Tributes poured on social media on Saturday on the occasion of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's 91st birth anniversary. Born in 1931 in Tamil Nadu, he was the first scientist to become India's president.
Leading the tributes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video remembering Kalam. The over-a-minute-long video, voiced by the PM himself, defined Kalam as someone who always looked for challenges and found ways to resolve them. “Tributes to our former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He is greatly admired for his contribution to our nation as a scientist and as a President who struck a chord with every section of society,” PM Modi captioned the video on Twitter.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also remembered Kalam and tweeted, “...his vision of self-reliance and developed India was different. His contribution to the making of modern India will always be remembered.”
{{/usCountry}}Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also remembered Kalam and tweeted, “...his vision of self-reliance and developed India was different. His contribution to the making of modern India will always be remembered.”
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Congress party also paid tribute to Kalam, fondly known as ‘People’s President.’ “On his birth anniversary, we pay tributes to the ‘People’s President', Aerospace Scientist & Bharat Ratna awardee, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Regarded as the 'Missile Man' of India, he contributed not only to the field of science but also inspired the youth to think big in life," the official handle of the party wrote.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, paying tribute to Kalam, called him a “visionary” while Home minister Amit Shah urged the youth to read Kalam’s thoughts. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the former president’s contribution to the country's progress and his thoughts will always be an inspiration for all countrymen.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was elected as India’s 11th president from 2002-2007 and died in 2015 while he was delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong at the age of 84.