My First blog. Hope to continue to write.
Its 9.30pm on a rainy july day, wifey is watching her Saas Bahu serials and me putting Parthu to sleep suddenly wifey calls me and says "Dr A P J is no more" stunned silence for a minute I regroup my self and tune into ABP News to see what has happened, I hear that he was on a visit to IIM shillong ( which he had twitted) for a lecture on the topic " Livable Planet Earth" (YEARTH as he would say in his typical south Indian ascent) where he collapsed on the stage a following a massive cardiac arrest. I start thinking what a death to a person who has lived his entire life distributing knowledge.
Actually I consider Dr A P J Abdul Kalam an "Annadata" for hundreds of CAD/CAM sales guys like me as it was coz of his missile, space & nuclear programms that all the CAD companies are surviving in India.
Personally he has been an Inspiration for me from my college days. Those were days when Computer Engineering was on its peak and people would talk about the Infosys , Wipros. My pet brother bombarding me about " Fonts, Fortran, Basic" etc, We were in our final year of Mechanical Engineering and already had started worrying of our future and then on one of the days in May bang comes the news "India Conducts Nuclear Test". Dr APJ Dr Chidambaram Dr Kakodkar were very instrumental in conducting these test read the news. We had a celebration in our college for the same.
I have always been fascinated by our Armed forces right from my childhood (thanks to my dad who inculcated a habit of watching RD parades) so I had a fair idea about India's missle, nuclear , programs and hence knew all those names. And this is the time when I started to believe that branches like Mechanical, Aeronautical engineering are also equally important and people like Dr Kalam have made them more important.
Now coming back to inspiration part of it, I consider people like Dr Narlikar, Dr. Kalam, Dr Atre ( Ppl associated with DRDO might know) as real heros of the nation who inspite having a brilliant career abroad expressed their interest to come back to their motherland and continue their research. Another name I could add to this list is my friend Dr Narendra Dixit.
After we passed out from our Mechanical Engineering ( I consider myself as an avg student), many of my friends were thinking of switching their careers to software field but I decided to continue my mechanical engineering ( which I am now very proud of) . It was a conscious decision which has paid off .
I chose CAD/CAM as a career and it is during my professional career I came very close to organisations like DRDO, DOS, DAE etc and started to learn about the immense contribution Dr Kalam has done to our Missile , space , Nuclear programs and my respect to this great person grew. Its not only about the research that he was involved but also facilitating the same which stands out as a far as Dr Kalam is concerned.
It is said that when Dr Kalam was the SA to RM ( Scientific advisor to Raksha Mantri) that the maximum utilisation of funds happened. he brought in a lot accountability to the projects of DRDO. Projects like AGNI- I,II MRBM were completed in record time. This is what I know .
I have heard a lot of stories from Dr Sarwade about Kalam's vision for the Country in general and DRDO in particular. Sarwade says it is after Dr Kalam took over as the SA to RM that the post turned non Political. Dr Vidyadhar Mudkavi says he was a no nonsense person his entire life.
I was happiest person when Atal ji chose him as the presidential candidate in 2002. It was not only that he chose him the NDA candidate but also ensured that he becomes the consensus candidate. He brought a different kind grace to that post and also liveliness to "Rashtrpati Bhavan". It was sad coz of petty politics that he was not given the second term which he well deserved.
My unforgettable day came when I had a chance to meet him in Trivandrum. It was in May 2009 I had been VSSC and one my colleague said why don't we go to the Indian Institute of space science ( Heard a lot of abt this institute). We went there just to see the campus. We learnt the Dr Kalam was there that day ( he was the chancellor of the Institute) . We thought of meeting him . We sent our cards inside thinking he would not oblige. But to our surprise he obliged asking his assistant to let us in. We were there with him for 15 mins ( those were the best 15min of my life). He spoke about so many different things. Unfortunately cudnt click a sanp as we were no allowed cell phones inside. But a memory that I will chrish for my lifetime.
His Veena Playing goes to show how important it is to relax a bit while you are at your peak of work.
People would remember Dr Kalam for numerous reasons, but I remember him for me being a Mechanical Engineer and continuing in my stream. He has been a inspiration in true sense.
RIP Kalam Sir . You have been and continue to a inspiration to the generations to come.
