More on Indian Minorities
President Kalam Passes Away at 83
Shillong, Monday, July 27: APJ Abdul Kalam who rose to become the 11th president of India from being a teacher, scientist and philosopher passed away doing his best. He was lecturing students at Indian Institute of Management in Shilllong on Monday evening. His topic of discourse was ´Livable Planet Earth´.
He was considered to be the people´s president because he went back to his teaching job after finishing his presidential tenure at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi, to Chennai´s Anna University. President Kalam was on a speaking tour to IIM Shillong, when he fell down complaining chest pain. He was declared brought dead to the Bethany hospital two kilometers away from the venue.
A seven day state mourning has been declared where the national flag will fly half-mast in all the official buildings.
APJ Kalam was a key player in India´s missile and space programs and was part of the team that had set up the Thumba rocket launching station in 1960´s.
His best seller books were Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, Ignited Minds-Unleashing the Power Within India, India 2020: A Vision of the New Millennium, Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow´s India.
He will be remembered for his inspirational quotes, and common man´’s image. He had said, “Dreams are not those that we see in our sleep. They should be the ones that never let us sleep”.
