'I bow down to people's President': Amit Shah at book launch on APJ Kalam

Amit Shah said that the book is about how “a boy born to a poor family in Rameswaram rises to the highest echelons of India's politics.”

Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday released the book “Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Memories Never Die” in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram, which is about the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He said that the book depicts the journey of Kalam “from a small town Rameswaram to India's highest constitutional position.”

Amit Shah in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram on Saturday(HT)

Speaking at the book launch event, Shah talked about the death anniversary of Kalam, which was on July 27, saying that Kalam spent his life teaching and studying and also recalled the moment he breathed his last in Meghalaya while teaching. “I bow down to the great patriot, the great scientist, and the people’s President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on this day,” Shah said.

Amit Shah mentioned what the book is about, saying it includes how “a boy born to a poor family in Rameswaram rises to the highest echelons of India's politics” and that it encompasses his success, failures, struggles, supporters, and detractors. He said that the book highlights Kalam as a lover of literature and culture, an avid admirer of Thirukural and Bharatihar's poetry, and many other unknown facets of his life.

Amit Shah recalls reading about Kalam in Gujarati newspaper

Amit Shah, at the book launch, recalled the time when he first became an MLA in 1995 in his home state, Gujarat. By that time, Kalam had already become “a renowned scientist and also received Bharat Ratna in 1997”, Amit Shah said.

“I read about him in a Gujarati newspaper that Kalam Ji was so simple that when he went to receive the award, he was nervous because he was not used to wearing a suit and was not comfortable with the tie,” he said.

Shah on missiles launched during Kalam's tenure at DRDO

The Union minister also mentioned that during Abdul Kalam's tenure in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a total of five missiles - Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag, and Trishul - were developed. He stressed that the names of these missiles were chosen in a way that depicts Kalam's “inclination towards spirituality”.

Shah recalled the time when the Agni missile was launched, saying that there were a lot of problems before the launch, leading to its postponement two to three times. He said that Kalam inspired the team during their low phase when questions were raised against them.

“Finally, he stayed at the launching station for one and a half months, working late into the night. And when the launch was successfully made, the Agni missile became the identity of India’s success in missile technology,” Shah said in Rameshwaram.

About struggles in Kalam's life

Amit Shah praised the inspiring life of the former President, which began from the “fisherman committee to international space clubs,” emphasising that these accomplishments cannot be understood unless we know about his struggles.

“This journey began when a child born to a poor family went to learn mathematics from a teacher at 4 am because he could not afford tuition. And this led the nation to many strides forward,” Shah said.

“After school hours, Kalam used to sell newspapers at the bus stand to help his brother in education. But look at his destiny, a child selling newspapers one day occupied the headlines. He became the first citizen of India despite being born in a marginalized section,” he further said.

The Union home minister said that Kalam received many national and international awards, and his name will be written in golden letters for giving DRDO and ISRO a new direction.

Speaking about Kalam getting rejected from becoming a “fighter pilot”, Shah said that Kalam, after becoming India's President, fulfilled that dream by learning to fly a Sukhoi.

“He was asked whether he was not afraid to fly a fighter plane at the age of 74. He answered that there was so much difficulty in flying the plane that he could not care about fear,” Shah said