Delhi: Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam may have played a leading role in empowering India by making India a nuclear power, but he never meant to harm anyone and this trait was reflected so often.
The monsoon was breaking havoc with incessant rains on one of the nights of the year 2003. Past mid-night, the roof of the 74-year-old structure built by the colonial British government as Viceroy House, started leaking.
Though Abdul Kalam had the option of moving to any of the other 339 rooms of the sprawling President’s House, he opted not to disturb anyone so late and spent the night sitting on a chair in one corner of the room.
Next morning, he instructed his staff not to leak the news to media lest it resulted into rolling of some heads in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) responsible for maintenance of the President’s House. He just asked them to get the roof repaired.
And he came to the rescue of the CPWD officials once again after demitting office in 2007. The CPWD was late in identifying a suitable bungalow for the retired president well in time. And when they did identify one, they failed to get it vacated in time and get it ready.
Abdul Kalam was a picture of poise and did not complain even once as he patiently waited for the bungalow to be made ready while staying in one of the government guest houses.
Abdul Kalam showed the same composure when he was frisked at the JFK Airport in New York while boarding a plane in September 2011. He was subjected to a private screening.
He did not complain and accepted apology of the US government gracefully when the matter came to light two months down the line and India protested vehemently against treatment meted out to its ex-President.
If he created history by becoming the first apolitical president and the first bachelor to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House), he could have created another history by serving as President for two terms.
The Marxists who put up a symbolic candidate against him in 2002 were rooting for a second term for him. The Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance government had no option but to listen to them since the Marxists sustained the minority government with their outside support. Abdul Kalam was assured of supports of BJP and its allies, but he surprised everyone by opting out of the race realising the Congress party was not too keen on his continuation.
Abdul Kalam said he did not want to politicise the President’s House at a time when second term in office which would have made him the second president after the Republic’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad to hold the post for two terms.
Five years down the line in 2012, he came close again to creating history as clamour for a non-political president grew in the country.
Several political parties approached Abdul Kalam who said he would consider the offer only if he is assured of unanimous election, which was not possible when Mulayam Singh Yadav made a last minute U-turn for political reasons since his party was now in power in Uttar Pradesh and he wanted cordial ties with the ruling party to ensure no trouble for his son Akhilesh who had become the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Abdul Kalam could still have won if he agreed to contest but he stuck to his stand since the post held no allurement to him. He is happy teaching youth as a visiting professor at various institutes and universities across the country.
While as the President of India Abdul Kalam tried to inculcate interest in scientific learning by virtually throwing open gates of the President’s House for children who were at liberty to grill or question him on any topic, post-retirement he has got the opportunity to interact with the youth and he is using it to propagate his vision of making India a developed country, which he feels, is possible only when corruption is defeated in India. To that end, he launched his mission for the youth in 2011 called ‘What Can I Give Movement’.
Abdul Kalam may not have got a second term in office and may never again, but he has gone down the annals of history as being the first and only People’s President. The love, respect and affection that he gets from all across the country is enough to sustain the now octogenarian for the rest of his life.
