FOCUS
APJ ABDUL KALAM: A human being par excellence
As you read this, over a month would have passed since the passing away of Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president of India. As usual for all the month of August APJ appeared in print in one paper or the other. It was as if it was never enough, and there is still more to say. The avalanche of goodwill that this diminutive man commands, is mind boggling. It was as if he was another Mahatma after Mahatma Gandhi.
Abdul Kalam was born to a little educated boatman Jainulabdeen in Rameshwaram. Family of Jainulabdeen was of ordinary means. However they were determined to give young Kalam, best of proper education. As the life unfolded itself, Abdul Kalam not only grew in years but also grew in stature to become one of the best scientific brains of not just India but of international repute. Penguin Books writes on him. He ‘is one of India’s most distinguished scientists. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, SLV-3, of strategic missiles, weaponisation, building local capability in critical technologies. Held senior positions in ISRO & DRDO before becoming Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India, a cabinet rank. He had the rare honour of being the recipient of all three highest civilian awards of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna, besides receiving some 30 honorary doctorates from all over the world’.
The rocket scientist that he grew up to be called, propelled him to be the Bharat Ratna in an India, which took immense pride in making him the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. In an India where 80% of the population consists of Hindus, Abdul Kalam was the 3rd Muslim President.
Despite having been born into humble background, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, by the sheer dint of application and hard work achieved pinnacle of success. He was every inch a very proud Indian and made every Indian proud by his clean and exemplary life. According to S. Gurumurthy, a chartered accountant and well known columnist “For ordinary Indian, Dr Kalam represents all that a great man should have – humility, simplicity, honesty and transparency”, while RSS said “He is a dreamer of great India”.
Writing about himself Dr Kalam writes in his epochal works of thoughts “WINGS OF FIRE”, that he inherited honesty and self discipline from his father and from his mother he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness. He speaks about his three friends, all from the orthodox Brahmin families, so also the respectful friendship between his father and the chief priest of the Rameshwaram temple, who was father of one of his friend.
He had, at times, brush with unpleasant situation which he never allowed to grow into bitterness within him. Narrating an incident involving a Brahmin teacher, who asked him to go and sit on the back bench instead of the first bench, he was sitting with his friends. This had greatly hurt him and his Brahmin friends. He recollects how the chief of the Rameshwaram temple, Laxman Shastry, asked bluntly, the teacher, to apologise or leave the school for trying to vitiate the school atmosphere by introducing intolerance among the impressionable minds of young children. This shows the sensitive side of Dr Kalam and his acceptance of culture of tolerance so early in his life. He remembers his science teacher, again an orthodox Brahmin, who Dr Kalam describes as a rebel, and how he took keen interest in young Kalam’s studies. Normally, good students are favourites of teachers. Hence it is obvious that Dr Kalam was deeply interested in science from his school days. Dr Kalam informs ‘one day he was invited by the science teacher for a meal at home, and how teacher’s wife refuses to serve the youngster at the first instance, and changes completely, the second time, after seeing the brahminical rituals he observed while eating and after eating’. They were all intimate details of an evolving youth coming to terms with the realities of his surroundings during his growing years.
He recounts what his father told him when he was set to leave for Ramanathapuram from Rameshwaram, “Our love will not bind you nor will our needs hold you” and how his father consoled his grieving mother quoting Khalil Gibran “Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts.” And Khalil Gibran was an Arab Christian. This shows, his parents too being open minded and young Kalam allowed himself to be mellowed in the mould of his parents. Goodness of his parents became his innate strength.
In Ramanathapuram, he joins Schwartz High School, where he comes in close contact with Iyadurai Solomon, one of his teacher. According to Kalam teacher Solomon instilled in him a sense of self-worth and inspired him to look at life confidently. He talks about his mathematics teacher Ramakrishna Iyer who praises him for his cent % marks in Maths saying ‘this boy is going to bring glory to his school and to his teachers’, despite caning him on an earlier occasion.
