Why do you think Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was deeply loved as a president by the people of India
Answers
The big things about the man is well known and a lot of people know it. It is the finer details of his life which makes me (and most Indians) love him like we do. He is such an amazing man.
I was just reading through a few articles about the great man and I found out these amazing things about him,
- He once refused to sit on a chair which was supposed to be his seat at the Convocation at Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi because his chair was bigger than the chairs of the other reputed people (when he was President). He got a similar sized chair on stage and sat on that.
- When he was in the DRDO and his team was to brainstorming about security measures for a building that needed protection, he rejected the idea of using broken glasses on the walls because "if we did that, birds wouldn't be able to perch on the walls".
- After he was declared to be President in 2002, he was visiting a small school with very minimal security to deliver a speech. During his speech, the power went off but he didn't want to stop so he went into the middle of the crowd, asked the students to stand around him and continued to speak and inspire the young minds.
- When a subordinate of Kalam at DRDO couldn’t take his children to an exhibition due to work pressure, he surprised his subordinate and took the children by himself.
- During the missile testing at Wheeler Island, Dr.Kalam received a message from Prof Hejmadi saying that the lights in the range created problems in hatching of the Olive Ridley Turtles. So he immediately called upon his team, discussed alternatives, and a number of facilitating measures were made including controlled lighting whenever needed and reduction of movement of people and vehicles on the beach so as not to hinder the hatching of the Olive Ridley Turtle's eggs.
- When he was invited to the Raj Bhavan at Thiruvanandhapuram, Kerala , he could invite anyone to the place as his "Presidential Guests" but who did he invite? A road-side cobbler and the owner of a small hotel, both people he was close to during his time working with the DRDO in Kerala.
It is not the larger things which sets great people apart from the normal ones. Its the finer details which do. And this man's finer details are what makes him such a great man. A man loved by everyone in India. Probably the only Indian leader who is unanimously loved by the entire country.
The ones I've mentioned are just fragments of the person that he is and that is why the people of India and specially the youth are so fond of him.
In fact, he passed away doing what he absolutely loved doing. Speaking to and inspiring the future of our great country.
Rest in peace, Sir