The simplistic role model

As I heard about the sudden demise of our own rocket scientist, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the heaviness my heart went through, made me realize what a colossal loss it is for the country and for humanity as a whole. During one of my birthdays a couple of years ago, I was gifted the "Wings of Fire" book, written by Mr APJ. I read the book a bit here and a bit there, but my Mother, who was with me for a few weeks that time, deep dived into it. Her reading habit wasn't really great, but she spent a considerable amount of time with the book, memorizing quotes, writing them in a notepad and explaining the significance of those, in the evening. I could sense a real freshness in her voice during those conversations. As I write these, I'm not sure she would have learnt about the heartbreaking news, the time of the day it is now, would have made her sleep. Tomorrow morning when she hears it, she will be nothing short of being crestfallen. Such is her admiration towards this man of impeccable values.

We live in a country where we glorify sportsmen (not always unjustifiably though), myself included. We magnify the achievements of film stars to such an extent that so many actually believe they are gladiators in real life as well. Several stalwarts of the categories mentioned here, have appeared time and again but with a lesser frequency. Mastering any skill is a tough art and therefore, every achiever deserves the accolades they receive. However, too many times in our lives, we fail to recognize the people belonging to the simplitarian section. Dr APJ clearly falls in this category. (Not for a moment am I undermining or forgetting the sacrifices performed and troubles gone through by our men in the border). 

I haven't read much about Dr Abdul Kalam to speak about his history in this passage. But I have heard countless stories about him and the inspirational quotes he has unearthed. Every one of those, indicated straightforward messages. "Lead a simple life", "Aim high", "Trust yourself", "Respect elders", "Counter adversity", "Read a lot", "Don't be just another bird, be an eagle", "Have clean habits", "Take control of your destiny" and much more. His contributions towards many a space researches in our country, have all been well-documented. He is said to have trodden paths which many feared imagining about. There is not one speech of his which ended with a whimper. The applause rolled on and on. People walked out with tears rolling. And it's the same case today as well. We are tearful. It's not something we can accept as real. 

APJ Abdul Kalams don't happen every day. They are once-in-a-century creations by the creator. Let's not allow his legacy to die. Within the next few days, Spend some minutes of yours with your kids, explaining about the great man and his selfless deeds. Make them understand the humble background he hailed from and the enormous successes he went onto achieve and still remained simple and true to his values. May the good Samaritan, be remembered forever for all good reasons.

Rest in Peace, Sir!