It was in 1950, he joined St. Joseph’s College in Trichi and completed his BSc. There was nobody in his family who could guide him. Flying always fascinated him, hence in pursuance of his dream he joined Madras Institute of Technology for his degree in Aeronautical Engineering and completed his degree along with the project completion and training in HAL in1958. Thus it took more than 27 years for him to complete his professional degree, which normally one can complete by the age of 22 years. However, the years he spent in School in Rameshwaram and Ramanathapuram, the College in Trichi and MIT, all moulded young Kalam into a disciplined, committed, kind and sensitive human being, deeply committed to hard work to realise the dreams of his family. He was the most educated of his time in Rameshwaram. His close and sentimental association with all his teachers, be it his Science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer in Rameshwaram, Rev.Solomon in Ramanathapram, Rev. Sequeira, Prof.Iyengar, Prof. Sastry in St Joseph‘s in Trichi, Prof Sponder, Prof. Pandalai, Prof Rao and Director of MIT Prof Srinivasan, left him deeply impressed on his young persona. As a disciplined, no-nonsense and committed student, he was the dream student of all teachers. These very same qualities took him to unparalleled heights in his professional life.
Having joined his first assignment at Delhi’s Directorate of Technical Development & Production of the Ministry of Defence in 1958 as Senior Scientific Assistant, although he had dreamt of being pilot with Indian Air Force, which he failed narrowly to get. Surely destiny had other plan for him.
During these post independent years, most of our defence requirements were being imported. Hence import substitution was the challenge India had to overcome. Young Kalam, inspired by deep sense of nationalism always felt that its only strength that respects strength, hence, always felt that India must produce its own defence equipments.
An indigenous manufacture of a prototype of hovercraft, as a ground equipment machine was planned at his work station and he was made the leader of the team. There were hardly any information, literature or expertise available on hovercraft within India. The thought that if Wright Brothers could envision and fly the first flying machine with only their years of cycle fixing background, an Aeronautical Engineer is surely better placed to experiment, thought young Kalam.
When you are destined for bigger things, things happen providentially. VK Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India came calling to see the hovercraft and had a ride on it. He confirmed that Kalam had “demonstrated that it could be done” and asked Kalam for a more powerful prime mover and call him for the second ride. Although bigger and better hovercraft was ready before schedule, the ride did not happen since VKK Menon was out of political office. On the road to highways bumps and humps are bound to happen. Comes along Prof MGK Menon of TIFR (Tata Instt. of Fundamental Research) who takes the ride which VKK Menon had missed earlier. Young Kalam’s destiny and probably that of India’s defence capability changed forever. He gets appointed as Rocket Engineer with ISRO under the wings of Prof Vikram Sarabhai. Soon Thumba rocket Launching Station was set up. Rest, as the cliché goes, is history. He built up from scratch India’s first indigenously made Satellite Launch Vehicle. During his association with ISRO, Abdul Kalam closely worked with Prof Sarabhai, Prof Satish Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash. As a manager of men, all these gentlemen were deeply impressed with the style of his project management. A former director of Indian Instt. of science, Prof Padmanabhan had observed “Dr Kalam has an admirable quality of making junior scientist feel very important”. “Dr Kalam has an extraordinary capability to think ahead and work with people with great enthusiasm. He can identify the strength of each individuals” was another comment of Dr A S Pillai, Chief of R & D at Ministry of Defence. “His humility is shocking” was one more of the many, from a junior associate in a science project. He was immensely popular among his colleagues.
