When the Indian Air Force aircraft landed at the Palam Technical area on Tuesday, former President APJ Abdul Kalam did not step out smiling and waving. Instead, wrapped in the Tricolour, he arrived in a casket, to a highly emotional reception led by the President, the Prime Minister, chiefs of the three services and other dignitaries. The entire nation watched the ceremony live with moist eyes.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the chiefs of the all the three services — Army, Air Force and Navy — were at the airport to receive Kalam’s mortal remains and pay their homage. Also present were 96-year-old Marshall of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar. The President and other dignitaries stood in silence as a tri-services Guard of Honour was given before the former President's body was taken in a flower-bedecked gun carriage to his residence at 10 Rajaji Marg.
Kalam had collapsed during a lecture at IIM Shillong and died of cardiac arrest. His body was taken from Shillong in an Air Force helicopter to Guwahati, where Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi paid his respects and Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan accompanied the body to Delhi.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for two days after paying tributes to Kalam and the Union Cabinet met to pass a resolution hailing his services to the nation. “In his passing away, the country has lost a visionary scientist, a true nationalist and a great son,” the resolution said. The BJP Parliamentary Party met before the Cabinet. The Prime Minister said the former President was an “ordinary man with an extraordinary personality” who gave the best to every position he held and that India has lost a rare gem in his demise.
A seven-day national mourning has been announced by the Union Government in the honour of Kalam with all flags flying half mast, and majority of official functions and all celebrations cancelled for the time being to indicate solemn mood of the nation.
At his residence, nearly entire Delhi landed where his body was kept through the day. Politicians cutting across party lines were there, standing patiently in queue with the school and college students, industrialists, envoys and DRDO scientists.
Apart from Union Ministers, Members of Parliament, Delhi lt Governor Najeeb Jung, political leaders, including BJP president Amit Shah, BJP’s senior leader lK Advani, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja visited Kalam's residence to pay their last respects and offered condolences to the two grandsons of Kalam's 99-year-old elder brother, Marrakair.
Envoys of several countries, including Pakistan, Israel, and Russia, paid homage to Kalam. United States Ambassador Richard Verma offered his condolences terming him an inspiring scientist and leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a condolence message to Mukherjee and Modi wrote: "Abdul Kalam rightly enjoyed high international authority as an outstanding scientist and a wise statesman. It is difficult to overestimate his personal contribution to social, economic, scientific and technical progress of India and in ensuring its national security. In Russia Abdul Kalam will be remembered as a consistent exponent of closer friendly relations between our nations who has done a lot for cementing mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation," Putin wrote. Kalam was the man who had conceptualised the joint partnership for India-Russia missile programme BrahMos, hence, Russia has special reasons to remember him.
Kalam's body will be taken to his hometown in Rameshwaram on Wednesday for burial on Thursday morning. The last rites will be performed as per wishes of his family headed by his elder brother Muthu Mohammed Meeran Marraikar. He would be given a state funeral with full military honours.