i never knew yesterday was my last day with dr

7/28/2015 INeverKnewYesterdayWasMyLastDayWithDr.KalamSir

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I Never Knew Yesterday Was My Last Day With Dr. KalamSir

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What I will be remembered for, my memory of the last day with great Kalam sir. It hasbeen eight hours since we last talked sleep eludes me and memories keep flushingdown, sometimes as tears.

Our day, 27th July, began at 12 noon, when we took our seats in the flight to Guhawati.Dr. Kalam was 1A and I was IC. He was wearing a dark colored Kalam suit, and Istarted off complimenting, Nice color! Little did I know this was going to be the lastcolor I will see on him. Long, 2.5 hours of flying in the monsoon weather. I hateturbulence, and he had mastered over them. Whenever he would see me go cold inshaking plane, he would just pull down the window pane and say, Now you dont seeany fear!.

That was followed by another 2.5 hours of car drive to IIM-Shillong. For these twolegged trip of five hours we talked, discussed and debated. These were among hundredsof the long flights and longer drives we have been together over the last six years.

As with each one of them, this was as special too. Three incidents/discussions inparticular will be lasting memories of our last trip.First, Dr. Kalam was absolutelyworried about the attacks in Punjab. The loss of innocent lives left him filled withsorrow. The topic of lecture at IIM-Shillong was Creating a Livable Planet Earth. He

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related the incident to the topic and said, It seems the man made forces are as big athreat to the livability of earth as pollution. We discussed on how, if this trend ofviolence, pollution and reckless human action continues we will forced to leave earth.Thirty years, at this rate, maybe, he said. You guys must do something about ititis going to be your future world.

Our second discussion was more national. For the past two days, Dr. Kalam wasworried that time and again Parliament, the supreme institution of democracy, wasdysfunctional. He said, I have seen two different governments in my tenure. I haveseen more after that. This disruption just keeps happening. It is not right. I really needto find out a way to ensure that the parliament works on developmental politics. Hethen asked me to prepare a surprise assignment question for the students at IIM-Shillong, which he would give them only at the end of the lecture. He wanted to themto suggest three innovative ways to make the Parliament more productive and vibrant.Then, after a while he returned on it. But how can ask them to give solutions if I donthave any myself. For the next one hour, we thwarted options after options, who comeup with his recommendation over the issue. We wanted to include this discussion inour upcoming book, Advantage India.

Third, was an experience from the beauty of his humility. We were in a convoy of 6-7cars. Dr. Kalam and I were in the second car. Ahead us was an open gypsy with threesoldiers in it. Two of them were sitting on either side and one lean guy was standingatop, holding his gun. One hour into the road journey, Dr. Kalam said, Why is hestanding? He will get tired. This is like punishment. Can you ask a wireless message togiven that he may sit? I had to convince him, he has been probably instructed to keepstanding for better security. He did not relent. We tried radio messaging, that did notwork. For the next 1.5 hours of the journey, he reminded me thrice to see if I can handsignal him to sit down. Finally, realizing there is little we can do he told me, I wantto meet him and thank him. Later, when we landed in IIM-Shillong, I went inquiringthrough security people and got hold of the standing guy. I took him inside and Dr.Kalam greeted him. He shook his hand, said Thank you buddy. Are you tired? Wouldyou like something to eat? I am sorry you had to stand so long because of me. Theyoung lean guard, draped in black cloth, was surprised at the treatment. He lost words,just said, Sir, aapke liye to 6 ghante bhi khade rahenge.

After this, we went to the lecture hall. He did not want to be late for the lecture.Students should never be made to wait, he always said. I quickly set up his mike,briefed on final lecture and took position on the computers. As I pinned his mike, he



smiled and said, Funny guy! Are you doing well? Funny guy, when said by Kalamcould mean a variety of things, depending on the tone and your own assessment. Itcould mean, you have done well, you have messed up something, you should listen tohim or just that you have been plain nave or he was just being jovial. Over six years Ihad learnt to interpret Funny Guy like the back of my palm. This time it was the lastcase.

Funny guy! Are you doing well? he said. I smiled back, Yes. Those were the lastwords he said.

Two minutes into the speech, sitting behind him, I heard a long pause after completingone sentence. I looked at him, he fell down.

We picked him up. As the doctor rushed, we tried whatever we could. I will never forgetthe look in his three-quarter closed eyes and I held his head with one hand and triedreviving with whatever I could. His hands clenched, curled onto my finger. There wasstillness on his face and those wise eyes were motionlessly radiating wisdom. He neversaid a word. He did not show pain, only purpose was visible.

