The day had already begun on a sorrow attack; a news flash on the terrorist attack at Gurdaspur was chilling and shocking. Schools were advised to be closed for the day, said one report. Oh Gosh, I just sent mine to her school. And then I got reminded of the most inhuman of all terrorist attacks- Peshawar school killings of last year.
As the positive side of me started looking at other important tasks at hand, the worry and the tension of Punjab terrorism kept lingering there somewhere. Something inside told me it’s not going to be a good day.
Work continued at office, and my twitter feeds kept me updated on the situation at Punjab. By evening, things were normal. Relief and just relief swept my heart. It could have been worse. Thank God for Punjab police!
The Pro-Kabaddi matches are my new favorite, so I placed myself comfortably to watch Abhishek Bachchan cheer for his team, when I reached home. My twitter started buzzing again with hyper activity and the match seemed meaningless. APJ Abdul Kalam, rushed to the hospital, in critical condition said one after another news flash. Some individuals started responding saying you fools, he is already dead. And the stupid poster images that were flowing a few months back on his illness and fake death rumors started haunting me again. It’s one of those stupid internet gimmicks.
Celebrities started tweeting, praying for his well being. I wished the same.
And then Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted. RIP APJ Abdul Kalam. He couldn’t be wrong. He would have done his checks. It is true then.
I had never met him, never heard him live but like millions of other Indians, I was under the spell of his intelligence and humility. His body of work, his teachings, his thought process, his approach-ability was beyond imagination. He was too good to be true, too good to be a human. The more I read about him today, the more inspired I get.
Inspired to be a teacher, because that was he was. And we all can be and should be. Our life experiences are unique to us, and sharing those learning’s with others would definitely help them.
I have never been affected by celebrity deaths too much, maybe Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. But Abdul Kalam’s absence would mean one less torch bearer of the kindness and humanity this world so needs. There are wonderful messages and tributes flowing around on the internet and I don’t intend to match them. What saddens me is the petty politics that gets played, even during such nation-uniting moments.
The post by Srijan Pal Singh, who worked closely with Mr. Abdul Kalam, and was with him during his last moments was heart wrenching. The way he described what Sir thought and said was brilliant. Not even the best writers of the world can ever match the genuineness and simplicity of his note.
Through something that I like doing, I wish to pay my respects to Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam. I shall forever and ever flaunt the fact that I lived in the same era as him. Salute to you Sir!
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