Hindustan times had two negatives of this pic. Kaka used to even call me from Mumbai to get it even if it is charged heavily for. After much efforts finally, I got it from Mr Sinha Photo editor of HT after several years when Kaka had become an ex MP having permanently shifted to Mumbai. It, however, took many years to procure it. Kaka was really grateful to have the negative. He could have made a negative out of the pic but he actually wanted the original one for the sharpness n precision of the original pic which could be enlarged to any size n which doesn’t lose its focus n sharpness. Later Kaka got it enlarged n got it nicely framed to decoratively put it at the main inner entrance of Ashirvaad. Such was Rajesh Khanna’s attachment with Rajivji. He was the prime minister of India then.

It was the voting day n Kaka was the Congress Party’s official candidate from New Delhi Parliamentary constituency.  I was with Kakaji on the same day n went inside the polling booth at 4 Bhawan in the morning with RK Dhawan standing there in advance waiting for Rajivji n Soniaji. It was 7.30 or 8.00 in the morning. When we went inside the polling booth vicinity to check n supervise the polling arrangements hundreds of cameras clicked on us. However, we came out at the entrance of Vigyan Bhawan n waited for Rajvji n Soniaji. In just ten minutes, thereafter,  a smiling Rajivji n Soniaji came n the trio went inside. Me kept at bay due to security reasons. But a bad omen had already occurred on that day. When Rajivji arrived the Congress women volunteer who tried taking the arti of Rajiv ji n Sonia, suddenly got imbalanced due to nervousness n the Aarti Thali with flowers, incense etc fell down sending whispering n rumour mongering of some bad omen in the offing. Anyways, it was not taken seriously at that moment except  a small news item in Indian express the other day in tit bits coloum, expressing it to be something unusual termed as unlucky. Some derived it with meanings like Kaka loosing the election or something else but in nutshell nothing much serious about Rajivji was ever thought over. But if we believe in this,  just a day or two after, the entire course of Indian political history was changed. Rajivji was shockingly brutally assassinated in Sriperumbudur n the anguishing news reached Kakaji’s ears in a marriage function of my younger brother at Rama Krishna Puram, New Delhi where he was blessing my younger bro Anil Negi n his wid be wife surrounded by hundreds of his fans n invitees at the marriage function. I remember how shocked Kakaji was on that day. He just murmured while tears in his eyes that he has lost his mentor n God. Rajivji loved n adored him the most n it was only at the former’s request or advice that Rajesh contested n won from New Delhi n became MP, the desire he had kept in his heart since long, finally the dream coming true by his mentor Rajivji’s kripa. You will be surprised to learn that this picture ( as above) Rajesh Khanna helping Soniaji caste her vote with pleasing n smiling Rajivji prime minister looking over,  appeared on the front pages of  almost all the newspapers of the country with Delhi’s largest selling newspaper Hindustan times giving it place on the front page with banner news. This was Kaka’s best photograph n he adored this pic very much. Since those days there weren’t mobile phones, digital cameras n coloured pics it was in black n white n the pictured couldn’t be procured. Kaka wanted its negative by all means n used to personally request me repeatedly to arrange it. I tried my level best to find the negative but to no avail. He wud sometimes even challenged me saying what connection do u have in media that u can’t even arrange this negative through my sources? It wasn’t possible bcause the photo journalists kept it in their record n can’t  part with the only negative as it was unique n outstandingn an archive for them. If I m not wrong Mr. Suresh Sinha of Hindustan times had two negatives of this pic. Kaka used to even call me from Mumbai to get it even if it is charged heavily for. After much efforts finally I got it from Mr. Sinha Photo editor of HT after several years when Kaka had become an ex MP having permanentally shifted to Mumbai. It however took many years to procure it. Kaka was really grateful to have the negative. He could have made a negative out of the pic but he actually wanted the original one for the sharpness n precision of the original pic which could be enlarged to any size n which dosent lose its focus n sharpness. Later Kaka got it enlarged n got it nicely  framed to decoratedly put it at the main inner entrance of Ashirvaad. Such was Rajesh Khanna’s attachment with Rajivji. He was the prime minister of India then.