Abdul Kalam as youth icon

Dr Kalam has really caught the imagination of the children and the young.  This became evident when he came to Pune during the Indian Science Congress in January 2000 in Pune. It was my dream to get the ‘trimurti’, Dr Kasturirangan, Dr R Chidambaram and Dr Kalam on a single dais.  I had asked them to project their dreams on creating a secure India.  We had a memorable afternoon, when all three gave their vision.  I still remember the events after the discussions — Dr Kalam was mobbed by several hundred young people.  I had to rescue him.  I had to again perform the same act in Lucknow during the Indian Science Congress 2002.  There was a panel discussion that was going on —  Dr Murli Manohar  Joshi, Dr R Chidambaram, Dr Anil Kakodkar, Dr Kasturirangan and myself were on the dais.  There were around 2,000 people in the audience.  While the presentations were going on, Dr Kalam walked in.  Everyone forgot that we all were on the dais and rushed to Dr Kalam!  He was again surrounded by hundreds of young people.  Dr Murli Manohar Joshi told me to go down and rescue him.  The only way was to put him on the dais so that we could continue.  It was only after that that we could resume the proceedings!  I have never seen such an appeal of a scientist amongst the young, or indeed that matter amongst society, ever before.

Dr Kalam was convinced that children were our future and that we had  to ignite their minds.  When he was Principal Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister, I went to meet him for some discussions.  The conversation as usual drifted to talking about the future of India and how it will be built by our children.  I still remember his telling me that in future he wanted to dedicate himself to the cause of igniting the minds of children.   He said that he would interact with at least 100,000 children in one year.  He asked me “Mashelkar, why don’t you join me on this grand adventure?  We two can go and inspire children from a common platform”.  I remember having agreed to this enthusiastically  but, of course, could not really join him.  

Soon afterwards, Dr Kalam became the President of India. I went to meet and congratulate him. The first thing he did was to remind me of this conversation. He asked me how many children I had addressed. He said that he had already addressed 50,000 children. I said I had addressed none. He said that not only must I address them, but also that he would exchange with me the number each one of us had addressed. We followed this practice for two to three years, I remember!

In all our conversations, I found Dr Kalam to be deeply disturbed by the  societal disconnects. Once he told me that his father and the high priest of Rameswaram temple could discuss the Bhagwat Gita and the Holy Quran in their houses.  He  mentioned several times as to how a church was transformed into a technology laboratory and became the birthplace of the nation’s rocket technology.  To him that was the result of the fusion of science and spirituality, and he wished that such fusion should happen in all fields in continuum. 

I would like to repeat what Dr Kalam said in this address to the nation on 25th July, when he was sworn in as President of India. He said  “When I travel across our nation, when I hear the sound of waves of the three seas around the shores of my country, when I experience the breeze from the mighty Himalayas, when I see the biodiversity of the North-East and our islands and when I feel the warmth from the western desert, I hear the voice of the youth: ‘When can I sing the song of India?’  If youth have to sing the song of India, India should become a developed country which is free from poverty, illiteracy and unemployment and is buoyant with economic prosperity, national security and internal harmony”.  And then he went on the sing that song.

“As a young citizen of India, armed with technology, knowledge and love for my nation, I realise, small aim is a crime.

I will work and sweat for a great vision, the vision of transforming India into a developed nation, powered by economic strength with value system.

I am one of the citizens of a billion; Only the vision will ignite the billion souls.

It has entered into me; The ignited soul compared to any resource is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth under the earth.

I will keep the lamp of knowledge burning to achieve the vision — Developed India.”

To me,  in Dr Kalam, we had  a President, who was  the right man, in the right place, at the right time.  Indian youth were desperately looking for a role model.  What better role model could they have than someone who was the son of a boatman in Rameswaram and who went on to occupy the position of President of India?  What better role model could they have had  than this simple and humane individual, who was a  staunch nationalist, and who was a great dreamer and visionary at the same time?  What better role model could they have had than an individual who strongly emphasised that ‘strength respects strength’ and wanted to see a Developed India in our lifetime.  

The only fitting tribute we can  pay to Dr Kalam  is not only fulfilling his dream of Technology Vision 2020, but also setting up a game changing ‘Kalam Vision 2050’ in the spirit of Dr Kalam, which was always to think and act with the belief that the impossible can be made possible.

This will  only happen if each Indian in the true Kalam spirit  said ‘Yes, I can. Yes, India can. Yes, India will’. We owe it to Dr Kalam, the living legend till yesterday, who is no more with us.

The author is a former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and a fellow of the Royal Society, London

This concludes the series on late APJ Abdul Kalam.