SHILLONG: Construction of a monument in honour of (L) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at IIM Shillong will be made possible only after the permanent campus is set up, informed Amitabha De, Director, IIM Shillong, while announcing that a two day programme will be organised to commemorate the first death anniversary of the beloved President.
When contacted by The Shillong Times, De said, “The auditorium which is around 2000 sq. ft. will be named after him and in front of it a full bust of Late Kalam will be erected. We can place the bust only after we get a permanent campus; the present campus belongs to the State government and nothing can be done about it but definitely we will erect a monument in his honour.”
However, De lamented that monuments are not being protected and cited the case of the bust of Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar at Kolkata.
He, however, assured that a monument will be erected in his honour, and said, “Kalam’s full bust will be set up at Umsawli, the permanent campus. And the Umsawli campus will be completed in one or one and half years.”
De informed that Manas Kumar Mandal, Chief Controller (Life Sciences), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the country’s senior scientist will deliver a lecture during the observation of Kalam’s death.
Speaking of Kalam, De recollected that he had met him for the first time in 2000 and looked up to him as one of his mentors.
“He gave me directions and helped me looked at myself,” De recalled.
