Leading tributes from the Union Territory of Puducherry to former President, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, who passed away on Monday, Lieutenant Governor A.K. Singh said that Mr. Kalam had changed the contours of the Office of President which had earned him the deserving title ‘People’s President’. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy expressed deep shock and said Mr. Kalam was the soul of India.
The Puducherry government observed the State mourning with the national flag being flown at half-mast at the Assembly and the Chief Secretariat. Mr. Rangasamy led ministers and officials in paying a floral tribute to Mr. Kalam’s portrait at the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Singh also paid a floral tribute to Mr. Kalam’s portrait at Raj Nivas.
In his condolence message, Mr. Rangasamy said Mr. Kalam would always be remembered for his concern for the welfare of the youth.
The former President had great respect for Tamil language and literature especially Thirukural, he said, adding that the country had lost a great scientist.
Mr. Singh, in his condolence message, said that Mr. Kalam was a ‘humanist at heart’, whose humility, simplicity, and infectious positive spirit reached out to the powerful and the powerless with the same amplitude.
‘Kalam had visualised goals for Puducherry’
Leader of Opposition V. Vaithilingam vividly recalled Mr. Kalam’s inspirational speech during his visit here as President in 2004.
Mr. Kalam had addressed the Legislative Assembly as a special invitee to mark the golden jubilee of the Defacto merger of the Union Territory with India. “He had visualised a set of goals for the Union Territory on the lines of Vision 2020 and came out with several recommendations including Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) and production of biofuel. Mr. Kalam also interacted with the Legislators and it was an occasion I would cherish for the rest of my life," Mr. Vaithilingam said.
Even after demitting office as President, Mr. Kalam visited the city on several occasions to address students.
He dedicated the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research (JIPMER) as an Institute of National Importance when he visited the institute on October 15, 2008.
Ashram's statement
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram in a statement said, “A true son of Mother India he studied the works of Sri Aurobindo with great interest.
We cherished his visit to the Ashram not only when he was the President but also in December last year when he was in Puducherry for an academic event he found the time to come and pay homage at the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother even before his official program began.”
His last visit to the Union Territory of Puducherry was on December 9 last year.
It was when he inaugurated the 17th edition of the National Convention on Knowledge, Library and Information Networking hosted by the French Institute of Pondicherry.
