Abdul Kalam had the conviction to tread the unknown world

Here was a man who represented in the true sense what we call a genuine human being. With no airs about him, his intellectual height did not come in his way of being morally and religiously a true man of god. The former president APJ Abdul Kalam was a man for whom religion was highly personal and he practised almost all the major religions. His philosophy of life was that it could be made better by following the finest principles of all religions.

The simplicity of his way of life proved to be of immense help for him. It helped him get an ‘instant connection’ with the masses. He never wanted anybody addressing him as Sir or anything like that, and wanted that he be called simply Kalam. His modesty and sincerity made him so lovable among the people that he came to be known as the ‘People’s President’.

There is a lovely story on what inspired him to become and be known as the country’s ‘Missile Man’. He came from a very humble background and had to do odd jobs to make a living during his childhood. One such was he becoming a newspaper hawker. Since it was difficult for him to climb all the buildings to deliver newspapers, he rolled them and threw them up to the respective flats with the precision of a rocket.

This gave him the idea and the inspiration to get into the world of missiles. True, there are many other theories too, and all of them put together might have given him the vision and the courage to tread the path he did with great distinction.

Whatever he did or said in his 84 years of life carried a pointed message: Have the courage and conviction to get into the unknown world, and think and act differently.