An evening with Kalam

July 29, 2015 08:41 pm | Updated 08:41 pm IST

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Veena at a gallery, in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Veena at a gallery, in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu.

The evening was dank, dark and gloomy. The intermittent spells of rain not doing much to lift the spirits. The streetlights functioned on their whims. Somehow, I managed to keep my date with the one and only Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He had ceased to be the President but retained the charm, the charisma, the aura like none other.

Not surprisingly, his words not only lifted my spirits but also dispelled the air of gloom. His book “Spirit of India” was to be launched in the Capital the next day and he agreed to take questions only on the book that encapsulated the soul of the country’s youth. It stemmed from his interactions with nearly 10 millions youngsters across the country. The book was later translated into Hindi, Assamese, Marathi and Gujarati.

That evening though he came across as a man totally focussed on the job on hand, never ready to criticise any party, political or socio-religious. That he played his Veena is well known, but that day, he made a rare concession to The Hindu , showing his photographs of playing the instrument.

A little bit emboldened, I tried to ask him about his early days when he even distributed newspapers before going to school. Kalam Sahab though would have none of it, waving me off with just a polite sentence, asking me to stick to the book. “A lot have been written about me. Let’s talk of the new generation.”

That brought the conversation invariably to the youth of the country, the youth who occupied the former President’s mind 24 X 7. He interacted freely, frankly, fearlessly with them. He shared his email ID, asking students to write to him. He answered questions on science and religion, career and personality development. He talked of giving awards to young achievers, even estimating how they would feel at being felicitated in a public function with parents, teachers and classmates watching.

“They are very open to discussion, very free with their opinions. One of the very important characteristics of a student is to question. A teacher should have a creative mind and encourage questions. At times, I find that teachers are in a hurry to finish the syllabus. But, there should always be discussion,” the former President said during the course of the interview.

As I got up to take his leave, I had a quick look around his study. There were books, books and more books. Then there were photos of the President felicitating achievers from different fields, and many more of youngsters seeking his blessings. His writing, his passion, his public discourse were all intertwined.

He was a people’s man, all the way.

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