Thanks
Abhijeet
Its 9.30pm on a rainy july day, wifey is watching her Saas Bahu serials and me putting Parthu to sleep suddenly wifey calls me and says "Dr A P J is no more" stunned silence for a minute I regroup my self and tune into ABP News to see what has happened, I hear that he was on a visit to IIM shillong ( which he had twitted) for a lecture on the topic " Livable Planet Earth" (YEARTH as he would say in his typical south Indian ascent) where he collapsed on the stage a following a massive cardiac arrest. I start thinking what a death to a person who has lived his entire life distributing knowledge.
Actually I consider Dr A P J Abdul Kalam an "Annadata" for hundreds of CAD/CAM sales guys like me as it was coz of his missile, space & nuclear programms that all the CAD companies are surviving in India.
Personally he has been an Inspiration for me from my college days. Those were days when Computer Engineering was on its peak and people would talk about the Infosys , Wipros. My pet brother bombarding me about " Fonts, Fortran, Basic" etc, We were in our final year of Mechanical Engineering and already had started worrying of our future and then on one of the days in May bang comes the news "India Conducts Nuclear Test". Dr APJ Dr Chidambaram Dr Kakodkar were very instrumental in conducting these test read the news. We had a celebration in our college for the same.
I have always been fascinated by our Armed forces right from my childhood (thanks to my dad who inculcated a habit of watching RD parades) so I had a fair idea about India's missle, nuclear , programs and hence knew all those names. And this is the time when I started to believe that branches like Mechanical, Aeronautical engineering are also equally important and people like Dr Kalam have made them more important.
Now coming back to inspiration part of it, I consider people like Dr Narlikar, Dr. Kalam, Dr Atre ( Ppl associated with DRDO might know) as real heros of the nation who inspite having a brilliant career abroad expressed their interest to come back to their motherland and continue their research. Another name I could add to this list is my friend Dr Narendra Dixit.
After we passed out from our Mechanical Engineering ( I consider myself as an avg student), many of my friends were thinking of switching their careers to software field but I decided to continue my mechanical engineering ( which I am now very proud of) . It was a conscious decision which has paid off .
I chose CAD/CAM as a career and it is during my professional career I came very close to organisations like DRDO, DOS, DAE etc and started to learn about the immense contribution Dr Kalam has done to our Missile , space , Nuclear programs and my respect to this great person grew. Its not only about the research that he was involved but also facilitating the same which stands out as a far as Dr Kalam is concerned.
It is said that when Dr Kalam was the SA to RM ( Scientific advisor to Raksha Mantri) that the maximum utilisation of funds happened. he brought in a lot accountability to the projects of DRDO. Projects like AGNI- I,II MRBM were completed in record time. This is what I know .
I have heard a lot of stories from Dr Sarwade about Kalam's vision for the Country in general and DRDO in particular. Sarwade says it is after Dr Kalam took over as the SA to RM that the post turned non Political. Dr Vidyadhar Mudkavi says he was a no nonsense person his entire life.
I was happiest person when Atal ji chose him as the presidential candidate in 2002. It was not only that he chose him the NDA candidate but also ensured that he becomes the consensus candidate. He brought a different kind grace to that post and also liveliness to "Rashtrpati Bhavan". It was sad coz of petty politics that he was not given the second term which he well deserved.
My unforgettable day came when I had a chance to meet him in Trivandrum. It was in May 2009 I had been VSSC and one my colleague said why don't we go to the Indian Institute of space science ( Heard a lot of abt this institute). We went there just to see the campus. We learnt the Dr Kalam was there that day ( he was the chancellor of the Institute) . We thought of meeting him . We sent our cards inside thinking he would not oblige. But to our surprise he obliged asking his assistant to let us in. We were there with him for 15 mins ( those were the best 15min of my life). He spoke about so many different things. Unfortunately cudnt click a sanp as we were no allowed cell phones inside. But a memory that I will chrish for my lifetime.
His Veena Playing goes to show how important it is to relax a bit while you are at your peak of work.
People would remember Dr Kalam for numerous reasons, but I remember him for me being a Mechanical Engineer and continuing in my stream. He has been a inspiration in true sense.
RIP Kalam Sir . You have been and continue to a inspiration to the generations to come.
Thanks
Abhijeet
