The Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, will pay homage to its most loved mentor, former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on his 84th birth anniversary on Thursday. Kalam died as he was addressing the students on its campus on July 27.
IIM Shillong has a number of events lined up in Kalam’s honour. Among other things, the auditorium where he delivered his last speech will be christened after him and a portrait of his will be unveiled by the students.
Director of IIM Shillong Amitabha De told The Hindu that the institute looked upon Kalam more as a teacher than a former President. “Usually IIMs are more interested in seminars on management and social issues. But since Dr. Kalam was a scientist, we are organising a seminar titled Science and Humanism for National Development,” Prof. De said.
Senior officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research Development Agency (DRDA) will attend the event. So too will the Vice-Chancellor of Ramakrishna Vivekananda University, West Bengal.
Though it was a birth anniversary celebration, it would be a solemn event where students would remember their favourite teacher, senior officials of the institute said.
“On July 27, Dr Kalam was to address the second year students. He was scheduled to speak to us [first year students] the very next day. We were all very excited, but unfortunately that never happened,” said Parul Jain, a first year student.
The former President had been visiting the institute over past three years and doing a course with the students. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest as he was delivering a lecture and passed away a little later.
“There were no classes in the institute the next day. We planted sapling and gathered in the auditorium to pay him homage,” said a student.