The first 100% indigenous effort of Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) succeeded on 18th July 1980, after an earlier effort on 10th Aug. 1979 had failed. Originally, it was planned for 1974. But then, the kind of trial and tribulation of the entire team at ISRO with the involvement of some half a dozen government agencies, with some 250 engineers working continuously under demanding conditions of inelastic demand and uncertain supplies, snags, delays were bound to be there. Fortunately the government of the day, of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, was very appreciative of the achievement of Kalam and his dedicated and committed team. In 1982, Kalam moved to DRDL in Hyderabad. It was from here that all the missiles, including Prithvi and Agni were conceived, planned, built and successfully fired at the missile testing site at Balasore in Odisha. Kalam writes in his autobiography ‘Emergence of India as a self reliant country in the field of guided missiles upset all the developed nations of the world’. Indeed, it was Kalam who, driven by the principle that ‘a nation is greater than an individual’ and ‘strength only respects strength’ brought about the sea-change in the defence preparedness of the county. These were the single most important factors that catapulted him to a Bharat Ratna. The humble background he came from, and his personal growth trajectory, where discipline, hard work, commitment coupled with no ego, no frills, simple nature, kindness and dreaming big for his country made him a darling of his countrymen, who celebrated his being made the President of the country. He was the most respected and loved president of free India. His observation that “I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody, but some poor child living in an obscure place, in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness”. This was perhaps the most beautiful statement of his humility and genuineness. He was every inch modest to the core. Describing President Harry Truman, his biographer Merle Miller had remarked ‘Last human being to live in the White House’, a remark that would undeniably apply to President Kalam as well.
The country is certainly poorer without this model human being, who was beyond any narrow sectarian, religious & linguistic bigotry. Hope the spirit of this extremely unassuming gentleman lights our path in nation building in the days ahead.
Three Indians & how diametrically different !
Smitha Mishra, writes from New Delhi, on 28th July, 2015
He is rushing towards the policemen surrounding the barricades put up to regulate the surging crowd. As he nears one policeman, he requests to be allowed in. This priest in the customary white robe has just landed from Kochi and is visibly worried that it may be too late for him to pay his last respects to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president, the ‘Missile Man’, the Bharat Ratna. The priest found himself in the long winding queue outside 10, Rajaji Marg, where thousands still waiting, and the crowd is swelling. While the army has taken charge of the arrangements, the number of people thronging to this high security zone in Lutyens’ Delhi is something even they could not foresee.
‘‘Now you know why he will always be the peoples’ president,’’ comments a supervising officer. And how right he seems to be: There are bare bodied Sadhus, old women who cannot walk without help, there are soldiers in hundreds, there are IT professionals, CEOs of companies, shopkeepers, businessmen, scientists. And there are students, youngsters in thousands, crowding every lane and street that leads to Rajaji Marg. Rahul is a 10th class student. He has come here after reading Dr Kalam’s inspiring books in his library. ‘‘I wanted to come and see one last time the man who made India so proud after rising from such a humble beginning,’’ says his companion Vikas who just finished his studies and started work.
Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar points at his two sons aged 10 and 7 years. He has come all the way from Nangloi just for the sake of his sons. ‘‘For me Dr Kalam will always remain an epitome of patriotism. He has taught all of us that one can serve the country even without an affluent background. I always tell my sons about this great man. Today I want them to pay their respects in person.’’
Everywhere, from the long winding queues to the soldiers on duty, people are sharing their thoughts and past experiences about Dr. Kalam. A few teachers scold school children asking them to keep quite.
As the children turn down their volume, the guy in a big straw hat strums his guitar and starts singing an old Raj Kapoor number…‘Jeena isi ka naam hai’. This is no mourning crowd…it’s the celebration of a great life.
If this was at 10, Rajaji Marg, in New Delhi, the ground near Pamban Bridge in Rameshwaram where the mortal remains of former president Kalam was laid to rest was no different.
A sea of mourners continued to wind up their way to Peikarumbu grounds on Thursday, hours after President Kalam was laid to rest with full military honours in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The milling crowd of mourners, who patiently waited for their turn to pay tearful homage and floral tributes to the departed octogenarian, stood as ample proof of why Kalam had earned the sobriquet “People’s President”.
Even on Wednesday night, much after Kalam’s mortal remains were lifted from the spot where these were kept for public homage and shifted to his modest residence — the ”Kalam House” — to facilitate family rituals as per Islamic traditions, thousands of people kept going to his home. This despite strict orders that visitors would not be permitted to pay homage to the 21st century inspirational icon after the body was handed over to his family. But throughout, it was an orderly crowd.
