Students’ vow to be Kalam’s ambassador

SHILLONG, JULY 29: An emotionally charged Meghalaya will observe the death anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam every year to keep alive his  inspiring ideas and dreams even as students declared that they will take forwards the ‘People’s President and Missile Man’ vision of making India a great nation.

Tributes flowed for Kalam during a public meeting held at U Soso Tham auditorium to pay tribute to the benevolent soul and Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma declared that the state will observe his death anniversary every year and stay connected with his inspiring ideas.

Meghalaya has been trying to come to term with the death of the visionary Kalam and the students’ community in the state seems to be more sadden by his demise as some of them openly cried. Besides the state government organized public meeting to pay tribute to Kalam, many schools in the city also condoled his death.

Meghalaya feel more connected to late Kalam, as he spend his last hours of his life in the state and died of cardiac arrest on July 27 in a city hospital in Shillong, after he collapsed in the IIM-Shillong where he had come to delivery his lecture to the students on “Creating a Liveable Planet Earth.”

The public meeting was attendance by state cabinet ministers, legislators, senior government officials besides students from the different parts of the city.

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma said he had suggested that the state should observe his anniversary every year to give the opportunity to the youngsters, who late Kalam loved dearly, to remain connected with is  ideas and vision.

Sangma implored to the packed auditorium, “Let us not forget after this programme as to how we can remain inspired and motivated by all the ideas of this great departed soul.” He said many a time we may capture great ideas, but slowly we get disconnected.

Sangma said that to keep connected with the great ideas of late Kalam we must continue to ignite young minds with positive energy  as taught by him.

Quoted few lines from one of Dr Kalam’s books ‘The Wings of Fire’,  Sangma verbatim read,  “We are all born with a divine fire in us, our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness. This goodness can happen through our positive thinking and energy.”

Saying Kalam was known to be successful in many domains, Sangma said, “Friends, Kalam came here and loved to be around with people he loved and has given us the opportunity to connect to his ideals.”  He said the people of the state can remain connect with his great ideals in humble way by doing their part in a manner that he had demonstrated to all of us.

Like many attending the meeting, Sangma also referred to the late Kalam as a great teacher, a great rocket-science and the missile man and people’s president. He said, “I also look at him as one of the greatest nationalist ever born, a great thinker and a great philosopher.”

Sangma also said late Kalam was a God fearing and a faithful man and shared and as he was God fearing man, he fell in love with everybody, he fell in love with the people of the nation and the most important section of the society, the youths the children.

Sangma said the youngsters who have had the privilege to be around Kalam must have got easily charged and captivated by his thoughts and ideals.  He said the state looks at his thoughts as how to use positive energy to ignite positive contribution for the betterment of the  people of the state and nation.

Sangma said when late Kalam talked about technology, economy and resources- natural and human resources- he was trying to capture the imagination of policy makers to look at the resources around them and how they have failed to take these resources and enable the people to benefits from these resources and how it could be done. He concluded by saying, “His thoughts and ideas will keep motivating us.”

Some of the students who took part in paying homage to late Kalam pledged to be the ambassadors of his ideas.

IIM student Arvind Iyer said “The great responsibility lies on the shoulders of the students of IIM Shillong because we saw him last before he rest in peace and we will strive to be the ambassadors of his  ideals.”

Recollecting few words of late Kalam on ‘Managing success and Managing failures’, Iyer said, “He (Dr Kalam) told us a funny anecdote… the first satellite that Dr Kalam launched actually went into the Bay of Bengal. But Kalam’s boss told Kalam to stay away from the press saying that he will take care for this failure. Later, Kalam launched the second satellite; the launch was perfect and entered the orbit. This time, Kalam’s boss told him that this time he has to face the press. And Kalam jokingly said: It is more difficult to face the press than launching a satellite.”

A student from Lady Keane College said, “We deeply mourn the passing away of the people’s president and friend of the youth. He was an eminent scientist, an educator and a warm human being who have touched the life of many especially the youth.”

The student continued by saying late Kalam left behind the legacy of excellence in every walk of life. She said a simple and humane persona that he was he has inspired one and all. She felt that late Kalam will always be an inspiration and the endeavour of the youth should be to live-up to his expectations and fulfill his dreams and be positive no matter what comes their way.

Lumpung Ki Seng Kynthei representative who had also come to take part in the meeting said that she cannot find words to describe the great man.  She said,  “He was great scientist, academician, president of great republic, powerful mind yet humble  and down to earth and most of all he had a human touch and closely connected with the people,” adding “Dr Kalam was a multi-faceted personality, a great visionary, a scientist, a teacher, a friend, a philosopher and guide to many.”

She quoted Kalam, “Not everybody have equal talents but everyone have opportunity to develop their talents.”

Earlier, two minutes silence was also observed followed by a floral tribute to the late Kalam.. Among others who spoke were Deputy chief minister RC Laloo, chief secretary PBO Warjri, IIM Director Prof Amitabha De and others.- By Our Reporter