In fond memory of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam - the real 'Bharat Ratna'

Lucknow: Late former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam believed that a country could only prosper if its homes are happy and for homes to be joyous one has to first keep one's mother happy.

In one of his interactions with the students, during his visit to Allahabad in 2012, Dr Kalam told students that it was important to keep mother happy as their happiness leads to a happy home which further results in a happy town and it further leads to a happy state. A happy state then results in a prosperous nation and thus, a mother's happiness affects the prosperity of a nation, he believed.

Remembering Bharat Ratna on his birth anniversary today, newstrack.com brings you a excerpts from his address to the students.

The former President was a nature lover and he stressed on the need of a cleaned and greened environment during his frequent visits to Uttar Pradesh. Kalam, once told students that for progress and development they should stay away from taking shortcuts and malpractices.

Chief proctor of Lucknow University, Dr Nishi Pandey in an interaction with newstrack.com said she met the Missile man of India on a number of occasions.

"He was a very down to earth and truly a 'Bharat Ratna' of the country. He alway encouraged me do better and better in the field of spreading knowledge in this world," she added.

While sharing his experiences, Lucknow Mayor Dr Dinesh Sharma said Dr Kalam was the person who had encouraged him to read books and had learnt a lot from him.

"He advised me to read books, especially children stories and creative stories. He never forgot to bring books for me whenever he visited Lucknow," Dr Sharma said.

It was also a delight for Milind Rah, a then Class XII student hailing from Lucknow district, when Dr Kalam appreciated him for designing a drone machine in just three months of leave after giving the examination. Dr Kalam was very much inspired by the flying capacity of his drone which was beyond 3,000 meters. He was very much optimistic towards Milind and said that the boy will definitely brighten the name of the nation.