It was a rare scene to find thousands of mourners turn up for the funeral of a humble man in a remote town, far away from Tamil Nadu’s Capital city of Chennai. Tamil Nadu, for all practical purposes, shut down from dawn to dusk in memory of their beloved departed son who won admiration all over the country and even abroad. All shops were closed voluntarily. There was no disorderliness that comes with a large crowd. That was the perfect tribute to the man whom the thousands of men, women and children loved, transcending the barriers of caste, language and religion.
Kalam’s mortal remains were taken in a procession to the Peikarumbu ground. As the coffin was lowered, cries of “Jai Hind”, “Vande Matram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” rented the air. Many children were seen wiping their tears. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived at around 11.15 pm accompanied by Tamil Nadu Governor K Roasaiah, placed a floral wreath on Kalam’s body and stood saluting the departed soul along with personnel of three armed forces. Modi went around the body and met Kalam’s 99-year-old brother Mohammed Muthumeeran Lebbai Maraiyacker and to the surprise of onlookers bent and touched his feet to seek his blessings. The body was then taken to the burial pit where prayers were offered with BJP leader Shanawaz Hussain and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad joining the family in prayers. As the body of Kalam was lowered in the pit for burial, Modi returned and stood in silence as the Army gave a triple gun (21 rounds) salute to the late President.
Tamil Nadu Ministers and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh (Chandrababu Naidu), Karnataka (Siddharamaiah), Kerala (Oommen Chandy) and others paid homage to the departed leader. Meanwhile, in a rare gesture, authorities of the famed Ramathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram conducted a special pooja by lighting ”Moksha Deepam” to pray for Kalam’s soul.
Around the same time, in Mumbai, another fellow Indian, Yakub Memon was being cremated. Thousands of people had reportedly gathered to witness the cremation. They had come, not because they were in love with the man being cremated. Somebody had organized the crowd in short notice. Yakub Memon was a convict in the March 1993, Mumbai serial blast. He was accused of being a planner and finance manager of the mayhem that caused the death of some 260 people. He was a chartered accountant and knew his figures well. This serial blast was supposedly a sequel to the riot that took place in Mumbai during Dec.1992 and Jan. 1993. The riot took place allegedly for the demolition of a decrepit old structure of Babri Masjid, not being used for prayers for a long time. This masjid was in Ayodhya, but the riot broke out in far away Mumbai only. Nobody asked the question why in Mumbai, and why not elsewhere including Ayodhya? Could it be that, the forces which got the crowd for cremation at the Bada Qabrastan near Marine lines in Mumbai, was also involved in the riot!?
So two personalities, one deeply loved and respected by the masses across the national spectrum and the other, accused to be one of the prime mover of a blast that killed some 260 in sectarian violence.
Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaissi is known to be venomous in his utterances. Living in an India, which produced a hugely respected and loved Dr Abdul Kalam, this MP is busy with his divisive plan of action to divide the country between Muslims and Non-Muslims. He has reportedly remarked recently that “Muslim population in the country will be equal to that of Hindus in the next 250 years”. What could be the idea of such a statement? May be he wants to feel that numerically Muslims are no less than Hindus? He along with his brothers had reportedly remarked, to mean somewhat similar, sometime ago in Hyderabad “One lakh Muslims are enough to wipe out five lakh Hindus”. If this statement is true, then these Owaissi brothers are enemies of this country, they are only echoing what that Pakistani Hafiz Sayeed has been saying that “he shall not sleep until India is dissolved into Pakistan”. Indian Muslims need to recognise that these Owaissi brothers are not their well wishers. They ought to know that Pakistan is a jelly state, an ‘International Migraine”, where Pakistanis are killing their own people, that is, Muslims are killing Muslims. So what is Owaissi promising by making Indian Muslims equal to Hindus in 250 years? He is only poisoning the minds of impressionable Muslim youths. So Muslims of this country should shun such characters and must look up to Dr Abdul Kalam as a true universal citizen.
