APJ-Abdul-Kalam-president-of-india

Born on 15 October 1931 in the house a ferryman of Rameswaram near the southern fringe of India, Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam rose to become the 11th president of India without any personal political history. A bachelor throughout his life, he remained wedded solely to his passion for science and technology. This dedication led to incredible achievements ranging from the explosion of India’s atomic bomb to spacecraft to a low-cost medical stent. These achievements brought wide recognition and were complemented by matching awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. These were aside from his activities as a professor and author whose books were well received.

Yet, Kalam never craved any material goods. Before reaching Rashtrapati Bhavan, he lived in whatever accommodation his government employers provided while gladly travelling in whatever vehicle was made available to him. He never owned a car or a house. Nor did he ever make money that did not come from the government in the forms of salary and, later, pension besides royalty from his four books. There were no financial investments made by the man who became the “People’s President” and served the nation for over 50 years including five as president.

Ordinary people’s indulgences in at least a refrigerator, TV or air-conditioner were not for this singular man. So, what did he own when he died in Shillong at the age of 83 on 27 July 2015? Nothing more six shirts, four trousers, three suits, just one pair of shoes, a single watch and the wealth of 2,500 books. By normal, middle-class standards, Kalam virtually lived in penury. But he had the abundant luxury that billions of others don’t have: peace of mind.

In fact, aside from books, he steadfastly refused every single gift that came to him as president. Even those that were wrapped disguised as books were opened and, if they were anything else, were consigned – like all the others – to the government toshakhana.

After retirement, he was quite content with the two-storey house that the government allotted him at 10, Rajaji Marg in New Delhi. There, he kept himself updated with developments in science and technology with the help of technical journals, newspapers and the good old radio. (The sole television set was placed at the disposal of his staff.)

One of his great joys was to have arranged for round-the-clock electricity for his elder brother (now aged 99), A.P.J. Makaria, whom Kalam esteemed very highly and whose centenary he was planning to celebrate next year. But this power did not come through the routine high-tension lines but, in typical Kalam style – through the installation of solar panels for the first time ever at their ancestral home.