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REMEMBERING PRESIDENT KALAM
“Kalam Sir still lives in me”
A: I feel like it all began yesterday. Yes, it was in 1990 that I met Dr. Kalam for the first time when he was Director, DRDL, shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and it started off then and there. There is no particular situation or moment that exactly made me feel, “Oh! He is my friend”. Today, when you ask me this question, I know Dr. Kalam’s virtues and kindness made me feel natural and easy, to understand things from his perspective that also made him. It’s still a glad confident morning again with my best foot forward and he is the reason. Q: Were you his confidante! Did Dr. Kalam discuss matters of crucial importance with you? A: Yes…Many days and many times. Travelling was the time when he settled down without preoccupations and opened his heart. Looking back, I’m very happy that he trusted me with his thoughts. Discussing matters of importance with his team, which I was a part of, was a routine. But at the end of it all, Dr. Kalam followed his head and heart. Q: Did he love travelling? How did he enjoy his role abroad? A: He loved travelling rural India
and meeting students, teachers
and farmers. Tedious road travels
never exhausted him. Dr. Kalam
loved being able to travel on
purpose. He actually believed in
world citizenship and believed in
Tamil philosopher Kaniyan
Poongunranar’s quote “yaadhum
oorey yaavarum kayleer” which
when translated in English goes as
this “to us all towns are one, all
men our kin”. Even during travel
time, he was such a force, in his
own gentle way, through his ability
to seamlessly interact across the
various age-groups and other manmade
barriers to make us feel as a
part of one large family of the world, despite the many
differences. Q: Well, that’s interesting, Your point about Dr. Kalam was for goodwill anywhere, anytime. But he was criticized as being part of Agni-II and Pokharan- II… A: For me, the most important thing is to be able to test what we read.I often heard him say, ‘strength respects strength’. If people think he practised double standards, then they ought to know that he wasn’t a policy maker who decided on bombs and missiles. Dr. Kalam was part of a team carrying out his responsibilities as a scientist who saw these as an assertion of our country’s self reliance. Nothing of these was done envisaging a war but for deterrence and peace. Q: Do you think his presidency demanded his everything, his every capability as a teacher, poet, rocket scientist and aeronautical engineer, the undisputed father of India’s missile programme? What did he look to for guidance? A: His courage and integrity. He relied on his conscience that was a result of introspection, retrospection and may be great thinkers and philosophers too. Even during demanding times he looked so composed in his study, in silence and at times pondering into books. In the midst of making quick decisions too,Kalam sir was always concerned about long-term benefits. Q: Do you remember any such time that demanded his all or when he lost his cool? A: Few times. There is something about life experience that helps an apolitical person gather political courage because he knows ‘this too shall come to pass’ and over the long term feel good about himself, his values and principles. ‘Anger’ wouldn’t be the right word to explain his emotion when situations turned too demanding. I’ve seen him quiet, reflective and I knew exactly when I should give him his space. Q: Is there any time you missed him the most? What were your roles like? A: There is an unexplainable void almost every day because my day began and ended with him. Throughout my association with him for more than two decades, my life revolved about him, for him. I had to say ‘yes’ to being part of the 35th World Congress of Poets, Hualien, Taiwan: 06 November 2015 and that’s when I missed him the most. My travel was all the more uncomfortable as I’m accustomed to good conversations with Dr. Kalam. My roles were varied. Dr. Kalam knew that I, more than a Private Secretary, as a trusted friend ensured the nitty-gritty details of his life from large to small are attended to. From making sure he sported a perfect traveler’s crease to briefing him on his daily schedule, Kalam sir trusted me. Q: Do you mean to say you were privileged enough to orchestrate this great man’s great role? A: I mean to say I was privileged enough to sweat the small stuff so that the great man didn’t have to. It’s all about the comfort level we shared. Say for example, I could basically read his