As you read this, over a month would have passed since the passing away of Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president of India. As usual for all the month of August APJ appeared in print in one paper or the other. It was as if it was never enough, and there is still more to say. The avalanche of goodwill that this diminutive man commands, is mind boggling. It was as if he was another Mahatma after Mahatma Gandhi.
Abdul Kalam was born to a little educated boatman Jainulabdeen in Rameshwaram. Family of Jainulabdeen was of ordinary means. However they were determined to give young Kalam, best of proper education. As the life unfolded itself, Abdul Kalam not only grew in years but also grew in stature to become one of the best scientific brains of not just India but of international repute. Penguin Books writes on him. He ‘is one of India’s most distinguished scientists. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, SLV-3, of strategic missiles, weaponisation, building local capability in critical technologies. Held senior positions in ISRO & DRDO before becoming Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India, a cabinet rank. He had the rare honour of being the recipient of all three highest civilian awards of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna, besides receiving some 30 honorary doctorates from all over the world’.
The rocket scientist that he grew up to be called, propelled him to be the Bharat Ratna in an India, which took immense pride in making him the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. In an India where 80% of the population consists of Hindus, Abdul Kalam was the 3rd Muslim President.
Despite having been born into humble background, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, by the sheer dint of application and hard work achieved pinnacle of success. He was every inch a very proud Indian and made every Indian proud by his clean and exemplary life. According to S. Gurumurthy, a chartered accountant and well known columnist “For ordinary Indian, Dr Kalam represents all that a great man should have – humility, simplicity, honesty and transparency”, while RSS said “He is a dreamer of great India”.
Writing about himself Dr Kalam writes in his epochal works of thoughts “WINGS OF FIRE”, that he inherited honesty and self discipline from his father and from his mother he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness. He speaks about his three friends, all from the orthodox Brahmin families, so also the respectful friendship between his father and the chief priest of the Rameshwaram temple, who was father of one of his friend.
He had, at times, brush with unpleasant situation which he never allowed to grow into bitterness within him. Narrating an incident involving a Brahmin teacher, who asked him to go and sit on the back bench instead of the first bench, he was sitting with his friends. This had greatly hurt him and his Brahmin friends. He recollects how the chief of the Rameshwaram temple, Laxman Shastry, asked bluntly, the teacher, to apologise or leave the school for trying to vitiate the school atmosphere by introducing intolerance among the impressionable minds of young children. This shows the sensitive side of Dr Kalam and his acceptance of culture of tolerance so early in his life. He remembers his science teacher, again an orthodox Brahmin, who Dr Kalam describes as a rebel, and how he took keen interest in young Kalam’s studies. Normally, good students are favourites of teachers. Hence it is obvious that Dr Kalam was deeply interested in science from his school days. Dr Kalam informs ‘one day he was invited by the science teacher for a meal at home, and how teacher’s wife refuses to serve the youngster at the first instance, and changes completely, the second time, after seeing the brahminical rituals he observed while eating and after eating’. They were all intimate details of an evolving youth coming to terms with the realities of his surroundings during his growing years.
He recounts what his father told him when he was set to leave for Ramanathapuram from Rameshwaram, “Our love will not bind you nor will our needs hold you” and how his father consoled his grieving mother quoting Khalil Gibran “Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts.” And Khalil Gibran was an Arab Christian. This shows, his parents too being open minded and young Kalam allowed himself to be mellowed in the mould of his parents. Goodness of his parents became his innate strength.
In Ramanathapuram, he joins Schwartz High School, where he comes in close contact with Iyadurai Solomon, one of his teacher. According to Kalam teacher Solomon instilled in him a sense of self-worth and inspired him to look at life confidently. He talks about his mathematics teacher Ramakrishna Iyer who praises him for his cent % marks in Maths saying ‘this boy is going to bring glory to his school and to his teachers’, despite caning him on an earlier occasion.
