I had seen Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on television, read about him in newspapers, magazines, read his books; but I did not have an opportunity to meet him in person. I came close to meeting him last week, when I visited the Kalam Memorial, at Dilli Haat, New Delhi. Walking through an array of his personal things and photographs with interesting narratives and anecdotes, I found myself teleported to his world, it was as if he was holding my hand and giving me a guided tour. When I came back to the present, I found myself standing in front of his book, ‘ignited minds’. That again set my thoughts trailing. I remembered that he had dedicated this book to a young teenager from Anandalaya School, in Anand, Gujarat. He had asked the students a seemingly simple question, ‘who is our enemy?’ There were many answers, but the answer by Snehal Thakkar, was equally simple yet moving, ‘poverty’, she said. It was enough for the mentor to dedicate the book to this child. It shows the clarity of vision and the purposeful steps that he took towards achieving it. It is simple to be pompous, but, difficult to be simple. Bharat Ratna, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a simple man.

R.Balasubramanyam

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