The Journey Beyond

 

The cruel, hot and humid evening in the last week of July had struck the calamity. It sniffed out the brightest lamp to burn in the recent Indian history. The guide, the patron, the scientist, the nationalist, the one who belonged to all of us just as an Indian was gone! India cried.

When the news flashes started pouring in, the young man sank in his chair. APJ Sir appeared bubbly and energetic like a child. It was difficult to believe someone so influential on young India’s minds was gone so suddenly. He looked at his little study cabinet and the titles flashed again taking him to an inspired world.

India 2020: A vision for the New Millennium; Envisioning an Empowered Nation; You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond; Target 3 Billion; A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020; Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future; Transcendence My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji; My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions; Indomitable Spirit; Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India; The Luminous Sparks; Mission India; Inspiring Thoughts; Forge your Future: Candid, Forthright, Inspiring; Turning Points: A journey through challenges.

He had all his books. The vivid snapshots for empowering individuals for a developed nation through igniting minds. The great man was igniting minds like he had ignited rockets to take us high into the skies. Having read all his books and having watched his innumerable speeches time and again, the young IIM aspirant considered Dr APJ as his patron, pratham guru, the foremost teacher in his pursuit to excel as an individual and contribute to the bigger cause of nation building. The great man’s ideas, ideals and systematically arranged plan of actions to take India out of the pits of poverty had influenced him so much that each day spent in books had appeared a concrete step to a brighter future. As the news reels started pouring with more details the gravity of the loss struck him. He was crying inconsolably. It was so unexpected, so sudden. He was forging his future as the great man had instructed in his books. He went to the books corner and took out each and every book to caress it. In the salty sea the titles flashed immortally to console him, like saying ‘I’m still around’.  

The next day, all Indians lined up to pay homage to Dr APJ Kalam, not as Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Sikhs, not as rich or poor, not as this casteman or that, not as bigger or smaller, but as a single sad obliged entity. They paid the tribute to genuine Indianness. Politicians from divergent streams merged to a single block of much-obliged, head bent down gentry. It proved that it is possible to overcome narrow parochial divisions that restrict our prospects of individual and collective growth. As millions of teary-eyed Hindus folded their hands before the fatherly figure and millions of Muslims put their praying palms out for the peace of the departed soul, it gave a prospect that Hindus and Muslims can have a lot in common than they are having presently.

Visualise India without the assuring names like Agni, Prithvi, Brahmos, Nag, Trishul and of course the nuclear armaments, it instantly shows why we needed APJ Kalam. We can hold our dreams of becoming a developed nation because we have a semblance of security born of his military science achievements. We can more assuredly move on to the path of development because he has laid down a whole plan for us to follow. The Missile Man, The Most Popular President, The Big Dreamer, The 2020 Visionary, The Professor, The Speaker! He had many avatars, but just one dream. The dream of making India big by igniting minds, by firing the creativity and potential in youth, like he fired our leaps into the space through ballistic technology. It is difficult to analyse whether he was more of a scientist or a spiritualist. When death sniffed out this bright light from amongst us, he was still dispelling darkness from our minds.

He touched the presidential seat with an unprecedented grace. Ironically, his ascension to the political seat was facilitated by the so called ‘danger to the secular fabric’ in the country. Still more ironically, his chances for a second term were nullified by the so called ‘safe-keepers of secularism’ in this country. He deserved to be the President again. But who can tame the genuine motives in earnest souls? Dreams are no slaves to posts and positions. More luckily for the Indian youth, the ex-president kept on his path of igniting minds through his relentless lectures and public addresses. Few people do the things they love doing most even till their last moment. The tragic hand of death cannot snatch away the legacy the great man left when he collapsed on the lecture stage. Heartiest salutes to this Bharat Ratna! May almighty bestow him all peace in after life! 

The young student was in utter mourning as he saw the great son of India’s final cremation rituals in south India at Rameshwaram. As earth was being put into the grave to lay the overworked son of mother India to eternal rest, with tears in his eyes, the young student was holding You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond to his bosom. Yes he had to take Dr Kalam’s journey beyond. He opened the book and just flipped through the pages. Yes he was there, as a teacher, as a father figure, to guide, to show light!