“People's President“ Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam has passed away , bringing the curtains down on a rich legacy that saw a man born into a poor family notch up exalted sobriquets such as rocket scientist and missile man before occupying India's highest office.
Kalam, 83, died in a hospital in Meghalaya to which he was rushed after he collapsed while delivering a lecture in IIM Shillong. Doctors said he suffered a heart attack.
He was the 11th President of India and the third one to be awarded Bharat Ratna. An architect of India's missile programme, Kalam was also involved in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.
As news of Kalam's death spread, social media went abuzz with condolences from all and sundry , a testament to his popularity among ordinary Indians to whom he opened up Rashtrapati Bhavan like never before. “I salute his memory, it is an irreparable loss,“ said prime minister Narendra Modi as the news of Kalam's death came in. Describing him as a “margdarshak“, Modi said Kalam will continue to be an inspiration in India's forward journey .
Former PM Manmohan Singh said the country has lost a great human being who made phenomenal contribution to the promotion of self-reliance in defence technologies.
Political leaders joined eminent scientists and celebrities from all walks of life in offering tributes to a man who steered clear of all kinds of controversies in and out of office. A bachelor, teetotaller and vegetarian, his colleagues at ISRO and DRDO fondly recalled their association with the man who would be India's President.
V K Aatre, Kalam's successor as DRDO head, remembered a man who never lost his temper: “Even when he was very angry at someone, he would only say `you funny guy'.“
Kalam, even as head of state, was at home among students and the youth often inspiring them to dream big. In fact, he got the call from then PM AB Vajpayee inviting him to be India's President when he was at the Anna University in Tamil Nadu where he was teaching.
Eminent scientist RA Mashelkar recalled a man devoid of any ego. “In 2003 when I was DG of CSIR, my wife was seriously ill. I cancelled a meeting Kalam had fixed with the PM by calling him. I was so emotional that I cried on the phone. Within 15 minutes Kalam was in my office trying to console me.“
K Radhakrishnan, former ISRO chairman, said Kalam was single-minded and was able to carry everybody with him.“When has was the project director of SLV 3, he knew everyone and what they were doing.“
Kalam was at IIM Shillong to be part of a two-day lecture series on the topic `Livable Planet'. The government has declared a 7-day mourning to condole his death.
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