‘Become a Kalam in your own home’

His (Dr Abdul Kalam’s) sensitivity to every person around him… that’s what made him, from a very good scientist, a very good missile man, into a wonderful person… a great president,” these were the words of Srijan Pal Singh, the co-author of Advantage India, and a member of the former Indian President’s office.

In an exclusive interview with DT News, Singh shared some of his experiences with the Missile Man Dr Kalam. 

“Dr Abdul Kalam and I met in the year 2008,” he recounted. “He came to me as a teacher – a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.”

Singh was in Bahrain to give a lecture at the International Book Fair organised by Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and DC Books at the BKS DJ Hall in Segaya.

Srijan co-authored a bestseller book with former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, “Target 3 Billion,” which recommends innovative solutions towards sustainable development of the rural areas of the world.

According to Singh, beyond his professional life, the former President Kalam, was “such an aura” in his personal life. 

“The very first few minutes you spent with him, he can give you something to remember for the rest of your life,” he added.

He recounted how Dr Kalam had, before his day of his seminar at IIM Ahmedabad, insisted that he should meet and greet the Director of the institute after landing at the airport, and not the other way round, as originally planned. “He insisted that we go to IIM. He said we would meet the director there,” recalled Singh.

As he met the director, Singh recounted Dr Kalam who told the director, “Outside these walls, I might be the former president, I may be Missile Man...whatever. But, inside this campus, I am a professor of Indian Institute of Management, and you are the director of IIM. You don’t come and greet me, I come and pay you my regards.”

Singh said how word of this incident of humility, of the former Indian President, travelled across the campus, and how “all students were influenced by him...”

He also mentioned Dr Kalam’s funny side. Singh used to have a running nose when he used to visit New Delhi during the “pollination season.” Dr Kalam used to come to him and ask, “are you under repair?”
“And the next day, he would follow up with ‘repaired?’,” said Singh.

“Even simple things in life… he knew how to make difficult situations humorous… with lots of positivity,” he added.

Singh said about how inspirational Dr Kalam was as a President. “Even after his Presidency, he stayed in everyone’s minds… this happens not only because of his allegiance or his brilliance but also because he was a man who was very human.”   

“I think that is the biggest message Dr Kalam’s life shows...”

The art of winning over people is a great example of the life that Dr Kalam lead, he added.
Singh also mentioned Dr Kalam’s dreams. “his dreams are always in the future… 20 year, 50 years...”