After the Centre turned down a plea to convert the house where former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam lived in Delhi into a “Kalam centre for knowledge discovery”, the Arvind Kejriwal government has offered to establish one in the national capital.
A.P.J.M.J. Sheik Saleem, grandnephew of Kalam, said that after the Centre allotted the 10 Rajaji Marg house to Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi approached the family and offered to establish the centre elsewhere in Delhi.
He said Kapil Mishra, Delhi Minister for Tourism, Culture and Language, contacted the family members and conveyed Mr. Kejriwal’s willingness to establish the centre in the capital to help youth and students to carry forward Kalam’s vision for 2020.
Family thank KejriwalAfter discussions with family members, A.P.J.M. Maraikayar, elder brother of Kalam, wrote to Mr. Kejriwal on Wednesday thanking him for the gesture, Mr. Saleem said.
“We are happy that the centre would benefit students and research scholars who worked for the promotion of sustainable development,” he said.
The Delhi government has promised to take the family members into confidence before finalising the location, he told The Hindu .
Huge collectionThe family members had brought from the Rajaji Marg house belongings of Kalam, including a staggering collection of 5,000 volumes from his personal library, to his ancestral house here on October 28.
With the Kejriwal government offering to establish the centre, the family has decided to send back at least half the consignment of 204 boxes back to Delhi, Mr. Saleem said.
The family proposed to send 2,000 books and other items, while keeping some of the items to be showcased in the memorial coming up at Kalam’s samadhi at Peikarumbu, near here, Mr. Saleem said.
