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Thursday, August 6, 2015

Excerpts of an Interview of Mr PM Nair, IAS – Dr Kalam's Secy


A clear indication of the greatness of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

DD Podhigai telecast an interview with Mr P M Nair retired IAS officer who was the secretary to Dr Kalam Sir, when he was the President. I summarise the points he spoke in voice choked with emotion. Mr Nair had authored a book titled "Kalam Effect". 
1. Dr Kalam used to receive costly gifts whenever he went as it is customary for many nations to give gifts to the visiting Head of state. Refusing the gift would become an insult to the nation and an embarrassment for India. So, he received them and on his return, Dr Kalam asked the gifts to be photographed and then catalogued and handed over to the archives. Afterwards, he never even looked at them. He did not take even a pencil from the gifts received, when he left Rashtrapati Bhavan.

2.  In 2002, the year Dr Kalam took over, the Ramadan month came in July-August. It was a regular practice for the President to host an iftar party. Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair why he should host a party to people who are already well fed and asked him to find out how much would be the cost. Mr Nair told it costs around Rs. 22 lakhs. Dr Kalam asked him to donate that amount to a few selected orphanages in the form of food, dresses and blankets. The selection of orphanages was left to a team in Rashtrapati Bhavan and Dr Kalam had no role in it. After the selection was made, Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair to come inside his room and gave him a cheque for Rs 1 lakh. He said that he is giving some amount from his personal savings and this should not be informed to anyone. Mr Nair was so shocked that he said "Sir, I will go outside and tell everyone . People should know that here is a man who not only donated what he should have spent but he is giving his own money also". Dr Kalam though he was a devout Muslim did not have Iftar parties in the years in which he was the President. 

3. Dr Kalam did not like "yes sir" type of people. Once when the Chief Justice of India had come and on some point Dr Kalam expressed his view and asked Mr Nair, "Do you agree?"/ Mr Nair said "No sir, I do not agree with you". The Chief Justice was shocked and could not believe his ears. It was impossible for a civil servant to disagree with the president and that too so openly. Mr Nair told him that the President would question him afterwards why he disagreed and if the reason was logical 99% he would change his mind.


4. Dr Kalam invited 50 of his relatives to come to Delhi and they all stayed in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He organised a bus for them to go around the city which was paid for by him. No official car was used. All their stay and food was calculated as per the instructions of Dr Kalam and the bill came to Rs 2 lakhs which he paid. In the history of this country no one has done it. Now, wait for the climax, Dr Kalam's elder brother stayed with him in his room for the entire one week as Dr Kalam wanted his brother to stay with him. When they left, Dr Kalam wanted to pay rent for that room also. Imagine a President of country paying rent for the room in which he is staying. This was any way not agreed by the staff who thought the honesty was getting too much to handle!!!.

5.  When Kalam sir was to leave Rashtrapati Bhavan at the end of the tenure, every staff member went and met him and paid their respects. Mr Nair went to him alone as his wife had fractured her leg and was bed ridden. Dr Kalam asked why his wife did not come. He replied that she was in bed due to an accident. Next day, Nair saw lot of police men around his house and asked what had happened. They said that the President of India was coming to visit him in his house. He came and met his wife and chatted for some time. Mr Nair says that no president of any country would visit a civil servant's house and that too on such a simple pretext.


I thought I should give the details as many of you may not have seen the telecast and so it may be useful.

13 comments:

  1. We should be surprised only Nair's information on Dr.Abdul Kalam was any different.. He did not conduct his life in such a humble and simple way not for the sake of others but as per his own conviction and his conscience demanded. Such noble souls never leave our memory and they linger on for ever.

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  2. Salaam to Hon. Dr. Kalaam. Job well done! He really lived with Islamic values. May God give every country this kind of Presidents and Government workers.

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    1. HE REALLY LIVED WITH INDIAN VALUES...not just islamic values..

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  3. can you please send the link of that interview?

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  4. Thank you so much. I grieve Dr.Kalam's passing away as a personal loss and these few paragraphs are really very precious (I no longer llive in India and hence don't have access to the telecast). Is there a video link? Would it be possible to contact Mr.P.M.Nair (as he is retired). I had the good fortune of meeting Mr.Nair when he was CS in Pondicherry and the immense fortune of listening to our President in person when he gave a fantastic and inspirational speech in the European Parliament in 2007. Thanks in advance. Would really appreciate.....

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  5. A great man, indeed! He lived his life till the very end.... We were blessed to have lived in his time.

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  6. Dr. Kalam was followed by Mrs. Pratibha Patil as President of India. If someone could give a comparison between the predecessor & follower, we can get a good insight of parameters of becoming a good human being.

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  7. It is because of few great souls like Mr.Kalam that this country is still functioning. May bless our country with more such souls.

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  8. Great man. His child-like simplicity combined with obvious erudition has left such an impress on the minds of all Indians. A Patriot who saw the world with clear eyes and a burning sense of mission to put India on the world stage. He connected with children in a way hardly any of our leaders have. He wore his religion lightly, but paradoxically through the manner he lived his life, may have done more than anyone else to raise Islam's flag and make every Indian Muslim proud!

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  9. Replies
    1. a true indian...that is more important..

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  10. great man ... A true Indian ...

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  11. Thats the great leadership quality of our missile man Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
    Salute and proud of him
    www.marcepinc.in

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