He was always the same Kalam I knew from our college days, says close friend

“He was always the same Kalam I knew from our college days. His hairstyle and his character never changed,” says T. Sampath Kumar (83) of Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore, about his roommate in college and friend A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He knew that his friend for more than six decades was weak, but news about his death came as a shock to him. On Tuesday, he was heading to the former President’s hometown, Rameswaram, to pay homage to his friend.

They first met at the hostel of St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchi in 1950. Mr. Kalam shared the room with Mr. Sampath and Alex Alexander. “Bonding was more between us (Mr. Kalam and I). We were from rural backgrounds and were vegetarians,” he said.

He recalled that the former first citizen of the country had a fancy for hairstyle. He always wore a long white shirt with a white dhoti. “Kalam was a serious student and was liked by Jesuit priests who were handling classes,” he said.

The two were roommates from 1950-52. The next two years, they were in the same hostel but were provided separate rooms while pursuing their degree courses.

But for an occasional coffee and sandwich at Indian Coffee House and very rarely going to matinee shows on a Sunday, Mr. Kalam was a very conservative person and did not spend money unnecessarily. “He offered prayers at one corner of the room and played table tennis, tennikoit and badminton,” Mr. Sampath said.

Mr. Kalam studied Physics while Mr. Sampath pursued a degree in Mathematics. After many years, Sampath came to know of his former roommate’s accomplishments from newspapers and was happy that his friend was scaling greater heights.

After a gap of 42 years, Mr. Sampath met Mr. Kalam in Hyderabad in 1996, but could not spend much time together. They met again in 2001 in Chennai and were in touch since then. “I was a trifle doubtful hesitant whether he would recognise me. But he was the same Kalam,” he said. The two met whenever Mr. Sampath visited Delhi while Mr. Kalam made it a point to visit his friend at Saibaba Colony or amid his busy short trips to Coimbatore even when he was the President.

In July 2010, Mr. Kalam launched the ‘Save Our Daughters India’ programme aimed at working for higher education of orphaned and poor girl children that was initiated by Mr. Sampath Kumar.

“It was his wish that the programme becomes a nationwide movement by 2020 and I will strive hard to make it a success,” Mr. Sampath added.