Humility Par Excellence: APJ Abdul Kalam

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, India’s most loved and respected Presidents in decades on Thursday cleared the list of the lunches and dinners he would be hosting before laying down office. He also signed a letter thanking the Prime Minister and the Union Ministers for the cooperation he had received from them and has invited them over dinner on July 20, a day after the Presidential poll.He has also lined up lunches and dinners from the next week for all those who served him in the Rashtrapati Bhawan--one with the ADCs, another with personal staff and so on. He has not forgotten even the gardeners whom he would be entertaining separately.Dr Kalam would have just 25 suitcases and boxes to transport to Chennai and has no heavy lugguage which would require the Army's 2-tonne trucks which is provided to the departing President as a matter of courtesy. He intends to transport his belongings through train. In the past, departing Presidents had requisitioned five or six military trucks for transporting their belongings, most of them gifts received during their five-year tenure.Dr Kalam does not have much to carry back from the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is not taking back anything except his personal belongings, mostly books, while all the gifts and souvenirs that he got as President has been deposited by him in the Rashtrapati Bhawan's "Toshakhana" (strong room). His suitcases have been readied for transportation to Chennai where the Director of Studies in the Anna University has vacated his 2-room accommodation for Dr Kalam to move in. The stuff packed in them include old records, personal papers, books and personal belongings, including eight suits and about a dozen 'veshtis' (Tamilian dhotis).As for the government bungalow at 31, Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi that he inspected this Wednesday, Dr Kalam would be moving in with just five suitcases.
He has already identified the items that will go to his Delhi accommodation since the bulk of his stuff is going to Chennai where he will pusue his academic interests in the Anna University.Dr Kalam has also accepted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's offer to be a visiting Professor of the Nalanda University.