It was in 1950, he joined St. Joseph’s College in Trichi and completed his BSc. There was nobody in his family who could guide him. Flying always fascinated him, hence in pursuance of his dream he joined Madras Institute of Technology for his degree in Aeronautical Engineering and completed his degree along with the project completion and training in HAL in1958. Thus it took more than 27 years for him to complete his professional degree, which normally one can complete by the age of 22 years. However, the years he spent in School in Rameshwaram and Ramanathapuram, the College in Trichi and MIT, all moulded young Kalam into a disciplined, committed, kind and sensitive human being, deeply committed to hard work to realise the dreams of his family. He was the most educated of his time in Rameshwaram. His close and sentimental association with all his teachers, be it his Science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer in Rameshwaram, Rev.Solomon in Ramanathapram, Rev. Sequeira, Prof.Iyengar, Prof. Sastry in St Joseph‘s in Trichi, Prof Sponder, Prof. Pandalai, Prof Rao and Director of MIT Prof Srinivasan, left him deeply impressed on his young persona. As a disciplined, no-nonsense and committed student, he was the dream student of all teachers. These very same qualities took him to unparalleled heights in his professional life.
Having joined his first assignment at Delhi’s Directorate of Technical Development & Production of the Ministry of Defence in 1958 as Senior Scientific Assistant, although he had dreamt of being pilot with Indian Air Force, which he failed narrowly to get. Surely destiny had other plan for him.
During these post independent years, most of our defence requirements were being imported. Hence import substitution was the challenge India had to overcome. Young Kalam, inspired by deep sense of nationalism always felt that its only strength that respects strength, hence, always felt that India must produce its own defence equipments.
An indigenous manufacture of a prototype of hovercraft, as a ground equipment machine was planned at his work station and he was made the leader of the team. There were hardly any information, literature or expertise available on hovercraft within India. The thought that if Wright Brothers could envision and fly the first flying machine with only their years of cycle fixing background, an Aeronautical Engineer is surely better placed to experiment, thought young Kalam.
When you are destined for bigger things, things happen providentially. VK Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India came calling to see the hovercraft and had a ride on it. He confirmed that Kalam had “demonstrated that it could be done” and asked Kalam for a more powerful prime mover and call him for the second ride. Although bigger and better hovercraft was ready before schedule, the ride did not happen since VKK Menon was out of political office. On the road to highways bumps and humps are bound to happen. Comes along Prof MGK Menon of TIFR (Tata Instt. of Fundamental Research) who takes the ride which VKK Menon had missed earlier. Young Kalam’s destiny and probably that of India’s defence capability changed forever. He gets appointed as Rocket Engineer with ISRO under the wings of Prof Vikram Sarabhai. Soon Thumba rocket Launching Station was set up. Rest, as the cliché goes, is history. He built up from scratch India’s first indigenously made Satellite Launch Vehicle. During his association with ISRO, Abdul Kalam closely worked with Prof Sarabhai, Prof Satish Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash. As a manager of men, all these gentlemen were deeply impressed with the style of his project management. A former director of Indian Instt. of science, Prof Padmanabhan had observed “Dr Kalam has an admirable quality of making junior scientist feel very important”. “Dr Kalam has an extraordinary capability to think ahead and work with people with great enthusiasm. He can identify the strength of each individuals” was another comment of Dr A S Pillai, Chief of R & D at Ministry of Defence. “His humility is shocking” was one more of the many, from a junior associate in a science project. He was immensely popular among his colleagues.
