When APJ Abdul Kalam paid Rs 4800 for his own gift; IAS officer posts photo of cheque signed for ex-President

A P J Abdul Kalam, a former president, is one of the most admired people in India. On July 27, 2023, the nation paid tribute to the educator and aerospace scientist on the eighth anniversary of his passing.

M V Rao recalled an instance earlier this week that demonstrated how Kalam lived by ethics in his daily life. He sheds light on the late President's principle of not accepting gifts and favours.

The Missile Man of India refused to accept the grinder that had been given to him and insisted that he pay for the equipment, as Mr Rao detailed in a lengthy post on X, now known as Twitter.

"In 2014, a company called 'Saubhagya Wet Grinder' was a sponsor in some event where Dr A P J Abdul Kalam was the chief guest."

Dr Kalam "respectfully declined to accept" the gift of a grinder from the firm. He did, however, take the present when the sponsor insisted. But the following day, he sent the company a check for the market value of the grinder. The company decided not to deposit the check.

Kalam "informed company to deposit the cheque or else he would be constrained to send grinder back," after noticing that no money had been taken out of his account. The company deposited the check after making a copy of it and framing it for display.

The post has gathered over 248k likes and several users have commented on the post as well. 

Check the post here:

What a Great Person 
Ethics in public life!!

In 2014, a company called
'Saubhagya Wet Grinder' was a sponsor in some event where
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam was the chief guest.

The sponsor presented a gift to him which he respectfully declined to accept. The sponsor… pic.twitter.com/qyqVa5dmfs

— M V Rao @ Public Service (@mvraoforindia) August 12, 2023