DR.APJ ABDUL KALAM-INDIA’S MOST LOVED PRESIDENT

                 Former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam suddenly collapsed during his lecture at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, on 27th July,2015,Monday evening Secretary P.B.O Warjri visited the hospital. "Former President A P J Abdul Kalam no more", reported The Press Trust of India at 8.49 pm.His death was attributed to a massive cardiac arrest.Slowly, tributes poured in from all quarters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the demise of India's 'Missile-Man'. "India mourns the loss of a great scientist, a wonderful President & above all an inspiring individual. My mind is filled with so many memories, so many interactions with him. Always marvelled at his intellect, learnt so much from him," he tweeted. "Dr. Kalam was a man of impeccable character, indomitable spirit, profound knowledge and firm conviction. His death is an irreparable loss to this nation. He has left a big void hard to fill," wrote home minister Rajnath Singh. Facebook and Twitter timelines were inundated with soul-stirring condolence messages. A photo showing his arrival at the Guwahati airport in the morning elicited moving responses. Messages like "He looked perfectly fine here"; "Life is so unpredictable", "Long Live Dr. Kalam, the epitome of life" came up on trending hashtags #DrAPJAbdulKalam and #DrAPJKalaam.

                    Most of these observations were true. Dr. Kalam was as animated and energetic as ever, and brimming with optimism in the 83rd year of his life. Some of his last Tweets give us a glimpse of this: just a few hours before his death, the former President wrote, "Going to Shillong...to take course on Livable Planet earth at iim. With @srijanpalsingh and Sharma. @apjabdul kalam". Tags such as brilliant scientist, visionary leader, author and academic notwithstanding, he wanted to continue to "learn". Clearly, his humility remained intact. In another tweet, he conveyed his excitement on NASA's new discovery. "Earth-like planet discovered using NASA's Kepler telescope," he shared yesterday. Perhaps death was his vehicle to reach that "Earth-like" planet and explore the unexplored skies.

Life and death are great enigmas, because they are flip sides of the same coin. Life is about the future: looking forward to a better tomorrow is in fact the essence of life. Death is the exact opposite: it is about the past, it's about memories. A child-like Dr Kalam with infectious energy may have been looking forward to a better India by 2020, but now only his memory remains. His life will be defined by what he said, what he did, and the grace he brought to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is strange indeed, that a futuristic man like Dr. Kalam be remembered by his past achievements, when in reality, he would have truly wanted India, and especially its youth, to pursue new fields, explore new ideas and liberate themselves with science and reason.

In fact, he also gave us a message in death. He breathed his last doing what he loved the most: interacting with students, speaking to the youth. And perhaps India can take solace knowing this, that he was happy and at peace when his time came. A beacon of knowledge, who was a guiding light for the youth and a shining example of India's secular ethos, 'Bharat Ratna' Dr Kalam will remain an inspiration and never be forgotten.

                    Nation mourns people's president Abdul Kalam Eminent personalities from Politics, Sports, Bollywood offered condolences to veteran scientist and former President of India and  Ratna Dr A P J Abdul Kalam who passed away on Monday.  58 3Google +4 1Comments (1) Eminent personalities from politics, sports, film industry offered condolences to veteran scientist and former President of India and Bharat Ratna Dr A P J Abdul Kalam who passed away on Monday. A P J Abdul Kalam (15th October 1931 - 27th July 2015) Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam and said he has lost a "marg darshak" who took India to new heights in the field of science and technology. "He was a great scientist who contributed immensely in the filed of science and technology as well as space. I have lost a marg darshark. "He was a source of inspiration for the whole country, particularly the youth. Even in his last days, he remained connected," Modi said. President Pranab Mukherjee condoled the death of APJ Abdul Kalam and said the nation has lost a great son who was people's President during his lifetime and shall remain so even after his death. In his message to the nation on the demise of Kalam, the President said, "I pay respectful homage to my late departed friend Kalam." Terming the death as his personal loss, the President said Kalam was immensely popular and greatly admired. "His warmth, humility and simple ways endeared him to one and all. Terming former President APJ Abdul Kalam as a great scientist, genius and a fine intellectual, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha said the Kalam's death was an "irreparable loss." "Apart from being a great scientist and genius in his own field, Kalam was very popular among the children. After Pandit Nehru, he was the most loved statesman by the young ones. "I had a rich and fond interaction with him when he was President during the earlier NDA government and found him to be a great visionary," said Sinha, the Patna Sharif MP. "Kalam's contribution for Bihar was huge and he had a passion for the people of the state as he always wanted growth of Bihar and its proper development," Sinha added. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu condoles the death of former President A P J Abdul Kalam. Naidu, who expressed deep shock and anguish at Kalam's death said that the former president was "a dear friend" and the noblest human being he met in his life. "I am deeply saddened. My deepest condolences. Kalam and I shared a great bond. His achievements as a fine scientist, scholar, teacher and a mentor are immeasurable. He will remain in our hearts," Naidu said. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao recalled Kalam's contributions which made him "the Missile Man". Several Andhra Pradesh ministers, Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and other leaders condoled the death of Kalam. APJ Abdul Kalam as a 'karma yogi', Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the former President lived his entire life for the country. Condoling the demise of Kalam, Patnaik in a statement said, "I am deeply shocked at the sad demise of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. 

