A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM: FEW FACTS & FEW INCIDENTS WE SHOULD KNOW

Compiled By: Pradiptamay Saha (TNI Siliguri)

We know about his contribution to the missile technology of our country. We know about his extraordinary books and quotes. We know his popularity as The President of India. But still, there are so many things to know about this genius. TimesOfNorth salutes this visionary personality and presents you few facts and few incidents. These small incidents will surely let us understand him.

FEW LESSER KNOWN FACTS

01. Born on 15 October, 1931, in a Tamil Muslim family to a boat owner, Jainulabudeen, and Ashiamma, a housewife, in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, Kalam’s childhood was not easy and privileged.

02. In order to support his poor family, young Kalam used to distribute newspapers after his school hours to add to his father’s income.

03. For his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology, Kalam came to be known as Missile Man of India.

04. India owes its development as a nuclear nation to Kalam’s organizational and technical support for Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first such tests after a gap of 24 years.

05. At ISRO, He was one of the pioneers of India’s first space launch-vehicle program.

06. Kalam was recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna.

07. He was also a recipient of honorary doctorates from 40 universities.

08. A prolific writer, Kalam has authored around 15 books on various subjects ranging from nuclear physics to spiritual experiences.

09. His autobiography Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, first published in English, has been translated into 13 languages including French and Chinese.

10. I Am Kalam which was released in 2011 is an inspirational Hindi film. Here Kalam is portrayed as an extremely positive influence to a poor but bright Rajasthani boy Chhotu, who renames himself Kalam in honour of his idol.

FEW LESSER KNOWN INCIDENTS

01. Once, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam rejected the suggestion to put broken glass on the wall of a building that needed protection. Why? Because broken glass would be harmful for birds!
This happened when Dr. Kalam was with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and his team was discussing options to secure the perimeter of a building that needed protection. Dr. Kalam reportedly said: “If we do that, birds will not be able to perch on the wall.”

02. President Kalam has given up all his life savings and salaries to a trust he founded named PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas).
The government takes care of the President of India as well as of all the former presidents. Knowing this, Dr. Kalam during his tenure as President decided to give away all his wealth and life savings towards a fund that works towards providing urban amenities to rural population. Apparently, Dr. Kalam called up Dr. Verghese Kurien, the founder of Amul, and asked: “Now that I have become the President of India, the government is going to look after me till I am living; so what can I do with my savings and salary?”

03. Supposed to attend a college event as the Chief Guest, APJ once surprised the students of the event’s organising committee by visiting them late in the night.
Once, Dr. Kalam was to be a Chief Guest at a college event. He wasn’t the President at the time, but held a significant office at the DRDO and was one of the key advisors to the government.Curious to see the kids prep up for a big event, Kalam decided to pay a visit to the venue. He came in a jeep, without any security, and talked to the students present at the venue. He said he wanted to meet the “real hardworking people”.

04. Dr. Kalam is so humble he wouldn’t mind going to an event a little late for the sake of letting his fans take pictures with him!
Dr. Kalam was the Chief Guest at an event at IIM Ahmedabad recentlxy. Prior to the event, he was lunching with a class of around sixty students. At the end of the lunch, the students wanted each a photo with the former President. Citing the delay, the event organiser tried to hush off the students; but to everyone’s surprise Dr. Kalam asked the organiser to calm down and said that he won’t leave the place until every person who wanted a picture with him got a picture!

05. Once during an event, Dr. Kalam refused to sit on a chair that was designated for him – because the chair was larger in size than the other chairs!
At a recent convocation of IIT-Varanasi, Dr. Kalam was the Chief Guest. There were five chairs on the stage, the centre one being for Dr. Kalam, the other four designated for the top university officials. Noticing his chair being bigger in size than the others, Dr. Kalam refused to sit on it and offered the Vice Chancellor to sit in stead. The VC couldn’t, obviously. No doubt, another chair was made available immediately for the Honourable former President!

06. Who did President Kalam invite as the “Presidential Guests” to Kerela’s Raj Bhavan during his first visit to Kerela after becoming the President?
1. A roadside cobbler
2. Owner of a very small hotel
No kidding. As the President, Dr. Kalam was entitled to invite anyone as the “Presidential Guests” to the Raj Bhavan of Kerela during his first visit to Trivandrum. Dr. Kalam had spent a significant time as a scientist in Trivandrum and he invited a road-side cobbler – who was quite close to Dr. Kalam during his time in Kerala; and so was the owner of the small hotel where Dr. Kalam would often have his meals. Can you imagine any other politician or a celebrity inviting a cobbler and a small business owner as their most prestigious guests?

07.  A president left Rashtrapati Bhawan with two suitcases and one veena!
When he left the Rashtrapati Bhawan after resigning as The President, he was only having two suitcases and one veena with him. One suitcase was full of books and another one with other basic necessary things.

08. Leakage in Rashtrapati Bhawan!
Then Dr. Kalam was The President of India. Once in the monsoon, a small leakage was found in the President’s room. Dr. Kalam was in search of the caretakers. Everyone was scared of losing jobs. However, The President was only querying if everything was fine in staff quarters or not.

We know his great achievements. But this small incident draw the character of a man of wisdom, vision and most importantly humanity. Rest In Peace, wherever you are Dr. Kalam.

With inputs from: Himanshu Rai (Quora)