Ogden Nash — that social observer who doubled as a versifier — had a telling comment to make about the perils of growing up. The trouble (he wrote) with a kitten is that/Eventually it becomes a cat. The poet did not know Feroze Varun, but he could truly have been referring to the youngest Gandhi on the block when he wrote his two-liner.

There’s no denying the fact that Maneka and Sanjay Gandhi’s only son was a beautiful baby. In the summer of 1980, when Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash, Varun was all of three months old. The image of a bewildered, black-eyed infant with his sad-eyed mother — captured in all newspapers the day after the funeral — was an abiding one.

And then, he grew up. Since nobody saw much of young Varun in his adolescence, spent mostly in the idyllic Rishi Valley School in Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh, the change came as a surprise to most. One day he was a little baby; the next day he was as large as life — if not larger.

But some things did not change. As a babe, he had his protective mother by his side. As a 24-year-old hulk, Mama Maneka was still there with him, smiling proudly, as the young Gandhi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.

Gandhi’s initiation into politics — hand-in-hand with his induction into the BJP — was expected. Five years ago, he made a debut of sorts when he accompanied his mother to her constituency, Pilibhit. Four years ago, he published a book of poetry, intriguingly called The Otherness of Self.

Present at the launch were political heavy-weights of all hues — from Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Arun Shourie of the BJP to Sitaram Kesri and R.K. Dhawan of the Congress. “He has a lot of raw talent. Let’s see how it grows,” Arun Jaitley was then quoted as saying.

That he has raw talent became abundantly clear to the BJP in recent times. The talent, clearly, stemmed from his famous second name. Had Varun been a Bhatia, you wouldn’t be reading about him. And had his first cousins, Rahul and Priyanka, not had the Gandhi suffix either, there would have been little talk of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi’s offspring helping the Congress in its campaign for the 2004 election. The three younger Gandhis, not quite known for their achievements in any field, are all doing what they are best at — drawing on their name.

Varun’s entry into the BJP would have had something to do with his cousins’ decision to campaign for the polls. The BJP, which has honed the game of oneupmanship in its six years in power, was not the least bit rattled when it became clear some weeks ago that the Congress was drawing the young Gandhis into the campaign. “If they have their Gandhis, we have ours too,” said the BJP, and in a much publicised conjurer’s trick, pulled Varun out of a top hat.

Since then, Varun has been in the news. He was interviewed through the day by television reporters on Monday and hit the front pages of most newspapers the day after. Varun sounded suitably sombre. “Historically, my family has been part of the Congress and has led it through its most glorious era. I do believe, however, that what my family was true to was not a party but a value system, a tradition of self-sacrifice, national pride and independence of spirit.”

Varun is, clearly, a wordsmith, for if there is anything that sets him apart from his cousins, it is his confidence with words. Though his poetry is not always easy to understand, Varun Gandhi is not shy about expressing his feelings. “Politics is something that governs our life. It is essential for us, especially my generation, to be aware and sensitive to the events around us,” he said in an interview three years ago. “Whenever I want to join active politics, I would make my intentions clear. (And it would) definitely be a party which works for the welfare of the poor and also, which is secular.”

It’s not quite clear which party he had in mind then. Though, it is being said that even the Congress this time tried to informally draw Varun into the party. Sonia Gandhi had no problems with Varun’s entry, but sister-in-law Maneka did. Maneka, who is close to deputy Prime Minister .K. Advani, was keen that Varun join the BJP.

His role in the party is yet to be spelt out. He can’t stand for an election, because he is not yet 25. But Varun, who did law from the London School of Economics as an external student (which meant he studied in India but appeared for the examination in London), intends to join the party’s election campaigns.

“Today, the nation is delicately poised. We can either continue on a proactive path of economic and social reform to take our place as the world’s greatest democracy. Or, we can return to populist policies and quick-fix solutions. I consider joining and strengthening the BJP to be in the nation’s best interest,” he said in a statement after joining the party.

If Maneka is any indication, young Varun may go far. Still, in the short-lived world of politicians, Varun seems to know that the future is uncertain. At least, in his verse, he underlines the fact that he may rise — or he may well fall. I am an ocean (he writes)/ I am the man in the box.