            He was one of the most illustrious presidents of the country, who was a visionary leader and a gifted scientist." "He was instrumental in strengthening the country's defence capabilities. West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi expressed his "heartfelt condolences" and called the death of former President A P J Abdul Kalam an "incomparable loss to the nation." "A scientist, teacher and an able administrator, A P J Abdul Kalam was known as the Missile Man of India and was instrumental in making the nation's defence invincible through his pioneering role in missile technology and Pokhran II nuclear test. Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav said that Kalam was not only a scientist, but also a person of versatile talent as well an able administrator. The Governor said that the country has suffered an irreparable loss. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said that the country had lost "a visionary". The MP Chief Minister said that Kalam, who was known as "the Missile Man", had great foresight and vision about India's development. He not only dreamt to make India a developed country by 2020, but also prescribed a concrete vision and guidelines for this. He proved that a person from a modest family background can make it to the highest office by virtue of talent and hard work. Public Relations Minister Rajendra Shukla said that he was the first President, who along with discharging his constitutional duties, also put forth a vision to the young generation. Vice President Md. Hamid Ansari tonight condoled the death of former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam and described him as a "visionary" and a "true son of India" whose life "will remain an inspiration to millions of youth in the country." In his condolence message, Ansari said Kalam's contributions to the nation, in his capacity as a man of technology, a teacher and a leader "will be deeply cherished by a grateful nation." "The guide of India’s space and missile programs, Dr. Kalam's efforts saw India become a front ranking power in these spheres," he said. The Vice President said Kalam was "a visionary with a deep conviction to see India emerging stronger, more peaceful and more equitable through the use of science and technology. He personified humility and boundless curiosity.                                    Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has expressed shock and grief over the demise of former President APJ Abdul Kalam in Shillong. "Bharat Ratna A P J Abdul Kalam will go down in history as one of the most popular Presidents of India. There was an element of Godliness to his personality. A visionary science leader, Kalam's depth and expanse of knowledge was astonishing," the Governor said in a condolence message. "An excellent communicator, Dr Kalam inspired the youths and young students to serve the nation. If India is recognised as a leader in Space Science in the world, a major credit has to go to him. Social activist Anna Hazare condoled the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam and described him as his inspiration. In his condolence message, Hazare said, "I am saddened by the news of Kalam's death. His demise is a loss for the country. He was my inspiration and a guide to the youths." "We had met him at the time of an RTI Act meeting. After that I had met him a number of times in Delhi. He was my inspiration," the Gandhian said. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said every Indian will feel a deep sense of personal loss in the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who had endeared himself to all sections of the people. "In recent history, only a few people had endeared themselves to the young and old, to the poor and the rich, to the educated and the unlettered, and to the people belonging to different faiths and speaking different languages," he said in his condolence message. Chidambaram said he joined all Indians in expressing their deep sense of grief. Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah said, "he was a people's President whose mission was to network and ignite young Indian Minds towards innovation and creativity." He said the nation lost a great personality, a statesman, a missile scientist and a compassionate human being. "His death is an irreparable loss to the nation, to the state of Tamil Nadu and to the youth and the Children of this nation," he said conveying his condolences to the bereaved members of his family. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa hailed Kalam as a youth icon, a great inspirational scientist and a beloved son of Tamil Nadu. "It was with profound grief and sorrow that I learnt his sudden demise. I join the people of India and of Tamil Nadu in deeply mourning his passing away. Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu said she had the privilege of sharing dais with the scientist at the convocation ceremony at Birsa Agriculture University, her first programme after taking over as Jharkhand Governor recently. The scientist, who authored several books, including India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, died after suffering a cardiac arrest at Shillong tonight. "He was a great scientist, writer and a sensitive person," the Governor further said in her condolence message. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said the country was in the grip of sorrow following the passing away of a great human being. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the sudden death of former president APJ Abdul Kalam as "very, very sad news." Banerjee, who is on a five-day visit to the UK, was meeting Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's second son and UK's special representative for international trade and investment, at Buckingham Palace when the news of Kalam's death broke. "Very, very sad news. I had a special bond with Kalamji. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the demise of former President APJ Abdul Kalam. "Kalam saheb taught us to dream big and made us believe that dreams can come true. He led us on the path of making India the superpower. Kalam sahab's demise is a huge loss. Saddened & shocked!," Fadnavis said in a tweet. State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar described Kalam as a scientist who was a saint at heart. "An Indian par excellence. A President who opened President's house to public. People's President who was and will be loved by people of all ages. A teacher at heart, Dr. Kalam passed away while addressing the students. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel condoled the death of former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, by saying the nation has lost an eminent scientist and a polite human being. "My deepest condolence over the sad demise of former President APJ Abdul Kalam," she said. "Nation has lost an eminent scientist and a polite human being. Noted NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul condoled the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, saying he was an "inspiring figure" and a "great humanitarian". Expressing his condolences, Lord Paul, Chairman of Caparo Group, the UK-based diversified conglomerate, also described Kalam as a "great President" and a hugely popular leader. Celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar, Shah Rukh Khan and A R Rahman mourned the demise of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, calling his death a great loss to the country. Kalam, who served as the 11th President from 2002 to 2007 and came to be known as 'People's President', died after he collapsed during a lecture at IIM Shillong. He was 83. A R Rahman said the country lost an "inspiring mind". "Dr Kalam, when you became the President, you gave the word 'hope' a new meaning for Indians... "Today, we have lost a great leader who inspired our young minds to feel that we live in the greatest nation on earth and that each one of them can achieve great things. May the creator lead you to heaven," Rahman posted on his Facebook page. Bollywood's evergreen voice Mangeshkar also took to Facebook to pay her condolence. "I have just been informed that our former President, Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has passed away. "The nation mourns the loss of a great person. Former President of India, a renowned scientist, an inspiration to all, a terrific human being..RIP Abdul Kalam," star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said. Ace tennis player Sania Mirza took to twitter to pay her respect to the departed soul. "What a sad day this has been ?? #RIPKalam #GurdaspurAttack," Sania, the world number one, tweeted. BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said," @APJAbdulKalam 's life and work will inspire generations of thinkers, scientists & leaders. " In another tweet, Thakur wrote,"'People's President' @APJAbdulKalam was an inspiration, intellectual & incredible human being. We have lost a great Indian today. Cricketer S Sreesanth, who was recently exonerated from all spot-fixing charges, chose to tweet Kalam's words in his tweet as a mark of respect. "If u want to shine like sun, burn like sun" famous words by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam." "Very sad day for india...deeply Saddened hearing the news at the sudden demise of Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam .surly the real Ratna." Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar termed the death of former President A P J Abdul Kalam as a personal loss. "This is a personal loss for me. Dr Kalam was a great scientist and eminent social worker. On my request, he had come to Bihar on a number of occasions and guided the development of the state. "He had also immensely contributed towards setting up of the Nalanda International University," Kumar said. Former chief minister and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi both condoled the death of Kalam saying it was an irreparable loss. "He was not just an astute statesman, Kalam was also a scholar and a renowned scientist. Despite being the President, he always used to relate and react with the common people and under his supervision, India's defence system got a huge boost," Lalu said.

