Tribute:
“Dream is not that which you see while
sleeping,
it is something that does not let you sleep”
– Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
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| Gin Gangte welcomed the President of India |
The unbelievable has happened. That Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam is no more. Soon, the news spread like a wildfire. As usual, TV
channels were chocking with what they called ‘Breaking News’ and social
networking sites were blasted with the sad news, ofcourse very sad news, but
turn out to be true. Much as I wish that the news was wrong, however, the
unbelievable has finally happened galvanizing the nation’s in tears.
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| Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam giving speech in Bunglon High School, Churachandpur, Manipur. Photo: N Jonish |
Just as every Indian was in tears, I am also
immensely saddened and mournful at the sudden demise of our former President,
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. His was a source of inspiration for all. He was a great
visionary in thought, a statesman in action, a spiritualist at heart, a
nationalist to the core, and above all an outstanding scientist. What I like
and admire in him was his sense of ‘utmost’ humility. A down-to-earth in
personality, he meant what he says and stood tough for it, come what may. He
never accept ‘no’ for an answer. He never retracted from where he has already
made a promise and commitment.
The Calling : Meeting the President
Nearly ten years ago, I have the rare
opportunity to meet Dr Kalam at his chamber in Rashtrapati Bhavan, on 12th April,
2006, to be precise. It was a one-to-one encounter, lasting for about 20mins.
When I faxed a letter seeking appointment with him, I was not hopeful of
granting one. Instead, I was a bit nervous, taking stock of my humble
background, coming from a small and hitherto unknown hamlet. A private citizen.
A village school’s headmaster. No attractive profile of short. Nothing, nothing
at all. Deep in my mind, I was even thinking whether I would be jailed for
sending letter to the President. Oh! unexpected as it was, my Nokia 1100 model
phone was ringing. A thrilling news came then, a call from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
I was too excited to hear the voice on the other side conveying that ‘The
President would meet you tomorrow at 11:00am’. That was the 11th day
of April 2006. Since I was determined to grab the opportunity, I started
preparing a five-point representation throughout the night, without enjoying
the slightest sleep, for the next day’s ‘encounter’ . I am still surprise
wondering what made me to put up a brave face before him. I must admit,
nervousness was too luxury for me to be afforded on that day. On second
thought, I realise that it was the dream and vision to do something beautiful
for the rural masses to which I belong that put me to take the burden of extra
miles to call on the President of India.
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What have exactly pushed me to approach the
President was the vision to be apart of his dream – the dream to make India a
‘developed’ nation by 2020. It was the time when the whole country was in the
wave of Indo – US nuclear deal. As the President was going through my
representation, point after point, I have advanced my thought telling him, but
politely, that though ‘Krishnamurthy may be more popular than Christopher in
the Silicon valley, the fact is that there are hundreds of tribal students who
does not see computer with their own eyes’. I also furtherance my point to
tell him about the lack of educational facilities in the hill areas of Manipur. One
point that I strongly advocated before him and still relevant till today was to
introduce pre-matric scholarship for tribal students, as is the practise with
post-matric scholarship. I cited my experience telling him that about
50% of tribal students were unable to purchase books from the open markets.
Towards the end of our discussion, I requested the President to visit the
nondescript locality where I belonged. The President, at first, was not
favourable to the idea citing that he had already visited Manipur in 2002. To
add a stronger force to my invitation, I told him boldly that, the ‘real’ India
lies in rural areas. After much pushed and repeated request, the President
obliged, finally.
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| Childrens of Bunglon High School taking with India Flag waiting for APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India at Churachandpur Dist. Manipur. Photo: N Jonish |
My conviction was that, if the President was to visit my
village, his visitation would herald atleast a little bit of development for
the people of the area, if not many things and more. My conviction proved the
desired effect – the state PWD swung into action completing black-topping of
5kms long road from Moirang to Bunglawn in two weeks, which was left unattended
for the last 60 years. A new power transformer was fitted. A new water
pipelines were arranged for the villagers. A helipad was constructed and the
school was painted a new face lift. It was learnt that the Government spent
about 2.5 crore for the ‘Great October Visit’. All in all, the people of the
area received so much of the visit – a new dawn for the people of Kapaih
Valley!!!
