(DP Satish is currently a senior journalist at CNN-IBN. This is his Facebook post narrating a quirky yet heartwarming anecdote of the beloved former President of India.)
I had met Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam only once. That too before he became the President of India. It was the year 2000. I was a cub reporter in Bangalore. Kalam was staying at the Indian Institute of Sciences campus. I was given an appointment at 6.30 in the morning.
I was there exactly at 6 o’clock. He came out of his room at 6.25 am. I bowed before him and introduced myself.
Our conversation went something like this.
Kalam - What is your name, you said?
Me - Sir, I am Satish
Kalam - Okay. You know it is one of the names of God Ishwara?
Me - Yes, Sir. I know.
Kalam - Good. Very good. How did you come? Where do you live?
Me - Sir, I took an auto. I live in Ulsoor, 10-12 KM from here.
Kalam - You are in your early 20s. You waste money on auto. Take a bus. Earning money is difficult. You know. Very difficult.
Me - Thank you, Sir. But, you don’t get a bus at 5 o’ clock in the morning. I took auto. Sorry, Sir.
Kalam - Okay. Bangalore weather is great. Boys like you should walk long distances. It is good for you. You will remain healthy all your life. I used to walk long distances barefeet when I was a student and during my younger days. I had no money for chappal, shoe and all. You know.
Me - I know, Sir.
Kalam - I am going for a walk. You follow me.
I followed him for 30 minutes. He spoke about a lot of things. We came back to his guest house.
With great hesitation, I asked him for a short interview on the delayed DRDO projects.
Kalam stared at me for a few seconds and said, “I will tell you something. You repeat”.
I said “ Yes, Sir “.
Kalam - “ If you have integrity, nothing else matters in life. Even if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters in life. They are exactly opposite things. But, answer is the same for both. Choice is yours. Choose carefully in life. Right?”.
Me - Yes, Sir. I will always remember this.
Kalam - “No interview today. You give me a list of questions. I will call you later”
Greatly disappointed, I left his room reluctantly. Kalam called me inside again. Thinking that he had changed his mind, I happily went back.
Kalam - “Now you take a bus. No auto. I called you back to tell you this. You can go now. Right?”
I came to the main road outside the massive IISc campus. As instructed by Kalam, I took a bus back home.
Two years later he became the President of India.
I never got another chance to meet him again.
Rest in Peace, Sir.
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