The whole country is grief stricken with the sudden demise of Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Great personality, great work and high thinking were the real identity of Dr Kalam.
I got an opportunity to meet Dr Kalam at Parliament in Delhi around June-July 2002 when he was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance. And, I also voted for him to make him the 11th President of India. Despite doing great work and having huge personality, he personally wrote to all MPs and sought support during the Presidential election. He was elected as the 11th President after the polls.
Although I used to get opportunities to meet Dr Kalam during first day of the Budget Session, I remember three specific occasions when I had got an opportunity to meet him personally and discuss several issues.
The first occasion was of February 2004 when he had visited Ranchi for the first time after becoming the President of India. On the night of February 12 during dinner at Raj Bhawan, I appraised him about the works being taken up by social organisations in the field of education. I also made him aware about schools run by Sanskriti Vihar. He listened to me with interest and praised the efforts. I also told him that he would be able to watch the Sun Temple on way to Jamshedpur.
The second memory is of year 2006 when Dr kalam decided during the Monsoon Session of Parliament to have discussion with the MPs of all States on the issue of improvement of education across the country while having breakfast with him at the President’s house. He had called all the MPs from Jharkhand but only half of them were present there. When we started the discussion, he had all the information and data beforehand about Jharkhand. The discussion went on for about an hour. He listened to us very patiently.
On the third occasion, I found him in the VIP lounge of the Airport at Ranchi on February 25, 2011. He was sitting alone in the lounge with no official or political leader from the State to see him off. I introduced myself and said that I was a voter in the 2002 Presidential polls. We talked at the lounge for about half an hour. Sadly, no one was there to accompany him to Delhi.
At last my deep condolences to the great soul. We have lost a great man who was spreading the lisght of knowledge even during the last moments of his life. His mission was see educated India by 2020. Therefore, the true homage to him will be to realise his dream.
The writer is a former Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand.