APJ Kalam: Soaring human spirit

The man who made it a point that there must not be an official holiday, rather an extra day of work, might as well wish no mourning on his physical demise. For it is no more than his bodily absence; in reality he is very much living, will continue to live forever. This iconic and yet very unassuming man is none other than Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, popularly known as APJ Abdul Kalam who has left behind his mortal self at the time he was addressing students of a specialised management institute in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, a state of India.
For yet another reason, mourning does not quite go with his character and spirit. The fact that he confided in his companion and co-author, Srijan Pal Singh that those who die doing what they love to do without suffering illness are the lucky ones clearly points to a secret desire he nurtured within him. A man so clean an honest could not be denied the wish. Then he also added that the last journey or departure should be brief. It indeed was in his case.
APJ shot to the premier scientist and the number one citizen of India from a most humble beginning. But all he cherished most, to go by Srijan Pal's admission, is to be remembered as a teacher. No wonder, he made it a mission to address students at home and abroad and according to him he had spoken before a total audience of 1.8 million of them by the time he delivered a similar lecture at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka during one of his visits to this country. At the time of his last address at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shilong, that number might have crossed the 2.0 million mark.
Why did he like to talk to the young generations everywhere? One reason most people are aware of is to inspire them so that they could have a clear idea of what they are capable of and what they really wanted to be. The other reason he had not mentioned but appears to be unmistakeable is to share his knowledge, vision and above all his life's journey -one that would influence them as a living example rather than a precept.
Unmarried, the rocket scientist could not have lived a more active life. But why? The man who was a vegetarian and had no family of his own in fact embraced the young populations the world over as his family members. It is because of this he chose to be a friend, philosopher and guide to them after stepping down from the highest position of India. How succinctly he puts his ideas into words: 'It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone.' It seems he embarked in his later years on this arduous task of winning people with the aim to establish peace and justice in society.
This point is confirmed by his views APJ expressed during the question-answer session after his address to the youths at the Sonargaon Hotel during his last visit to this country he loved. He firmly believed that there is no alternative to making available urban amenities such as electricity, road system, education and water to villagers. This will reduce poverty and at the same time halt exodus of villagers to urban centres.
That he is called the 'missile man' of India does not quite do justice to the man who loved a world free from strife and nuclear weapons. His free spirit soared high like an eagle and this is perhaps why he allegorically celebrates this bird in one of his quotable quotes: "All birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds". It is this intrinsic quality in him that has made him different from others around him. How simply he utters human achievements and yet not a trace of arrogance or even pride is discernible. He was a scientist with a difference, a president with a difference and above everything else a man of extraordinary sensitivity and integrity.
Enlightened and erudite, he could quote from Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi and Rabindranath in the same breath when he addressed his audience. Otherwise, with rocket science at the background, he could not be a 'people's president' in a country like India which is yet to get rid of its sectarian divisions. He had a clear vision of society and the world that is increasingly growing uninhabitable.
No wonder, the subject of his last lecture at the IIM, Shilong was, "Creating a liveable planet Earth". Did he prepare a written speech? If he did not, the world will never know what really was in his mind about making the planet liveable. But to go by Srijan Pal Singh once again, he was terribly disturbed by the growing violence, pollution and irrational acts of man. At one point, he expressed his doubt if man could inhabit the planet for more than 30 years. No, he possibly did not think about himself but was concerned about the future of the mankind. Why he mentioned 30 years, though, remains unexplained.
However, reasons demand that the world leaders, scientists and environmentalists shared his concern and acted together in order to give the planet a chance to survive. This would be a fitting tribute to the spirit of the man who wanted to make the most of failure to win big. Did his failure to become a pilot not make him a rocket scientist? APJ will continue to inspire all who care to listen to him.                      
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