MUSINGS:

The last days of Kalam's life

by Padma Edirisinghe

It should be thankfully mentioned at the outset, that the source of this piece is primarily the latest newsletter of the Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo.

Am I a fan of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam? Or was I one such? No. But the tribute paid to him by a student of him and encased in the above newsletter made me a devout fan of his though the teacher himself has vanished from the face of the earth in July this year after delivering the first few sentences of a lecture on a very vital topic.

Livable planet

Going through his wishes and wants he could not have asked for a better end. Here is a snippet from the lively tribute. This ex-President of India, seems to have had a habit of asking his young followers what they would like to be remembered of in after life. Srijahn Pal Singh who pens the tribute once when asked this, had done a tit for tat and asked the master back, "Sir, first tell me what you would like to be remembered for?"

And he had listed the many roles Kalam had played, to facilitate the choice.

"President, scientist, writer, missile man, book - India 2020 ...What do you prefer?

"So once the options were laid down, the great man had answered, TEACHER.

Hence this writer's above conclusion for he had died while teaching at the educative session in Shillong that he drove to after a tiring plane drive and car drive from south India.

Turbulent

On that memorable day of July 27, 2015 the teacher and the pupil had engaged in a 2.5 hour of flying in the turbulent monsoon weather followed by the car trip OF EQUAL TIME.

Five hours of discussion and debate. Since the topic of lecture at Shillong had been creating a livable planet earth, a very vital topic at present times when human life is at stake due to varied reasons, the discussions enroute had revolved on this topic and here is Kalam to Srijahn (the pupil) on the issue, how if this trend of violence, pollution and reckless human action was to continue, how the human will be forced to leave earth.

Thirty ears at this rate, maybe (you would last)....you guys must do something about it, it is going to be your future world. But Kalam had strayed away from his scheduled topic at times into other topics as the dysfunctionalism of parliament, which is regarded as the supreme institution of democracy.

Disruption

Here he is. "I have seen two different Governments in my tenure...this disruption just keeps on happening. It is not right. I really need to find a way to ensure that parliament works on developmental politics." He had then gone on to ask the student to prepare a surprise assignment q'aire for the student audience at Shillong suggesting three innovative ways to make the parliament more productive and vibrant. This assignment would be given at the end of the lecture but alas, as cruel fate decreed he was dead before that.

Srijahn mentions a singular incident that happened in the car drive. In the car preceding theirs in the mini motor procession, stood a man right along, a sight that pricked the great man. He had wanted the youth to signal him to sit down but the latter knowing that this was done for security purpose did nothing about it and after they got down the humble president had walked to the standing guy and said, "Thank you buddy. Are you tired? Would you like something to eat? I am sorry that you had to stand so long because of me".

Moral

The Security guy, surprised, had answered, "Sir, aapke liye to 6 ghhante bhi khade rahenge". I wish that the editor had translated that but better not for the sense could be imagined, a sense that would always veer towards the good and the moral, which is so pooh-poohed in a stylized yet corrupted society now.

Srijahn goes back to the rare times that revolved round issues that provoked Kalam. One was parent-child relationship.

"Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad that sometimes this is not happening" and he is almost prophetic when he utters these words,

"One is blessed when one can die working, standing tall without any long drawn ailing.

Goodbyes should be short, really short". And this by the youth, he leaves the world with nothing accumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. Earlier he has given a reason for leaving a nil-account by this ruling.

Gone

'Never leave wealth at your deathbed, that leaves a fighting family'

(Ironically a news item discloses that those around him are already fighting over his legacies).

However, Srijahn concludes his moral thus, "The man is gone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam."

Other recorded data on the icon:

Abdul Kalam, an Indian Muslim called also the missile man of India, was the 11th president of India, was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering.

Books authored by him: Wings of fire, Ignited minds, India 2020, turning point, Target 3 billion...

Major quotes: To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.

You have to dream before your dreams come true.

*******

Excuse me. Does this piece comprise old fashioned stuff? But it serves modern hectic times.