Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed yesterday that the foundation for a memorial to honour former President APJ Abdul Kalam will be laid on July 27 at Rameshwaram, where his body had been laid to rest
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam's burial site in Rameshwaram
New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed yesterday that the foundation for a memorial to honour former President APJ Abdul Kalam will be laid on July 27 at Rameshwaram, where his body had been laid to rest.
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APJ Abdul Kalam
July 27 marks the Missile Man’s first death anniversary. The announcement is welcome news to Kalam’s numerous supporters who had been running campaigns to ensure the Bharat Ratna recipient got his due.
Parrikar said, “We are setting up a memorial for which the foundation will be laid. On July 27, we are going ahead with the programme on the land already in our possession.”
Victory for supporters
The news marks a major victory for Bangalore-based journalist and ardent follower of Kalam, Dr M Anantha Krishnan, who had been running an online campaign — Justice for Guru Kalam — to raise awareness about the little being done by the government to pay homage to the former president. “Being an aerospace and defence journalist, I followed Kalam’s life closely. It was disheartening how people forgot to honour him with a memorial. His mortal remains are still under a tin sheet in a cyclone-prone area, whereas corrupt politicians and dacoits have memorials. I wanted people to raise their voice for a man worth remembering.”
Dr Krishnan’s petition garnered close to 1 lakh signatures. He said, “Kalam used to say, ‘the tricolour shall always fly in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation’. My campaign will continue till the memorial is ready.”
According to Change.org communications director Durga Nandini, Kalam’s death had triggered a series of petitions on their site. “One of the most popular campaigns was Chennai-based journalist Bhagwan Singh’s petition to turn Dr Kalam’s Delhi residence into a knowledge centre, putting his books and manuscripts on display. While the Centre responded saying government residences cannot be converted into memorials, Delhi Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra committed to set up a knowledge centre in the Capital in Dr Kalam’s memory. The petition received support from 30,000 people.”
Kalam’s memorial ran into trouble last year after Urban Development Ministry passed on the project to DRDO. After incorporating a fence around the grave, the project was transferred to Military Engineering Services, which concluded after an analysis that the land allocated for the memorial was insufficient.
Speaking to mid-day from Rameshwaram, APJ MJ Shaikh Salim, Kalam’s grandnephew said, “On Monday, Additional Defence Secretary Ramkrishna Rao flew in and enquired about the possibility of procuring additional land from Tamil Nadu government. He visited locations near the burial area, but wasn’t satisfied. He also inspected a 7-acre plot for the project, but didn’t seem keen because of its distance from the burial site.”
— Inputs from Agencies
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