To the man who lived to inspire....

A Light kindled within Billion Hearts!

“Have the courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed.”- APJ Abdul Kalam

The morning of 10 June 2002 was like any other day in the beautiful environment of Anna University, where he had been working since December 2001. He was enjoying his time, in the large, tranquil, campus working with professors and inquisitive students on research projects and teachings. It was here when his phone rang and after he attended the call, somebody on the other end answered, “The prime minister wants to talk to you!” The voice of the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee filled in the air implying stress on the words “the nation needs you Kalam, as its Rashtrapati”! A historic moment certainly it was that witnessed the power of dreams. The journey of a little boy from the rustic land of Rameswaram, who used to distribute newspaper to support his education, to later making headlines in those same newspapers and thus becoming the President of India!

The People’s President since he was fondly named as was the 11^th and the one of a kind President that the nation would ever witness. Have we ever heard or seen a President or a celebrity for that matter inviting a roadside cobbler and a small hotel owner as the most prestigious guest, at the Presidential dinner? No, we definitely haven’t! But Dr Kalam did invite them on his visit to Kerala’s Rashtrapati Bhavan after assuming the office of President. During his early days as a scientist in Trivandrum, he used to spend time with the two of them, but who would have thought after a span of many years the first citizen of India would acknowledge them as the Presidential guests?

Such was his persona and the humility that remains unparalleled. We read about people in history, their struggle, the perseverance and the challenges they had come across with. But to get inspired or to feel good about one’s situation, no matter how bad it could get, we do not require flipping through the pages of the past. As history has come alive through the life and times of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam! We don’t need to get back in a time machine to feel motivated; the institution that he was in himself shall never fail to influence us each time we fall down. He was not merely a ‘Missile man of India’, but a visionary who had led the foundation of a better India.

Love, respect, adulation, admiration and affection came to him effortlessly without any tactics to win them. His simplicity, modesty and a well grounded personality that he had could be very well perceived through that one charismatic smile that adorned his face at all times. He was a fine exemplification of an individual who was beyond and above the political circle yet thrived to be a responsible statesman till he took his last breath! Political leaders and the big names in the government enclosure irrespective of their parties and divisions queued up in large numbers to pay their homage to the great personality. This makes it evident that he was not only respected by all but he was outside and ahead of political bequest.

The nation mourned at the passing away of their beloved Dr Kalam. Innumerable letters, articles, books and tributes have been written and rewritten to honor the great soul. And today, I am not writing this passage as a testimonial to add, to those myriad of accolades that already had been inscribed for him. I am too small to gauge the greatness of that personality into mere words. And moreover, tributes are dedicated to people who die, but not for souls like Dr Kalam, who continue to live on through his people. How many have we heard about departing this world in a state of doing what they truly loved and devoted their lives for? Very few or rarely to be precise! But our beloved former President resigned from the worldly affairs in a state of addressing a bunch of enthusiastic youths, upon whom he’d laid his unflinching hope. The hope to build a better India! In his words, “A country doesn’t deserve anything less than success from us. Let us aim for success.” If we want to honor and glorify the spirit of Dr Kalam in the true sense, we need to strive towards making the nation successful.

He had always stressed on the fact that “Ignited minds of youth is invincible above the earth, on the earth and below the earth!” In his book the Wings of Fire he’d quoted: “My story will end with me, for I have no belongings, in the worldly sense. I have acquired nothing, built nothing; possess nothing- no family, sons, daughters”. But you have a nation full of youth who loves you, respect you and shall work towards making your vision a reality! Who feel pride in the fact that they belong to a generation where a person like Dr APJ lived and inspired.

As you said “It is easy to defeat someone, but difficult to win someone”, and you have won the hearts of not one, but 1.2 billion Indians who think, breathe and are patriotic because of one Dr Avul Pakir Jainalabdeen Abdul Kalam. A legacy that took birth in the land of Rameswaram on October 15, 1931 and shall continue to live till eternity...

I salute you Sir, for being you, an educationist and a true reformer of development!