ADIEU APJ ABDUL KALAM: THE TEACHER

An honest man here lies at rest
As e'er (ever) God with his image blest;
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,
Few heads with knowledge so informed:
If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.

-Robert Burns 

I could not think of a better way to pay tribute to the former president of India, late APJ Abdul Kalam than to quote the national poet of Scotland Robert Burns (Robbie Burns, died 1793). The former president, commonly known as APJ, died of a massive heart attack in Shillong while he was giving a lecture to a group of students at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong on July 27, 2015.  His personal aide, Srijan Pal Singh remembers the last few hours with APJ while they were taking their flight to Guwahati from Delhi, from where they would travel to Shillong.  APJ wore a dark coloured 'Kalam suit', writes Singh in his Facebook post. But little did he know that it would be the last colour he would see on Dr. Kalam, the person with whom he has many memories to share over the last six years. The flight was bumpy due to the monsoon and whenever he saw his aide's face pale with fear, Dr. Kalam would pull down the window shutters and say, "Now you don't see any fear!" APJ was a fearless person. 

During the flight, APJ expressed his concern about the terrorist attack in Punjab the previous day, where innocent lives were lost. He expressed his displeasure about the way the Indian parliament had been functioning for a while as he said to Srijan that he saw two different governments during his tenure and was witness to the decay of parliamentary practices in India. APJ was planning on writing a new book Advantage India and wanted to include all these and other issues in the book. 

Dr. Kalam wished there weren't so many people involved with his protocol and security. He expressed his concern for a soldier standing in a jeep ahead with a machine gun. He asked Srijan to send a message over the wireless to ask the soldier to sit as he may get tired. Srijan was unable to do that as he did not have any communication gear. When they reached IIM, Dr. Kalam asked the soldier to be brought to him, which his aide did. The soldier was taken inside and Dr. Kalam greeted him, shook his hand, and said, "Thank you, friend. Are you tired? Would you like something to eat? I am sorry you had to stand so long because of me." The young lean guard, draped in black cloth, was surprised at the treatment. He was at a loss of words and just said, "Sir, aapke liye to 6 ghante bhi khade rahenge." (For you, I can keep on standing for six hours).

Immediately, APJ went to the lecture hall. He did not want to be late for the lecture. "Students should never be made to wait," he said. Dr. Kalam was scheduled to give a talk on 'Creating a Livable Planet Earth.' A special large seat was kept on the dais for him, which he declined to sit on, as it was different from others. Straight away, he went to the microphone and began his speech. Two minutes into the speech, there was a long pause. Suddenly, he fell down. His eyes were almost closed. His hands clenched, curled onto Srijan's finger. There was a stillness on his face, and those wise eyes were motionlessly radiating wisdom. He didn't say a word. He did not show pain, only purpose was visible. Dr. Kalam was rushed to the hospital in minutes. On arrival, the doctors announced that India's "Missile Man" had flown away, forever. 

Dr. Kalam would often ask Srijan, "You are young. Decide, what do you want to be remembered for?" Srijan writes, "I kept thinking of new, impressive answers, until one day I gave up and resorted to tit-for-tat. I asked him back, 'First you tell me, what would you like to be remembered for? President, scientist, writer, Missile Man, India 2020, target 3 billion. . . What?" I thought I had made the question easier by giving options, but he sprang a surprise on me. "Teacher," he said, without even blinking an eye." Teacher he was. He taught millions to dream but his definition of dream differed from the traditional one. To him, "Dream is not which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep." 

APJ, born in a humble, lower-middle income family in Rameswarm, Tamil Nadu was a lifelong bachelor. He was married to his quest for knowledge and wisdom. However, his love for children was legendary. Wherever he went, whether as a president or a commoner, he always liked to spend an hour or two with the local children. But he was also worried about today's children. He would often say, "Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad that sometimes this is not happening." In the same breath, he would also assert that there are two things elders must also do: "Never leave wealth at your deathbed - that leaves a fighting family. Second, one is blessed if one can die working, standing tall without any long-drawn ailing. Goodbyes should be short, really short." 

That is exactly what happened to APJ Abdul Kalam. He entered the Presidential Palace in New Delhi with a worn leather suitcase and after his tenure was over, left with the same one. Till his last moment, he lectured as a teacher to students, which was his passion. He stood tall, left the world without any bank balance but was showered with love and good wishes of millions of people in the subcontinent and beyond. He was a people's president and a commoner's friend. He taught people to dream. Not many people are successful till the end. APJ was. He will be missed. Adieu Sir, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the teacher, scientist and former president of India. Your memory will live longer than you.

The writer is chairman, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh.