My personal salute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL
(Guinness Record Holder & RTI Activist)

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had a unique honour of being recognised as People’s President out of all the Presidents country had till now. Having risen from being a newspaper-hawker to become President of India, the missile-man had unique distinction of being admired by one and all for the blend of qualities which are rather impossible being accumulated in one single human being. I recall his bypassing protocol as President of India when while attending a seminar, he sat on floor of the dais with those making presentations occupying the chairs on the dais!

I have reasons to give the departed soul my big personal salute. He was the President of India who did not allow elevating a High Court judge to the Apex Court despite strong backing of the then Chief Justice of India, because he had gone through my documented complaint against the said judge. He was who made Supreme Court realize that it was also a public authority under RTI Act by transferring my RTI petition seeking information on action taken on my complaint against the said judge to Supreme Court, while earlier Supreme Court declined to respond to my RTI petition filed directly there.

In my untiring crusade to highlight vital issues of national and public interest through daily e-mails a copy of which was also used to be marked to President Dr Kalam, he occasionally used to personally respond to my some selected e-mails. Perhaps such direct communication between a head of the nation and a commoner may hardly be noted in any of the countries of the world!

Central and state governments should think over some unique honour even more than ‘Bharat Ratna’ for the personality which was in fact above the normal human beings.