Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam - A Beautiful Mind (and Intellect)

This is a tribute to Dr. Kalam. Coming from a very humble background he rose into prominence thus giving credence to Swamiji's assertion to Raja of Khetri Ajit Singh that life is the enfoldment and development of being under circumstances trying to press it down. His life story is now known to all Indians and is a source of inspiration to many. he has been glorified by many and strangely, has been vilified by a few as well, though he did nothing to deserve that. But sadly, this is India and there are always a section who would take great delight in vilifying greatness. even when he passed away a section of media and intellectuals gave almost the same attention to him, if not less, as to a terrorist who was hanged the following day. Some of them even went to extent for pleading for the terrorist's life for the sake of Dr. Kalam, strange as it may seem. Some of them did a lot of endeavour to highlight his religion, forgetting that fundamentalists actually don't like him much because of his liberal views and his vast knowledge of Gita, upanishadas and Koran.  Well, every nation has its fair share of crackpots and India is probably richer in this respect than all others.

 

To come back to Prof. Kalam, its rarely we get such souls on earth. They come for a mission and when its complete they leave peacefully, probably vowing not to come back again. For Kalam the mission was rejuvenation of India in the field of science and technology, to revive its ancient glory. He derived his inspiration of making missiles from ancient scriptures. He was well versed in Gita and almost all spiritual work. He was spiritually an immensely advanced soul, again proving that actually science and spirituality are one and the same - both of them are trying to independently reach out to the same grand Unity and if they come closer together they can solve many problems plaguing the world today. He was a living example of true inheritor of the knowledge of the rishis, being a Rishi himself. He dispelled the myth that spiritual knowledge of India is religion specific and other religions must not touch what ancient India bequeathed us. Just as all sons, irrespective of their belief, have equal rights to their father's property, so also every Indian, irrespective of their religion, have right to know their roots, their culture, their spiritual tradition, which unfortunately secular intellectuals, politicians and even educated people from other religions fail to realize. Probably because Prof. Kalam proved them wrong that these people had aversion for him, as he did not fit their stereotypes of "minority".

Whatever may be the case, Prof. Kalam will remain a beacon for ages to come to the youth aspiring after truth and will remembered fondly by all sincere souls who struggle to elevate themselves beyond their mundane existence, by conquering their circumstances to excel in their field, remaining true to their ideals and never losing the vision of unity and harmony.