Bharat has lost its Ratna
216
But Abdul Kalam’s light will guide us to his dream destination: India as a knowledge superpower
Bharat has lost a Ratna, but the light from this jewel will guide us towards A P J Abdul Kalam’s dream destination: India as a knowledge superpower, in the first rank of nations. Our scientist-President — and one who was genuinely loved and admired across the masses — never measured success by material possessions.
For him, the counterpoint to poverty was the wealth of knowledge, in both its scientific and spiritual manifestations. As a hero of our defence programme, he shifted horizons; and as a seer of the spirit, he sought to liberate doctrine from the narrow confines of partisan tension to the transcendental space of harmony.
Every great life is a prism, and we bathe in those rays that find their way to us. His profound idealism was secure because it rested on a foundation of realism.
Every child of deprivation is a realist. Poverty does not encourage illusions. Poverty is a terrible inheritance; a child can be defeated even before he or she has begun to dream.
But Kalamji refused to be defeated by circumstances. As a boy, he had to support his studies by earning money as a newspaper vendor; today, page after page of the same newspapers are filled with his obituary notices.
He said that he would not be presumptuous enough to say that his life could be a role model for anybody; but if some poor child living in an obscure and underprivileged social setting found some solace in the way his destiny had been shaped, it could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of illusory backwardness and helplessness.
He is my marg darshak, as well as that of every such child.
His character, commitment and inspirational vision shine through his life. He was unencumbered by ego; flattery left him cold.
He was equally at ease before an audience of suave, globe-trotting ministers and a class of young students. The first thing that struck one about him was that, uniquely, he combined the honesty of a child with the energy of a teenager and the maturity of an adult.
He took little from the world, and gave all he could to society. A man of deep faith, he epitomised the three great virtues of our civilisation: dama, self-restraint; dana, sacrifice; and daya, compassion.
But this persona was powered by the fire of endeavour. His vision for the nation was anchored in freedom, development and strength.
Given our history, freedom had a political context of course; but it also included freedom of the mind and expansion of intellectual space. He wanted India to leap out of the underdeveloped trough and eliminate the curse of poverty through inclusive economic growth.
Wisely, he suggested that politicians spend only 30% of their time on politics, and 70% on development; a suggestion which he often followed up by calling in MPs from a state and discussing the socioeconomic issues of their region with them.
The third pillar, strength, was not born of aggression, but of understanding. An insecure nation will rarely discover the route to prosperity. Strength commands respect. His contributions to our nuclear and space achievements have given India the muscle to be confident of her place in the region and the world.
His memory is best honoured by the creation of new institutions that nurture science and technology, and enable us to find a beneficial equation with the awesome power of nature. Too often, greed makes us predators of our environment.
Kalamji saw poetry in a tree, and energy that could be harnessed in water, wind and sun. We should learn to look at our world through his eyes, and with the same missionary zeal.
Human beings can shape their lives through will, persistence, ability and sheer courage. But we have not been given the right to script where we are born, or how and when we die.
However, if Kalamji had been offered an option, this is how he would perhaps have chosen to say goodbye: on his feet, and in front of a classroom of his beloved students.
As a bachelor, he was childless. But that is wrong. He was a father to every Indian child, teaching, cajoling, urging, exciting, clearing darkness wherever he found it with the radiance of his vision and the passion of his involvement.
He saw the future, and showed the way. As I entered the room where his body lay in state yesterday, I noticed the painting at the entrance that depicted a few lines from an inspirational book he wrote for children, Ignited Minds.
The good that he did will not be interred with his bones, because his children will preserve his memory through their lives and work, and gift it to their children.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Manish•2293
•
•1 day ago
there used be leaders who have visions for the society and country, seldom they succeed in letting the visions become the reality countering constraints and compulsions of the time. dr. kalam has been a true leader of the country, the person who not only helped the country achieve tremendous successes in the direction of science and technology, he could be successful in inspiring the mind of india to a great extent as well because of his way of thinking. that he became the president of india was a fortunate development for the nation in the recent time he has shown the path to be traversed towards prosperity, it is for us to follow them with humility now.
Sk Safat•173
•
•Bhubaneswar•1 day ago
great person of india
Mukesh Sharma•61
•
•Singapore•2 days ago
i suggest govt to constitute a committee; something like a nobel prize committee to award super exceptional achievers from science, technology, economy and humanities fields for such an award in the name of apj kalam. that would be the true homage to kalamji and would guide generations to realize his dream for the country.
very good idea
Harshad Brahmbhatt•678
•
•Ahmedabad, India•2 days ago
s for kalamji.irecpact honar
Harshad Brahmbhatt•678
•
•Ahmedabad, India•2 days ago
s for kalamji.
Ramyas Siva•747
•
•Tiruchirapalli (Trichy),•2 days ago
he is my marg darshak
Madhusudanan Narayana•22
•
•New Delhi, India•2 days ago
it is a well scripted piece from the hand of our respected pradhan sevak, motivational. hope all the readers will be benefited from the fluid train of thoughts, even if it may be difficult to emulate the revered ratna.
Lokanathan Pattanath•600
•
•2 days ago
ommission on the part of all supreme commanders of indian armed forces have compelled veterans to protest at jantar mantar.their dues are delayed by notings on files which the pm bows down to.
KapilSethi•217
•
•New Delhi•2 days ago
great words for kalamji.
Raju Adhunuri•34631
•
•Unknown•2 days ago
great words by pm modi.........yes we all are lost our ratna.rip kalam sir
pm sir, ture, the nation has lost its valuable gem. but sir, take this as an opportunity to improve educational and research opportunities in the country, open as many as possible schools at primary level, on research facilities in the areas of science and technology, medicine, name them all after apj sir.
