Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.”
I was so excited to meet President Kalam. Awe-struck, perhaps, would be the right word.
How could someone be one of the biggest names in Indian aerospace, be the President of India, and the holder of seven doctorates (many more honorary ones) and a Padma Vibhushan and yet be so unassuming and easy to like? I was about to find out…
Ah, there he was… walking towards me in his favourite light grey suit with that distinctive steel grey hair cut in his unique style. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me.”
He dismissed my thanks with an airy wave and sat down. “So, what do you want to talk about?” I could think of a thousand things but decided I would settle for the more important and some of the lesser-known facts.
“Would you tell us a bit about your childhood?” I asked. “Well, my family was poor. My father owned a boat and was the imam of a local mosque in Rameshwaram. Money was never enough. I sold newspapers to help. But I loved learning. Maths was my favourite subject. It wasn’t that I was a good student – I wasn’t! But I worked hard and that made all the difference.”
As he told us, I put in, “If you fail, never give up because FAIL means ‘First Attempt in Learning’.” He nodded. “Exactly!”
“I suppose it was mathematics that led you to study aeronautical engineering and your brilliant research and development career both at DRDO and
ISRO.”
“Yes, those were exciting times, he reminisced. I almost became a fighter pilot, you know, but life led me to space research. Not only were we able to build the first of our country’s very own Satellite Launch Vehicles but also a number of missiles. You must have heard about Agni?” It was my turn to nod.
“India’s first intermediate range ballistic missile. It’s sometimes hard to reconcile your personality with the development of weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons and missiles,” I said, wondering what he would say.
“They say you wouldn’t even allow them to put protective glass on the wall at DRDO because it might hurt the birds!” “It’s important for our nation to be strong and hold our own in the world. It doesn’t automatically mean that we should be irresponsible. Apart from weaponry, nuclear power is an important source of energy. It provides clean power unlike the energy produced from burning fossil fuels that exudes a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”
“So how did you become our president?” I asked. A gentle laugh. “I was already well considered by the people because of my work and then I was Scientific Advisor to the Government for a while. It was humbling to become the President. That too, supported by both sides of the political spectrum.”
“I believe you gave away all your salary as President?” I asked. “What did I need a salary for?” he countered.
I never married and the Government of India was taking care of all my needs from the time I became President, so it was important to me that the money should do some good. I gave it to the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas initiative.”
“When I ask my classmates to name someone who is an inspiration, your name comes up very often. Why do you think that’s so?” Kalam looked embarrassed. “I really couldn’t say,” he said.
“Maybe it’s because, whatever I have done, I have done only thinking of my country and as for children, I have always maintained that if I were to be remembered for one thing, I would be happy to be remembered as a teacher. That’s why that was the role I took on after my tenure as the President.”
“Just one more question,” I said, “Why do you grow your hair?” “What?! You don’t like it?” he laughed.
“It’s just that it’s such an unusual hairstyle,” I said. “Ah… actually, I was born with one deformed ear and I grew my hair at first, to hide it. Later on, it just became my signature style and I simply didn’t want to wear my hair in any other way.”
On that interesting note, we parted ways…
(Valsala is a writer and a soft-skills and communications trainer.)