mind. I know his quirks. Very often, I realized I understood his looks and gestures. Sowhatever be my role, I could make sure, his daywent on well. Much to my satisfaction too, I was there to make things go the way hewanted them to and never failed him. Q: Some called you as Dr. Kalam’s Man Friday, few others named you Dr. Kalam’s chosen man when he occupied Rashtrapati Bhavan. Yet, you were hardly known to the outside world. Did you intentionally maintain a low profile, to remain the unsung hero! A: Now, I’m having trouble answering this question (chuckles).If you call it the low profile, then I would say it suited me to stay focused. Ducking the limelight wasn’t in my list. I had enjoyed my moments loving the exposure to the world alongside Kalam Sir not to cameras. About being an unsung hero I remember a quote (grins). Q: Do you mind saying it! A: No. not at all. Its “As soon as someone is identified as an unsung hero, he no longer is”. Heroism lies in advocating and living Kalam sir’s legacy. Q: What disappointed Dr. Kalam the most? A: Imperfection. He knew all his staff and their capabilities like the back of his hand. Anything done lesser than one’s capability made him snipe “fantastic”.The inner circle understood this tone of his very well. Q: How was Dr. Kalam’s temperament in private, on a daily basis, come what may? A: It’s difficult to be definite because no person only possesses one personality type. He was sanguine at the prospect of meeting kids,youth and leaders. Overall, during a one-to-one chat or a winding up discussion, I found him thankful, genial, humorous and compassionate. Q: So, More than two decades and you found no flaws in him! A: You don’t find anything wrong with a friend who is realistic and idealistic, do you! Q: Having heard from reliable sources that quite a few friends and relatives of Dr. Kalam considered you as his son, I would like to know how you played son A: I can answer this differently
as to how Dr. Kalam had an
authority over me, the way I
looked and dressed and how he
made sure I was served what I
wanted whenever we travelled
together. Q: When exactly did Dr. Kalam turn a poet? Was it the grandeur of Rashtrapati Bhavan and its gardens that motivated him to become India’s Poet President? How did he get into the imagination of renowned poets? A: He was a born poet. He was into penning poems long ago. .Being blessed with the gift of poetry, creation as such motivated him because Dr. Kalam considered poetry as ‘thanks-giving’. Yes, Mughal garden did fuel his passion. Peacock dance and lapwings fascinated him as much as the deer play. He made sure beautiful moments were photographed and documented without really disturbing the birds and animals. In the more than 20 odd years I knew him as a poet, it was Dr. Kalam’s humanitas that most impressed me and his readership too. Turning to his poetry, it is easy reading. Since the 1980s Dr. Kalam has moved into the imagination andfascination of many poets and writers. He is celebrated by both national and International poets. Poems of celebrated poet Dr Yu Hsi of Taiwan celebrate Dr. Kalam’s nobility and virtues comparing them to nature and galaxy in a unique way. All of Yu Hsi’ s poems are fantastic and my favourite one is Sowing seeds The youth is always industriously sowing seeds Early in the morning, awakened by the first rays of daybreak Q: “Why didn’t you marry President” was the mostly asked question to which Dr. Kalam responded in different ways. Given your proximity and comfort level with him, what’s your perception? A: He was wedded to his work. During his prime days, he channelized all his energy and attention towards research and he had never felt the need for marriage, a separate family. He was already closely knit with his large family, a joint one, which loved him unconditionally. A heartto- heart chat with him also revealed one thing. That is, he was meant for the greater good. Q: Being Private Secretary to the most adored Indian President was a pleasant task I understand. What are you most grateful to People’s President for ? A: Of course! Our journey together has been eventful. A journey is best measured in friends, than miles…. it’s more than true. As far as the multiple roles I adorned, I am more than conscious of my responsibilities to uphold his ideals. For his presence in my life as such and for making me better every passing day, even today. Kalam sir still lives in me and I find my purpose in him. |
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Elsa Lycias Joel
Harry Sheridon with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam