Rameswaram: On the eve of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s first death anniversary a seven feet tall bronze statue weighing 350 kg of the late President of India was unveiled at the site of his burial at Peikarumbu in Rameswaram Island on July 27 by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Union Minister of Defence Manohar Parikkar.
Paying homage to Dr Kalam, Shri Naidu said the memorial would be completed on time. “We die the way we live. Dr Kalam always thought of igniting the minds of students and helping them aim high in life, which he pursued relentlessly throughout his five-year tenure as President of India and even after. His died as he lived, among the student community, in Shillong on this day a year ago,” he said. He thanked Shri Manohar Parrikar who was instrumental in DRDO taking over the memorial project. He also thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for allocating land for the memorial which would have the statue at the entrance, an auditorium and planetarium upon its completion.
While cities with a population of one lakh and above have been included in Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), though this town has a population of only about 45,000, Prime Minister Modi has included this city in AMRUT as a tribute to Dr Kalam. The project with an investment of about Rs 48 crore has been approved for Rameswaram under AMRUT. