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'We have written three jokes to make you laugh'

Archana Masih

The Golwala kids from uptown Mumbai want Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to come over for a meal to their home after he is discharged from the Breach Candy hospital in Bombay. 'Only then will we know that you care for the ordinary citizens of this country,' reads the letter. 'We have also written three jokes that will make you laugh and get well soon.' The handwritten letter then attempts to regale the PM with jokes number 1, 2 and 3.

The special reception area created for the PM at the hospital has several letters by children pasted on its walls. Some fondly addressed to Vajpayee Dadaji and Vajpayee Uncle and some more respectfully to Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji and The Prime Minister. In a room with some impressive posters of ABV, it is still the drawings sent by children stand out.

"We have received around 18,000 to 20,000 letters, telegrams so far," says city BJP vice-president Mangalprabhat Lodha. In-charge of the VIP visitors reception, Lodha says the message book for ordinary citizens outside has close to 5,000 get well wishes already. "There would have been much more, but people get intimidated by the police bandobast," he continues.

The MLA is confident that all letters will be responded to by the PMO once the PM has recovered.

The room -- originally used as on OPD -- has been created to receive important people like ministers, politicians, industrialists and other eminent personalities. Visitors are escorted in and can write their messages in the register inside. "We are arranging the bouquets etc, attending to the vistors and taking phone messages," says Executive Housekeeper N Pandit.

Neatly stacked on a table are a heap bouquets. Also on the table are cards, prasaad, framed get well wishes and angavastrams. All for the PM. The staff and students of the Ruia College have sent a copy of Mahanayak and the bags under the table are packed with telegrams.

Letters have been received from far and wide, from the powerful to the ordinary. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, Tamil Nadu Governor Justice M Fatima Beevi, industrialist Rahul Bajaj, CWC member Madhavrao Scindia, J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bishop Rt Reverend B Gavit, Star TV CEO Peter Mukherjea.

Thrilled with newspaper reports that the PM watched its hit Kaun Banega Crorepati the night before Tuesday's surgery, according to Lodha, the channel sent a VHS of some episodes to the PM on Wednesday night.

Among the bouquets received are those from Indu, Samir and Vineet Jain from The Times of India, Reserve Bank of India Governor Bimal Jalan, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, Minister of State for Transport Omar Abdullah.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi, Lodha claims, is yet to send a get well message to the PM.

The PM's surgery: The full coverage

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