Mumbai: Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam born on this day and was popularly known as ‘Missile man of India’. He was the India’s 11th President and his tenure was from 2002 to 2007.
APJ Abdul Kalam who is the recipient of ‘Bharat Ratna’ (1997), is also called the ‘People’s President’. Every aspect of Kalam’s life is an inspiration to all. The former president has proved that a person becomes great by his actions and knowledge and not by attires and wealth.
APJ Abdul Kalam was very fond of children and loved to spend time with kids. However, he remained a bachelor his entire life and did not have children on his own. Even then his ready-made wit often caught reporters napping.
Once, Kalam was mingling with children at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mediapersons saw his face wore a look of joy and contentment. They asked him whether Kalam missed never having a child of his own. To which Kalam replied, “All of you are wrong, I have three sons.”
Reporters were stumped by Kalam’s statement. However, the president with a twinkle in his eyes then had an explanation to offer. “You don’t know my three sons? They are ‘Earth’, ‘Agni”, and ‘BrahMos’.
The former president breathed his last July 27, 2015. APJ Abdul Kalam had travelled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on ‘Creating a Livable Planet Earth’ at the Indian Institute of Management. While climbing stairs, Kalam experienced some discomfort in his chest, but made it to the auditorium. However, five minutes into his speech, around 6.35am, Kalam collapsed on the stage.
Kalam was rushed to the nearby Bethany Hospital. However, there were no signs of life in him. In spite of the best efforts of the doctors, Kalam could not be revived. He was declared dead 7.45pm.
Incidentally even during the last moments of his life, APJ Abdul Kalam retained his sense of humour. His final words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were: ‘Funny guy! Are you doing well?’