The first time I read about someone
called APJ Abdul Kalam was in the fifth standard as there was a chapter on him in
our English textbooks. You won’t even believe what my concern was then, as I
casually read though the chapter. How would I ever remember his full name? Avul
Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, that was indeed long. But little did we know
that his achievement list was way longer.
Accidently in the same very year
my grandmother gifted me a copy of ‘Wings of Fire’ from the book fair and it
then I realized who the 11th President of India actually was. As I
read more about his works and subsequently learnt more about his humbleness, I
realized that it he who defined actually a ‘Bharat Ratna’ is.
As kids, we encountered this
question very often as to who do we aspire to be when we grow up. The answer by
the end of fifth grade for me was clearly Dr. Kalam. In fact, my I used to tell
my best friends, Pallab and Jyotirmoy that the initials of our name resembled Dr.
Kalam’s initials and we are so damn lucky that the trio called be called APJ. My
ambition though changed in the sixth grade, but my teachers were convinced that
I would be scientist as I admired the ‘Missile Man of India’ so much. (Of course they were wrong, but they had their
reasons to believe so).
Not really sure how many of you
have heard of it, but there is something called National Children’s Science
Congress (NCSC). Initiated in the year 1993, NCSC provides children of 10 to 17
years from all over the country an opportunity to use their scientific
temperament and knowledge. Every year, NCSC was hosted by one state and
students from all over the country come in and present their projects. The 2006
edition was due to be held in Guwahati, Assam.
Credits: NCSC Homepage |
It still remember it was a radio
broadcast early in the morning that announced the NCSC 2006 in Assam and also
confirmed that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India and a pioneer scientist
would be the chief guest in the finale. That was it, at that very moment I
decided to participate, without any idea as to what to do, but just to be able
to earn a chance to meet this great man. I swear to every word I have written
here, the solo aim of me participating in NCSC 2006 was to meet this great man,
and nothing else. This was probably the instance that made my teachers believe
that I wanted to be scientist.
Indeed I did participate, with a cliché
Rain Water Harvesting project, but unfortunately I came 11th in the
state and only the Top 10 qualified into the national level and earned the opportunity
to meet Dr. Kalam.
But the real heartbreak came when
a notice came to my school that they could still send in group (two students)
into the finale as the Government of Assam wanted students from the state to
interact with Dr. Kalam. My school decided that I was too young and instead
shortlisted two ninth grader students. I can’t even express how much I cried
that day. Sitting in the last bench, I wept like a newlywed bride as Pallab
consoled me that we will get many other opportunities to meet him. Well,
unfortunately even my seniors could not meet him, as he had to cancel the trip
due to the 2006 Tsunami that hit the Eastern coast of India.
There are no words that can
define my admiration for this man. From a fisherman’s son to being the 11th
President of India, he is a text book example for every child studying out
there. Not just he secured our country by contributing to the Missile research
of the country and Prokhran Nuclear test, but also taught us value able lessons
as to how to remain humble despite everything. What great man he is that even
in his last breath he was addressing a bunch of students. This man dedicated everything
to the nation.
I would not call this an obituary,
as no man I know is cable able enough for writing one for him. This post is
just dedicated to this great man, who probably has inspired many like me. He
did not inspire me to be a scientist; he inspired me to be someone who I wanted
to be. Dr. Kalam, you were a gem who India will never get back. Let’s just all
work together to achieve his vision of India 2020.
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