Remembering Dr APJ - Honouring His Dreams !!!

Dr APJ – a day after his death, it is more sinking …  a google search ‘Dr Abdul Kalam’  on autocomplete shows – Abdul Kalam – house, history, biography, speech – do it on any other name, you will find the difference on how clean and simple he has been …….. As soon as the news of Kalam's death hit the Nation,  as expected- every social media including  Facebook and Twitter were flooded with RIP messages. However, this wave of mourning was strikingly different from the usual waves of RIP updates that course through social media when a famous personality dies.  First strikingly – nothing negative – exhibiting the fact that this man perhaps had no enemies at all !!! ….. the  RIP messages were accompanied by anecdotes - some personal, some second-hand, some remembered from books and speeches. These were real stories, not just Googled quotes. Another amazing feature was many multitudes have pictured themselves with the great Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the noble Bharat Ratna man.   Many have recalled  how Kalamji, during their brief interactions didn't seem like a political figure with a huge presidential chip on his shoulder. Abdul Kalam Sir,  began his career as a scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was truly an aam aadmi icon, much before aam aadmi became a vote-bait. We have had leaders who used the history of their humble beginnings as political tools - to lure voters, to accuse the opposition of nursing biases, to suggest that the aam aadmi too can aim for the kind of power they have amassed. Amidst all the melee, how much of his message we are taking forward is the important Q –  there was a time when the Scientist turned ex-President of the Nation visited the nuclear facility at Kudankulam and declared that was safe for the Nation.  A group of arrogant self-styled activists had the audacity to question his understanding and commitment to this nuclear facility  stating that he was not a nuclear scientist and almost all politicians remained dumb without asking what was the qualification of those questioning him.  A friend of mine wrote of his desire to have a college at his birth place – the island of Rameswaram and wondered whether the Govt of India and Tamilnadu State would take initiative.   Kalam breathed desire for children and their development through education throughout his life.  Ramanathapuram district has one of the lowest literacy rates in the state of Tamil Nadu and Rameswaram, following the district statistics has a lower literacy rate.  It is stated that there are a couple of Government high schools, one each for boys and girls.  There are seven other schools namely,  of which he studied at  ‘ Mandapam Panchayat Union  school’  at Traders street.   I had taken a photo of this school during my visit in 2011.  

Alagappa University Evening College is  stated to be the only college present in the town and all the nearest colleges are located in Ramanathapuram andParamakudi.  It would be proper to have some good educational institutions built at his place, which would be in tune with what he held closer to his heart. At Triplicane today, SYMA organised homage – floral tribute – the response was spontaneous – large no. of Triplicanites participating.  This will continue for the while day tomorrow at SYMA medical centre, opp to Bharathiyar illam. Some photos are placed here


With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28^th July 2015.