Arun Tiwari - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: A Life

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

A Life

ARUN TIWARI

HarperCollins Publishers India

To

The Youth of India

India must stand up to the world and act like the country of a billion people living together for over two millennia. Countries of a few million assembled in the last few hundred years cant decide the destiny of a great civilization.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Contents

T heres nothing new to be said about Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, just as theres nothing new to be said about the mountains, the oceans, the earth, the skies, the stars, the sun and the moon. They never cease to amaze and mesmerize mankind, and continue to inspire dreams and visions, from time before time to a timeless eternity.

As in life, even in death, Dr Kalam remained an inspiration. Perhaps the most ideal Indian of our nation, he breathed his last serving the country he loved most, fulfilling a mission he cherished most speaking before students, igniting a generation of young minds.

On 27 July 2015, the day he passed away, we witnessed the beginning of his lifelong dream the unity of India. The whole nation united across parties and politics, states and statutes, castes and communities, regions and religions to pay homage to a person we all loved. The next day, huge lines snaked till midnight in New Delhi to see him lying in state at 10 Rajaji Marg. A million or more swarmed to Rameswaram for his burial. Many were simple, poor villagers who walked for days with no means of transport. Charities volunteered free food, free transport and free accommodation. A billion hearts pulsed with prayers. Words no longer mattered. Not since Mahatma Gandhi has any one leader captivated and motivated the minds and hearts of our people like Dr Kalam. From naming roads and islands, universities and institutions, to naming children and awards after him; his name has entered the conscience and conversations of daily life.

Everyone has something to say for Dr Kalam. This is proof of his popularity. However, his singularity as a student, a scientist, a thinker, a writer, a visionary and a leader will be studied and scrutinized by every new generation to come. Why? Because, his life is all about inspiration. He is the rare example of a leader who created his own world, his own reality, his own language effective to the point where its emulation is not only impossible, but simply too daunting for most leaders to even consider. He created a benchmark for other presidents and prime ministers to aspire to, providing future generations of leaders from all fields a paramount point of reference for self-evaluation.

Dr Kalams life is a fusion of contradictions he shunned the ego and materialism that are typical of socio-political prominence, and reconciled austerity with his celebrity status. What intrigues people are not only his humble beginnings, but humble belongings. Everyone was humbled by his finite list of possessions: a wristwatch, six shirts, four trousers, three suits, a pair of shoes and 2,500 books. One cannot help but bow in reverence at his last items. He did not possess even basic household necessities such as a vehicle, television or refrigerator. Beyond that, Dr Kalam did not even write a will for his relatives.

He chose to remain simple and self-effacing in the face of his scientific, societal and political achievements. From a boatmans boy, he went on to become Indias eleventh president. Hailed as the Missile Man and the Peoples President, he was conferred twenty prominent national and international awards such as the Von Braun Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Bharat Ratna, and forty-eight honorary doctorates from leading universities of the world. Yet none of these accolades left an impression on Dr Kalams life. His humility and simplicity, despite his overwhelming accomplishments and abilities, reveal a reserve of personal wisdom that matches his gift as a leader.

In addition to being a relentless achiever, Dr Kalam was one of the most gentle and soulful human beings. His words, values and vision are a perfect reflection of the man inside.

He was a teacher who never stopped being a student. He loved problems more than solutions, questions more than answers. To him, every answer was another question, a window to deeper knowledge. This inner fire for knowledge, fuelled with hard work, honesty, sincerity and purity, helped him grow and evolve. His ability to transform himself from an average student into a successful scientist, then into a popular statesman and finally into a saintly leader is simply phenomenal! Though he has been recognized as a celebrated scientist, he will eventually be remembered as a saint; a man with no personal family who advocated family values as the answer to social evils; one who was single with no child of his own and yet became a father for millions of children; someone who occupied Indias highest office from where he reached out to the lowest of the low. But most importantly, he remained a child at eighty-three. Filled with innocence, a childlike curiosity and an unending fascination for life, his energy never seemed to ebb.

My first meeting with Dr Kalam was unexpected and unplanned, completely out of the blue. On 15 March 2001, he had arrived in Bhuj, Gujarat, in an army aircraft, with his entire retinue to review the earthquake rehabilitation operation. He was the principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, while I was just one of the many sadhus serving in the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) camp. We had provided relief supplies to 400 villages, fed almost two million people and constructed temporary tin-tent colonies for 2,500 displaced people. We briefly met at the airport on his way back. Though as a scientist he did not believe in tin shelters in the desert heat of Bhuj, he inquired whether our tin houses remained cool. I proffered, As a scientist you should not accept my word, you should see it for yourself. He spontaneously delayed his flight and visited our tin-tent colony. Not only did he change his opinion when he saw that the houses were cool, he also appreciated our simple science of natural ventilation through crosswinds. He congratulated the sadhus and volunteers and expressed a desire to meet our spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. I was overwhelmed by his humbleness and openness. He was big and well known, I was small and unknown; yet, Dr Kalam had the large-heartedness to call us, change his schedule to accommodate us, and appreciated our little science which was insignificant compared to his lead role in making India a nuclear power. His ability to accommodate and appreciate others stunned me. This was the beginning of a fourteen-year-long friendship that involved many meetings and many more conversations.

When we once asked him how he managed to remain so young and happy, he replied, I only ask: What can I give? If everyone asked just this one question to themselves and others, the whole world would remain happy and young.

He lived to the core this principle of giving time and energy to others. Once, Dr Kalam arrived at the Ahmedabad Circuit House well after midnight. He was yet to have his supper. A little girl stopped him to ask, How can I become the best scientist in the world? Even her doting mother would have replied, Its getting late, dear, Ill tell you tomorrow morning. But not Dr Kalam. He patiently explained, What did you just do? Asked a question So keep asking, asking and asking until you find the right answer. This is the way to become the best scientist in the world.

I personally witnessed his care and compassion on a hot summer afternoon in Sarangpur, a village in Saurashtra, on 20 June 2015. He had come to present his book,