Ever since Dr. Kalam, India’s 11th
President passed away on the 27th of July 2015, there have been
reams written on him. Both in the Virtual World that is the Social media
and Twitter and the actual world i.e. the media, paeans in his praise are being
sung by the minute.
Rather than being carried away in
the heat of the moment and going on and on about the virtues of a person who
undoubtedly excelled in whatever he did, one must analyze the legacy that he is
leaving behind and understand the importance of it.
What is it that made people like
Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji, Annie Besant, etc. become immortal?? If we find
answer to this we can safely address the importance of Dr. Kalam and the
potential of his becoming immortal rather than just occupying space in the
history books as the “People’s President”.
If you look at the common thread between
Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji and Annie Besant, they all have been harbingers of
Social Change. They all stand for Ideas and Values which, when propagated, were
before their times and were considered Radical but slowly they found acceptance
and today form the core of the values that make our society.
Dr. Kalam was indeed a Great scientist, a Good President who opened up his Presidency to the
People like none before him had done, a
Great motivator of the youth particularly the Students. What else???
Has Dr. Kalam consciously or
unconsciously talked or bought about any Social Change?? Is there a larger
message that Dr. Kalam has given to the society?? Work is Worship, an age old
saying has been eloquently promoted by Dr. Kalam, "Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that
does not let you sleep".
Has Dr. Kalam's philosophy reached the hinterlands of India, amongst the poorest of poor?? Do or Can people at the Base
of Pyramid really relate to Dr. Kalam??? I am not trying to run
down the accomplishments of Dr. Kalam, I am just trying to understand if will
Dr. Kalam become immortal??
Dr. Kalam is an inspiration to
this generation. Be it the odds against which he rose to occupy the supreme
chair in India, be it his unflinching Nationalism, Be it the devotion to the
Student Community and be it the Value System that he followed, Be it the
religious divide that he conquered, all are unparalleled in Modern Indian
History.
So the importance of Dr. Kalam at
the present moment cannot be denied. But whether he will serve as an inspiration to
the generations to come, is a big question mark. I daresay unless his legacy is
carried forward, there is a real danger that he will just be another name in the
History books eventually.
Has he impacted the Society so
much so as to bring societal changes?? I am sorry to say that the answer is an unequivocal No. Will he become immortal?? I would say the jury is still out on this and
will remain so for sometime despite UN deciding to christen his birthday as the
“International Students Day”.
