Neither president nor scientist, APJ Abdul Kalam wanted to be remembered as a ‘teacher’
Advertisement
Advertisement
India’s 11th President, Dr Kalam’s adviser Srijan Pal Singh was on the same stage with him in Shillong when he collapsed and was taken to hospital where he later died.
The IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Singh, paid tribute to the ‘
He posted on Facebook: Once Kalam asked me, “You are young, decide what will like to be remembered for?”
Singh kept on thinking for impressive answers and then one fine day he counter-questioned him. He asked Kalam: “First you tell me, what you would like to be remembered for? President, Scientist, Writer, Missile Man, India 2020, Target 3 billion…What?”
Advertisement
Kalam replied: “Teacher”.
In his touching post on Facebook, Singh said two weeks back they had a long discussion about his missile days. He was worried about the way children behave with their parents. The former President said: “Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad that sometimes this is not happening.”
Singh quoted Kalam as advising parents: “Two things. Elders must also do. Never leave wealth at your deathbed – that leaves a fighting family. Second, one is blessed is one can die working, standing tall without any long drawn ailing. Goodbyes should be short, really short.”
He said in his post: “Today, I look back – he took the final journey, teaching, what he always wanted to be remembered doing. And, till his final moment he was standing, working and lecturing.”
“He left us, as a great teacher, standing tall. He leaves the world with nothing accumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. He was a successful, even in his end,” he added.
Advertisement
“Will miss all the times you surprised me with your humility and startled me with your curiosity, will miss the lessons of life you taught in action and words, will miss our struggles to race to make into flights, our trips, our long debates…The man is gone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam,” he concluded.Kalam was awarded the
Note: We at
(Image: Indiatimes)
Advertisement
- Love in the time of elections: Do politics spice up or spoil dating in India?
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review – the best smartphone in the S24 lineup
- Household savings dip over Rs 9 lakh cr in 3 years to Rs 14.16 lakh cr in 2022-23
- Misleading ads: SC says public figures must act with responsibility while endorsing products
- Here’s what falling inside a black hole would look like, according to a NASA supercomputer simulation
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market