Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

PM's Speech at Book Release Function ~Who is Kalam?~

~It gives me great pleasure to be with all of you this evening for the release of this interesting book. Surely, it must be a record in India’s publishing history that the same book is released in six languages simultaneously. I have done lokarpan of many a book in my life, but I must admit that I have never been called to release six language editions of the same book at the same time.

The secret behind this is not difficult to fathom. All the three books written by our Respected Rashtrapatiji so far have made it to the bestseller list – in the original English edition as well as in all their Indian language editions.

This is a very encouraging trend. I urge our publishing houses to launch a major drive to make the best books in any Indian language available to readers in other languages. The Government would be willing to support such an effort.

It is also a history of sorts in contemporary India that a major public figure, and a very popular figure at that, owes a part of his popularity to the books he has written. Dr. Kalam was a famous scientist even before he became the President of our Republic. Now his fame, especially among the youth, is enhanced by the inspiring books he has written.

After his election to this august office last July, Dr. Kalam has brought immense grace to it, and also a new sense of purpose that is all his own. I often wonder how a simple man like him, with a Spartan lifestyle, alone without a family, lives in his palatial new house. But place and position do not make a man. A man is made by his samskaras.

Besides discharging his Constitutional responsibilities with dignified quietude, Dr. Kalam has made Rashtrapati Bhavan the Karmabhoomi for his pet concerns, which are also the Nation’s major concerns – issues such as education, development of science and technology, rural development, and all-round development of our children, who are our most precious asset. From there he has been transmitting the dream of how to make India a Developed Nation.

His books convey his dream and his views. The fact that his books have become popular is an indication that he has indeed ignited India’s young and thinking minds with his dream and his message.

The book that I have released today is a book on him, not by him. Yet, in its own way, it reinforces the ideals that Dr. Kalam has stood for and the concerns that he has been voicing – both in the past and now.

I congratulate Shri Ramanathan for presenting a fine portrait of the Man behind the Message. The title of his book is in the form of a question: ~Who is Kalam?~ But the answer to the question is contained in the subtitle itself -- ~A Good Human Being~. And what comes out of the pages of this book is indeed the personality of someone who, besides having been a famous missile scientist, a top science administrator, and a well-known public figure, is also a sensitive, compassionate and caring human being, someone who is good at heart and whose goodness shows in his action.

What I liked about the book is the small details of Dr. Kalam’s life as a scientist. The truth about a man is revealed not only in his big actions, but also in his small, ordinary, daily deeds. Whether we help colleagues in distress, whether we help a stranger in need, whether we encourage the people working with us to speak out freely and fearlessly. More importantly, whether we do neki (good work) and carry it on your shoulders as a self-advertisement; or we do good work and offer it to the Almighty – as they say in Hindi: Neki kar aur dariya mein daal.

We know that, as the head of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr. Kalam laid great stress on the development of new technologies that would benefit our national security. But if his one eye was focused on national defence, the other eye was fixed on how to use the same technologies to reduce pain and suffering of common people. Let me cite an example from the book.

~Dr. Kalam is a pioneer in introducing composite materials in India. They are very strong and light and ideally suited for space and aircraft applications. The first plant to use the carbon-carbon fibre was set up by him in Trivandrum when he was working in the Department of Space. Later, when he saw the plight of polio-affected children fitted with heavy artificial legs, he felt that a Floor Reaction Orthosis made with composite materials would weigh much less.~

The author narrates that, during one of Dr. Kalam’s field visits to Balasore in Orissa, when he was distributing this new gear developed by DRDO to polio patients, he noticed a sad, seven-year-old girl sitting in a corner. The reason was that she would need a corrective surgery to enable her to wear the caliper. She was the only one left out. Dr. Kalam immediately organized the necessary operation for her in a hospital in Hyderabad, at his own personal expense. He ensured that she got the best possible attention. He also made it a point to see her during his next visit to Balasore. She was now proudly wearing the caliper on her leg – and a happy smile on her face.

Friends, what we need is this humane approach to everything we do in our respective professions. It does not take much to do good to others. All it takes is an honest effort. Whether we succeed or fail in our effort is another matter. Which is why, our seers have said that paropakara is param dharma – being good to others is the highest form of spirituality.

Dr. Kalam has been emphasizing a spiritual approach to solving the nation’s problems. This does not mean adopting the path of any particular religion. Rather, as Gandhiji used to remind us, it means learning from the humanist core of every faith. Dr. Kalam is a devout Muslim. But he also considers the spiritual traditions of all religions his own. This is sarva panth samabhava. This is genuine secularism. In the Indian context, this is also genuine patriotism.

The author has said that, having been a close associate of Dr. Kalam for many years, he wanted to write a book that would be ~a beacon light for the youngsters to follow and contribute towards building a new and vibrant India~. I must say that he has succeeded in this purpose. I congratulate Shri Ramanathan for having given young Indians an inspirational book.

I also congratulate all the publishers who have brought out this book in various languages.~