In five minutes we were in the nearest hospital. In another few minutes the theyindicated the missile man had flown away, forever.

I touched his feet, one last time. Adieu old friend! Grand mentor! See you in mythoughts and meet in the next birth.

As turned back, a closet of thoughts opened.Often he would ask me, You are young, decide what will like to be remembered for? Ikept thinking of new impressive answers, till one day I gave up and resorted to tit-for-tat. I asked him back, First you tell me, what will you like to be remembered for?President, Scientist, Writer, Missile man, India 2020, Target 3 billion. What? Ithought I had made the question easier by giving options, but he sprang on me asurprise. Teacher, he said.

Then something he said two weeks back when we were discussing about his missiletime friends. He said, Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad thatsometimes this is not happening. He paused and said, Two things. Elders must alsodo. Never leave wealth at your deathbed that leaves a fighting family. Second, one isblessed is one can die working, standing tall without any long drawn ailing. Goodbyesshould be short, really short.

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Today, I look back he took the final journey, teaching, what he always wanted to beremembered doing. And, till his final moment he was standing, working and lecturing.He left us, as a great teacher, standing tall. He leaves the world with nothingaccumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. He was a successful,even in his end.

Will miss all the lunches and dinners we had together, will miss all the times yousurprised me with your humility and startled me with your curiosity, will miss thelessons of life you taught in action and words, will miss our struggles to race to makeinto flights, our trips, our long debates. You gave me dreams, you showed me dreamsneed to be impossible, for anything else is a compromise to my own ability. The man isgone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam.

Your indebted student,Srijan Pal Singh (https://www.facebook.com/srijan.pal.singh.personal?fref=ts)

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KrishnaPandiyan 3hoursagoThankyoubuddy.Areyoutired?Wouldyoulikesomethingtoeat?IamsorryyouhadtostandsolongbecauseofmeThislinetoredmeapart:'(

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DhananjayVirat 4hoursagoWhilereadingthis,itfeltasifallofusweretherewithDr.Kalamonhislastday..!!KalamSir,weIndiansareindebtedtoyou,forever..!RIP!!

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AvinashKarnik anhourago198789IwascommandingtheEstateManagementUnitatDRDOKanchanbaghwhenDrKalamwasDirectorDRDL.AsmyfamilywasatPuneIpreferredstayinginSingleaccnwheremanyyoungscientistsandalsoDr.Kalamlived.Iadmiredhispleasantdemeanorandsimplicity.HewouldtakemealongformorningwalksandinstructmeondevelopmentworksintheDRDOcomplex.Heusedtomostlywearchappalsandpreferredtoworkinsidehisofficebarefoot!AfterIthinkthefirstPrithvilaunchthePresidentofIndiawastoattendagrandfunctionatDRDO.InpreparationforthatvisitDr.Kalam,besidesotherapparel,hadtopurchaseperhapsthefirstpairofshoes!!Suchsimplicityinlivingandskyhighachivementsinhistechnologicalcareerwasawesome.Indiacouldn'thavechosenabetterpersonasouPresident.Hiswithdrawingfromasecondtenurewasaslaponthefoolishpoliticsofthetime.RIPDrKalam.

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maxmonteiro 3hoursagoIndeed.youwillbewithmeinParadise,saysthealmighty.DearDr.Kalamtransitedthisearthlyplacefor83longyearsforhisreturntohisheavenlyhome.Lookingforwardtoseeyousometimesoon.Tillwemeetagain.Adieumyteacher.

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Vidhyaa 3hoursagoNationlostagem,:(

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BunnY 4hoursagoHedidnotdie.Hemerelyshiftedhislaboratory.Let'smarkthisdaywithsomethingcolorful,justlikenuclearreactionsare,justlikethisgreatmanwas.WeWillMissYouSir.:'(:'(:'(RIP:ReturnIfPossible

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DeepuKrishnan 5hoursagoItwasadreamtomeethim..touchhisfeetandseekhisblessings.YouareoneluckyfellowSir,cherishthosememoriesforever.

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YogEsh 5hoursagoc=>thatwasAPJAbdulkalam!!Mayhissoulrestinpeace!:(

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SaranshDhingra 6hoursago:'(Reallytouching!

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polkadotsandcurry 6hoursagoIndiahaslostagem.Mayhissoulrestinpeace.

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