Abdul Kalam - Indian People's First Choice

                                             First Citizen : By law or by peoples' choice



Ask any teacher in India if she can confidently teach her students," that's a true Indian you can be proud of ." And most probably she'll come up with the same answer, 'Abdul Kalam'.

Because other exemplary humans lived in the freedom struggle times and it's difficult to ask youngsters to follow examples of long ago.So I as a teacher rejoiced to hear that a museum is to be built in Delhi in Dr.Abdul Kalam's memory. I wanted to share my joy immediately but meanwhile got caught up in discussing Chennai's recent floods.

Though he was a brainy and most successful scientist, the whole of India remembers him because of his humility and the  goodwill he had towards others.Where else will you find a person so dedicated to inspiring youth? Who else travelled endlessly just to pass on his success to others?


Here are some contrasting situations

 that endeared  President A.P.J Abdul Kalam to the masses-

·        Abdul Kalam’s father was a muslim imam of a local mosque. But he owned a ferry which took Hindu pilgrims to and fro between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi(Hindu places of pilgrimage).

·        The family was poor when Abdul was a boy and he sold newspapers to help. Yet he ended up as the President of India.

·        He missed achieving his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

But he travelled all over India inspiring the youth to follow their dreams.
Though he majored in Physics and Mathematics and became India’s  missile man, he collaborated with Dr.Soma Raju to              

                         develop a low cost coronary stent named the Kalam Raju stent.             

·           These two again collaborated to develop a tablet computer  known   as the Kalam Raju tablet for   health care in rural areas.

·        Though the BJP can hardly tolerate Muslims, the Kalam-BJP reign went on very smoothly. (President-Prime Minister)

·        Though he had served as the President of India, he went about humbly and almost unnoticed, teaching the youth at different IITs,

inspiring them  to do their best.

He maintained this humility to thank all the teachers who inspired him, including his primary teachers.

·            He was a pure vegetarian.

·                Though he died at the age of 83, he was most followed by the youth of  India all over the world!

May the museum inspire still more youth  by his words and writings.                                         

                                                                                                 Photos : Google images