Prashant Kumar•16008
•
•Dhanbad•2 days ago
i am really sad
swamiji swamiji•1333
•
•2 days ago
god is great!!! that india had produced such a person so simple and humble and a servant for the underprivileged and an example for the younger generation to follow. may his soul find peace, ............. swamiji
Anjali Negi•505
•
•Anand, Gujarat•2 days ago
the article reflects wisdom and vision of our late former president ....
Rajiv Tripathi•2029
•
•greater noida/london•2 days ago
we are sorry that this gem too was tormented and not given second term!
truly an honour to have lived in the times when the bharat is achieving feats- technologically and politically. the times are not far when bharat becomes the superpower.
ajit grewal•12163
•
•chandigarh•2 days ago
not to worry a new ratna is in the making - just give him some time
Sadiq Pasha•3667
•
•Unknown•2 days ago
hats off to legend
King of India•24323
•
•Lexington•2 days ago
apj is undisputed ratan of bharat. we really miss him. hard to find another such precious diamond anytime soon.
Balasubramanian Bhade V•637
•
•2 days ago
a fitting tribute to the great son of india by the pm .the more said is less about his vision,simplicity honesty and integrity.a very down to earth person who wanted the educated youth to carry the nation forward.he will be remembered for ever in indian history.
Lakshmi Chatti•1714
•
•Unknown•2 days ago
a great loss to the country.he was born in india,studied in india,worked in india and acquired the knowledge, acumen,intellect,technical expertise,scientific temperament, interactive skills,innovative ideas that others will be envy of. dr. kalam is an example of what india can produce.
Radharaman Sharma•2405
•
•Unknown•2 days ago
great tribute to great son of india.
Madhu•13944
•
•2 days ago
every great life is a prism, and we bathe in those rays that find their way to us. his profound idealism was secure because it rested on a foundation of realism.
Madhu•13944
•
•2 days ago
the corrupt government officials who allow such buildings to exist, should get capital punishment and all their savings, properties etc. confiscated.
Sawan Patel•7845
•
•Hyderabad•2 days ago
indeed bharat has lost a ratna....
Manoj Gupta•4967
•
•Unknown•2 days ago
rip beloved kalam!
aftabbadri aftabbadri•7161
•
•srinagar•2 days ago
he gave much more than what he earned from his motherland
Ashwani Kumar•56670
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
kalam was real son of this soil called bharat.
y.usha•1742
•
•3 days ago
nicely said sir about kalamji. he has given his everything to the society back. nothing has been taken. true indian. true marg darshak.
Mukesh•16657
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
she has begun to dream.
Mukesh M•60126
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
page after page of the same newspapers are filled with his obituary notices.
Manmohan Kumar•22598
•
•Houston•3 days ago
dr. kalam was in true sense supreme commander of armed forces of india in his capacity as prez of india being the missile man of india. he was great visionary, educationist and above all, a great human being. may his soul rest in peace and guide the destiny of india from his heavenly abode.jai hind.capt manmohan
v1958m•5852
•
•Location•3 days ago
thanks pm for an excellent remembrance of one of the greatest indians called abdul kalam.
aditya choudhary•10989
•
•mumbai•3 days ago
very nicely said, shared !kalamsir encapsulated the goodness of this ancient civilization in human form. may be all be inspired !
Hussain Dahod•7733
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
in honor of dr.apj abdul kalam, andhra pradesh govt will work an extra hour tday. earlier today, telangana govt had announced a holiday
Shetty Naveen•8118
•
•Mumbai•3 days ago
pm is good in b job!! sorry lip service!!
pappu•4041
•
•Location•3 days ago
now fenku ji will give a speech on kalam...
xyz_abc11•1235
•
• pappu•3 days ago
he at the least has the quality to make use of words, what is your quality. cry baby.
Moostoopha Jeetoo•194
•
•Saint Pierre, Moka, Maur•3 days ago
dr kalam loved his country and all his countrymen
Dipta•1970
•
•New Delhi•3 days ago
very sad.
Ujwala Naik•13349
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
with a teary eyes we salute our beloved bharat ratna shri abdul kalam sir....... rip.......
Deepak Kumar•40356
•
•delhi•3 days ago
very truly said but you need to use his thinking in your work as prime minister of india.
Sudhir Biswal•1274
•
•Delhi•3 days ago
we lost our best guide for moden india.he is a person of vision ,mission as well as solution.he not only a great scientist or best trainer but also he also the way of putting idea on the table.
Jitendra Ji•5435
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
great man
Jitendra Ji•5435
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
yes
Jitendra Ji•5435
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
bharat has lost its ratna
Partha Sarathi•21026
•
•Kolkata•3 days ago
bharat lost its real ratna .
Nisarg Pandya•1152
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
very true. rip mr. a.p.j abdul kalam
krishnappa4371•4694
•
•Location•3 days ago
hither to there were only two human beings in my mind, namely, mahathma gandhi and swami vivekananda.now the third greatest soul dr, apj abdul kalam has joined them to make them totally three.
Debi Acharya•36005
•
•Bhubaneswar•3 days ago
no tribute is sufficient for kalam. he was a great patriot and worked tirelessly for the development of the nation. rip.
kumarapuram dharmarajan viswanaatha•24596
•
•Unknown•3 days ago
prime minister modi is absolutely right. in the death of the former president a.p.j.abdul kalam, bharat (india) has certainly lost a rare ratna. it is an irreparable loss, as it is very difficult to come across come across staunch patriots like him, who lived and died for the country.
