Monday 27 July 2015

PEOPLES' PRESIDENT

‘PEOPLES’ PRESIDENT’
BY
J.L. GUPTA

A Constitutional office certainly carries with it certain unwritten fringe benefits. I experienced this during my short stint in the State of Kerala. It was the year 2003. The President of India, Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM was visiting the State. I was one of  the persons invited to receive His Excellency at the Naval Airport in Cochin. Normally, the invitation posed no problem. But on this occasion, the visit was on a day when the Court was open and I had to be on duty at the time of the landing of the President’s plane. So, a letter of Regrets and request for meeting during  the Lunch interval was sent. It was graciously accepted.  I was with the President at the appointed time of 1.20PM.

He was not a person who could be a mere figurehead. No!  Far from it. I was face to face with an extremely curious, intelligent and sharp person who was accurate on facts and precise in his language. Talking to me, he wanted to know the cause of delay in the decision of cases; the reasons for still following the archaic and old laws and also the justification for more than one Appeal in every case. And so on. It was clear that there were good reasons for which, he had earned the respect of  everyone.  Not  only in India but Internationally.

He did not merely occupy the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He brought dignity, grandeur and honour to the Office. Sanctity to the Presidential Seal.  Unfortunately, the cruel hands of death have snatched him from us. Today, he is no more in flesh and blood. But he would stay in our hearts as a great Indian  patriot (was not a politician)who, unlike many others devoted himself to making India richer, self-reliant and stronger. He made India a member of the ‘select nuclear club.’ He made every Indian feel ten feet tall.  Shall we ever have another who may be  like him.


Depends upon what we want. The Able or the Pliable.

1 comment:

  1. Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam's untimely death is indeed a great loss for India and also for the scientific community of the world.Your heartfelt tribute is from your personal knowledge of this great man.

    He was a humble person and one of the most respected persons in India, very fondly tagged as the “People’s President”. Because of his great pioneering efforts in the development of SLV and the ballistic missiles he was also called the "Missile Man of India”. He was recipient of Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, India’s highest civilian honors and other great laurels and was conferred honorary doctorate by 20 prestigious universities worldwide. He was the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

    His vision for India’s future was depicted in his must read popular book “India 2020 –A vision for the New Millennium”. He was a symbol of inspiration for the youngsters. United Nation recognized Dr. Abdul Kalam's 79th birthday as World Students' Day. He died doing what he loved the best – inspiring young students and urging them to “dream so that dreams can come true”.

    May Allah grant a special place in Jannah to this great gentle person.

    Jai Hind

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