Residents of Prini, a tiny Himachal village, where former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has a house, today celebrated his 86th birthday by offering prayers at a temple in the idyllic hamlet.
Scores of people led by Prini village head Kundan Kumar gathered at the Nag Devta (snake god) temple to pray for the long life for the BJP stalwart who enjoyed an emotional bond with people of this village on Kullu-Manali highway.
"We treat Vajpayeeji as a resident of our village as he enjoys an emotional relationship with us," Kundan Kumar said.
The former prime minister, who treated Prini as his second home and mingled with the locals as a family member, visited it every year specially during summer till his health permitted, Kumar said.
Known for his flair for poetry, his love for the small hamlet also inspired the BJP patriarch to write a poem titled 'Manali Tumhe Bulati' in his famous book 'Meri Ekyavan Kavitayen'.
Even today Vajpayee stays in touch with people of the village telephonically.
