TWO days ago, India lost an eminent scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, our ‘Missile Man’! A devout Muslim by birth, he knew the whole Hindu holy book, Bhagawat Geeta, by heart, he died on a day of a holy Hindu festival and at a hospital run by prime minister Christian missionaries. Truly a great coincidence.

Our prime minister Vajpayee invited him to become our 11th president. Like every Indian, all political parties also respected him highly, so he got elected unopposed. I heard all his presidential speeches on the eve of our Republic Day, read out to us at our embassy in Jakarta where I lived for a long time. They were simple an original and touched many vital points that are generally ignored in typical ‘secretary-written speeches’.

He was a bachelor, totally down-to-earth with no vanity. He was fondly called ‘people’s president’! He was so noble, honest and uncorrupt the he personally paid for the expenses incurred when his family members visited and stayed with him in Rashtrapati Bhavan, his official residence. Instead of hosting Iftar parties he donated the money to orphanages, adding a hefty donation from his personal account.

When I look at our ‘Missile Man’ being elevated to the top political post of India, that of its ‘Commander-in Chief’, a comparison with another equally capable Muslim scientist who migrated from India to Pakistan becomes inevitable. Dr A. Q. Khan migrated to Pakistan where instead of giving him comparable treatment (though he was twice awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz), he was humiliated by Musharraf who put him under house arrest!

All Indians are paying highest tributes to Dr Abdul Kalam.

K.B. Kale

USA

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2015

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