The first 100% indigenous effort of Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) succeeded on 18th July 1980, after an earlier effort on 10th Aug. 1979 had failed. Originally, it was planned for 1974. But then, the kind of trial and tribulation of the entire team at ISRO with the involvement of some half a dozen government agencies, with some 250 engineers working continuously under demanding conditions of inelastic demand and uncertain supplies, snags, delays were bound to be there. Fortunately the government of the day, of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, was very appreciative of the achievement of Kalam and his dedicated and committed team. In 1982, Kalam moved to DRDL in Hyderabad. It was from here that all the missiles, including Prithvi and Agni were conceived, planned, built and successfully fired at the missile testing site at Balasore in Odisha. Kalam writes in his autobiography ‘Emergence of India as a self reliant country in the field of guided missiles upset all the developed nations of the world’. Indeed, it was Kalam who, driven by the principle that ‘a nation is greater than an individual’ and ‘strength only respects strength’ brought about the sea-change in the defence preparedness of the county. These were the single most important factors that catapulted him to a Bharat Ratna. The humble background he came from, and his personal growth trajectory, where discipline, hard work, commitment coupled with no ego, no frills, simple nature, kindness and dreaming big for his country made him a darling of his countrymen, who celebrated his being made the President of the country. He was the most respected and loved president of free India. His observation that “I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody, but some poor child living in an obscure place, in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness”. This was perhaps the most beautiful statement of his humility and genuineness. He was every inch modest to the core. Describing President Harry Truman, his biographer Merle Miller had remarked ‘Last human being to live in the White House’, a remark that would undeniably apply to President Kalam as well.
The country is certainly poorer without this model human being, who was beyond any narrow sectarian, religious & linguistic bigotry. Hope the spirit of this extremely unassuming gentleman lights our path in nation building in the days ahead.
Three Indians & how diametrically different !
Smitha Mishra, writes from New Delhi, on 28th July, 2015
He is rushing towards the policemen surrounding the barricades put up to regulate the surging crowd. As he nears one policeman, he requests to be allowed in. This priest in the customary white robe has just landed from Kochi and is visibly worried that it may be too late for him to pay his last respects to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president, the ‘Missile Man’, the Bharat Ratna. The priest found himself in the long winding queue outside 10, Rajaji Marg, where thousands still waiting, and the crowd is swelling. While the army has taken charge of the arrangements, the number of people thronging to this high security zone in Lutyens’ Delhi is something even they could not foresee.
‘‘Now you know why he will always be the peoples’ president,’’ comments a supervising officer. And how right he seems to be: There are bare bodied Sadhus, old women who cannot walk without help, there are soldiers in hundreds, there are IT professionals, CEOs of companies, shopkeepers, businessmen, scientists. And there are students, youngsters in thousands, crowding every lane and street that leads to Rajaji Marg. Rahul is a 10th class student. He has come here after reading Dr Kalam’s inspiring books in his library. ‘‘I wanted to come and see one last time the man who made India so proud after rising from such a humble beginning,’’ says his companion Vikas who just finished his studies and started work.
Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar points at his two sons aged 10 and 7 years. He has come all the way from Nangloi just for the sake of his sons. ‘‘For me Dr Kalam will always remain an epitome of patriotism. He has taught all of us that one can serve the country even without an affluent background. I always tell my sons about this great man. Today I want them to pay their respects in person.’’
Everywhere, from the long winding queues to the soldiers on duty, people are sharing their thoughts and past experiences about Dr. Kalam. A few teachers scold school children asking them to keep quite.
As the children turn down their volume, the guy in a big straw hat strums his guitar and starts singing an old Raj Kapoor number…‘Jeena isi ka naam hai’. This is no mourning crowd…it’s the celebration of a great life.
If this was at 10, Rajaji Marg, in New Delhi, the ground near Pamban Bridge in Rameshwaram where the mortal remains of former president Kalam was laid to rest was no different.
A sea of mourners continued to wind up their way to Peikarumbu grounds on Thursday, hours after President Kalam was laid to rest with full military honours in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The milling crowd of mourners, who patiently waited for their turn to pay tearful homage and floral tributes to the departed octogenarian, stood as ample proof of why Kalam had earned the sobriquet “People’s President”.
Even on Wednesday night, much after Kalam’s mortal remains were lifted from the spot where these were kept for public homage and shifted to his modest residence — the ”Kalam House” — to facilitate family rituals as per Islamic traditions, thousands of people kept going to his home. This despite strict orders that visitors would not be permitted to pay homage to the 21st century inspirational icon after the body was handed over to his family. But throughout, it was an orderly crowd.
