SHILLONG: Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, better known as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, once said, “We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us”.
The scientist and visionary never bowed down to adversities but took them as opportunities and encouraged the youths to do so. Though born to poor parents, Kalam, who was fondly called Azad (freedom), went on to become the country’s most renowned rocket scientist and later ‘People’s President’.
To pay tribute to the exalted personality on his 87th birth anniversary, the Indian Institute of Management Shillong (IIM-S) will host a screening of a National Geographic film on the icon’s life story on Monday.
The film, which is part of the channel’s ongoing series Mega Icons, narrates some of the significant events of the India’s missile man’s life and gives a scientific breakdown of how these events turned him into a giant we revere.
The documentary also reveals many lesser known facts about the icon not only through intimate interviews with his closed ones but also through the voice of Kalam. The film states that if there is one takeaway from Kalam’s life, it is that adversities and hardships can serve as launch pads for ambition and success.
On July 27, 2015, an 83-year-old dreamer walked up to a full assembly at IIM-Shillong and said, “India has to become, by 2020, one of the five great countries in science and technology”.
The missile man collapsed on the dias delivering speech and breathed his last in Shillong.
Keya Sengupta, director-in-charge of IIM-Shillong, said, “Dr Kalam holds a special place in the heart of every individual at IIM-Shillong.
His ethos and philosophy are a great source of inspiration. We are glad to be able to pay tribute to Dr. Kalam on his 87th birth anniversary by showcasing a film on his life story… We are sure the film will
help each one of us understand better his objective of working towards societal development. We are also thankful to National Geographic for helping us in honouring the memory of Dr. Kalam by carrying forward his vision and legacy.”