              In 'Wings of Fire', he wrote, "We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness." Today, as we mourn his passing, let's internalise these words and bring him to life again through our actions.Rest in Peace, Dr. Kalam. You will always be remembered as the "People's President". Thank you for being a part of our lives.Abdul Kalam was an institution-builder and a team-builder who always wanted to build a strong and self-reliant India.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, Bharat Ratna and far-sighted architect of India's space and missile programmes, passed away in Shillong on Monday.

Kalam was an institution-builder and a team-builder, a visionary and a dreamer, who always wanted to build a strong and self-reliant India. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Defence Minister R. Venkataraman, scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.S. Arunachalam and Kalam were a formidable team in the early 1980s who wanted to weld into India into a puissant country in science and technology. Kalam devised every stratagem in the book to beat the embargoes and sanction regimes including the Missile Technology Control Regime imposed on India following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1974 and later in 1998.

As K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, "Kalam had a single-minded approach in leading projects and his connect with other scientists and the younger generation distinguished him from everybody else. His taking over the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) programme as its Project Director led to its spectacular success in 1980 and it was the turning point in India's space programme.”

In the 1960s, Kalam was at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station near Thiruvananthapuram, and he built ISRO's sounding rocket programme to probe the upper atmosphere. The scientist’s puckish sense of humour came to the fore during celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the first sounding rocket. Now President, Kalam began his address to the gathering from Rashtrapathi Bhavan thus: “Ten , nine, eight, seven...” His countdown sent ISRO’s scientists and engineers into raptures.

                     Civilian rockets, military missiles and aircraft were in his DNA. He was fond of saying that "It was a joy to study the structure of an aircraft” when he was a student of aeronautical engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Chennai. In 1983, Kalam left ISRO and joined the DRDO as director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad. As director of DRDL, he envisioned India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) and led teams that built India's Agni, Akash, Prithvi and Nag missile programmes.

He was instrumental in forging India's collaboration with Russia to build the world's first supersonic cruise missile called BrahMos. As Director-General of DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, he played an important role India's nuclear tests in 1998.Dr V. K. Saraswat, former DRDO Director-general, said, “Kalam was an institution-builder, team-builder, visionary, dreamer and motivator of men.”Kalam never hesitated to take a stand on issues - be it in support for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, the setting up of the neutrino observatory in Theni, India's nuclear weapons programme or the strategic missile programme.

Prof. John Kurakar