The last rites of former president Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam will be held today in his hometown Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
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Leader of the opposition Sudip Roy Barman (Congress) and BJP state president Sudhindra Dasgupta also expressed their grief over Kalam’s death. As the body was brought to Rameswaram town in a decorated vehicle, thousands of people, including children, stood on both sides of the 20km stretch and paid their tribute by throwing flowers and holding candles. As per reports, his funeral ceremony will be carried out with full state honors at 11 am at Pei Karambu which is 2 km from Rameswaram town.
Principal Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Sitanshu Kar earlier tweeted: The rush at #Rameswaram.to pay homage to #PeoplesPresident #APJAbdulKalam.
APJ Abdul Kalam passed away on Monday in Shillong while attending an event at IIM Shillong.
At Madurai, the physique was acquired by Tamil Nadu Governor N. Rosaiah. Most importantly, Kalam said, they should know how to manage failure (see video). “To our surprise within two days I received a phone call from Rashtrapati Bhawan that Dr Abdul Kalam, the President, had accepted our request and we were asked to meet him the day after”, Pacholi recalled.
Former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also paid his respect to Kalam, the “people’s President”. “Dr. Kalam did not indulge in any of those and he used plain words that sprung from the heart of an Indian, who grew to the greatest heights in India through hard work and unstinted perseverance”.
The district administration shortlisted three places for the funeral and finalised Pei Karumbu area after consulting A.P.J.M. Maraikayar, the elder brother of Kalam and other family members, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had visited the Delhi bungalow where Dr Kalam lived for the last seven years after leaving the Presidential palace.
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“Very sad to hear about the passing of ABJ Kalam Azad“. After 8pm, the mortal remains would be handed over to the family members. For India to reach her potential as an economic, political, and sociocultural superpower, we need many more leaders to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Kalam.