It was a rare scene to find thousands of mourners turn up for the funeral of a humble man in a remote town, far away from Tamil Nadu’s Capital city of Chennai. Tamil Nadu, for all practical purposes, shut down from dawn to dusk in memory of their beloved departed son who won admiration all over the country and even abroad. All shops were closed voluntarily. There was no disorderliness that comes with a large crowd. That was the perfect tribute to the man whom the thousands of men, women and children loved, transcending the barriers of caste, language and religion.
Kalam’s mortal remains were taken in a procession to the Peikarumbu ground. As the coffin was lowered, cries of “Jai Hind”, “Vande Matram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” rented the air. Many children were seen wiping their tears. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived at around 11.15 pm accompanied by Tamil Nadu Governor K Roasaiah, placed a floral wreath on Kalam’s body and stood saluting the departed soul along with personnel of three armed forces. Modi went around the body and met Kalam’s 99-year-old brother Mohammed Muthumeeran Lebbai Maraiyacker and to the surprise of onlookers bent and touched his feet to seek his blessings. The body was then taken to the burial pit where prayers were offered with BJP leader Shanawaz Hussain and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad joining the family in prayers. As the body of Kalam was lowered in the pit for burial, Modi returned and stood in silence as the Army gave a triple gun (21 rounds) salute to the late President.
Tamil Nadu Ministers and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh (Chandrababu Naidu), Karnataka (Siddharamaiah), Kerala (Oommen Chandy) and others paid homage to the departed leader. Meanwhile, in a rare gesture, authorities of the famed Ramathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram conducted a special pooja by lighting ”Moksha Deepam” to pray for Kalam’s soul.
Around the same time, in Mumbai, another fellow Indian, Yakub Memon was being cremated. Thousands of people had reportedly gathered to witness the cremation. They had come, not because they were in love with the man being cremated. Somebody had organized the crowd in short notice. Yakub Memon was a convict in the March 1993, Mumbai serial blast. He was accused of being a planner and finance manager of the mayhem that caused the death of some 260 people. He was a chartered accountant and knew his figures well. This serial blast was supposedly a sequel to the riot that took place in Mumbai during Dec.1992 and Jan. 1993. The riot took place allegedly for the demolition of a decrepit old structure of Babri Masjid, not being used for prayers for a long time. This masjid was in Ayodhya, but the riot broke out in far away Mumbai only. Nobody asked the question why in Mumbai, and why not elsewhere including Ayodhya? Could it be that, the forces which got the crowd for cremation at the Bada Qabrastan near Marine lines in Mumbai, was also involved in the riot!?
So two personalities, one deeply loved and respected by the masses across the national spectrum and the other, accused to be one of the prime mover of a blast that killed some 260 in sectarian violence.
Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaissi is known to be venomous in his utterances. Living in an India, which produced a hugely respected and loved Dr Abdul Kalam, this MP is busy with his divisive plan of action to divide the country between Muslims and Non-Muslims. He has reportedly remarked recently that “Muslim population in the country will be equal to that of Hindus in the next 250 years”. What could be the idea of such a statement? May be he wants to feel that numerically Muslims are no less than Hindus? He along with his brothers had reportedly remarked, to mean somewhat similar, sometime ago in Hyderabad “One lakh Muslims are enough to wipe out five lakh Hindus”. If this statement is true, then these Owaissi brothers are enemies of this country, they are only echoing what that Pakistani Hafiz Sayeed has been saying that “he shall not sleep until India is dissolved into Pakistan”. Indian Muslims need to recognise that these Owaissi brothers are not their well wishers. They ought to know that Pakistan is a jelly state, an ‘International Migraine”, where Pakistanis are killing their own people, that is, Muslims are killing Muslims. So what is Owaissi promising by making Indian Muslims equal to Hindus in 250 years? He is only poisoning the minds of impressionable Muslim youths. So Muslims of this country should shun such characters and must look up to Dr Abdul Kalam as a true universal citizen.
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