The Promise : Visiting Bunglawn
Six months down the line, keeping the
‘promise’ to his heart, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India, was flesh
and blood at Bunglawn, on the historic 16th October 2006,
interacting with students and public, and meeting with the village chiefs of
the area, for an hour. What was noteworthy was the fact that, as the
program got over and the President was about to leave the school campus, whilst
his aides waiting with the door of his car’s opened, the President took the
opposite direction, walked towards the school children, chatted with them and
shook hands with them. No wonder, he was the ‘real’ President in
its true sense – The People’s President!! Standing besides him, I
commented that ‘We are more Indians today than 60 years ago’.
Indeed, it was the day that changed my life!!! The opening remarks of the
memorable ‘Possiblying Impossible’ speech of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam - ‘Gin
Gangte is my friend’ - is still fresh as the morning breeze and will
continue to ring in my ears for times to come.
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| Students of Bunglon High School performing a dance at Bunglon High School ground, Churachandpur on the occasion of Dr Abdul Kalam Visit. Photo: N Jonish |
Hark! in postmorteming the event, which was to
say, a milestone in the annals of history, much more than the visit was the
fulfillment of his promise that he had committed in the summer of 2006,
it was more of his love for the poor and the down-trodden, the people who are
on the fringe of social and economic deprivation. Though there was no further
communication between us during the last six months, it was like a ‘manna’ from
Heaven to receive a letter from Rashtrapati Bhavan dated 28th September
2006, informing that the ‘President would be visiting Bunglon High
School on 16th October 2006’. I was in cloud nine as I
heard that piece of ‘big’ news. With the news of the imminent visit of the
President of India spread nooks and corners of the state, the hitherto little
known Bunglawn has become the destiny of Who’s Who of
Manipur, the Bethlehem. From the Deputy Commissioner to the Chief
Minister to the Governor, you name it, all were there. The road that the
President took to reach the ‘destined’ Bunglawn is now known as ‘Dr Kalam
Road’. A Computer Centre & Science Lab – A project of Dr Abdul Kalam
was opened at the school campus on January 11, 2011 by the then Governor of
Manipur, Dr S S Sidhu. God is good, all the time!!!
Dr. Kalam’s India : A Vision for Development
Today, as Dr Abdul Kalam had left us, and his
mortal remains laid to rest in eternity in Rameswaram, from where he began his
journey of life, my nerve has been weakened, extremely weakened - my heart cry
for the great soul of India. India has lost one of the most illustrious sons, a
great motivator, a thinker – setting agendas for 1.2 billion Indians. With the
passing away of our former President of India, he has left to us a momentous
task, where we all have a duty to perform. It is a well-known fact that Dr
Kalam has visioned for a strong and powerful India in the comity of nations. He
has outlined his dreams and visions in several books he has penned with, in his
public speeches, interviews, et al. He strongly felt the need for bridging the
rural-urban divides in order to avoid large scale migration.
Ergo, he has came
up with the policy, which is now known as ‘Providing Urban Amenities to Rural
Areas’, in short (PURA). He also campaigned for a corruption-free India for the
over all development of the nation, and suggested for moral teachings at home,
schools, colleges and universities. When many are talking about nuclear and
weaponry super power, Dr Kalam, on the other hand, had visioned for a ‘knowledge
super power’ for India. The best tribute, therefore, we can give to Dr
Kalam is to follow his dreams and visions, his thoughts and actions, with
determination and a high degree of commitment in all spheres of our life. It’s
true, he is no more with us, in flesh and blood, but the idea and his vision
will remain forever. I sincerely hope and pray that his pet project of ‘India
Vision 2020’ would, for sure, see the light of the day, in reality,
sooner than later.
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| APJ Abdul Kalam handshakes with students at Bunglon, Churachandpur District. Photo: N Jonish |
In death, he shall be still alive in our
hearts, evermore!!!
With tears,
Mangpha, Pu Kalam!!!
Adieu, Dr Kalam!!!
(The writer is News
Editor, All India Radio, Aizawl. He can be reached at gingangte@gmail.com / gingangte@yahoo.com. Facebook @ Gin Gangte)
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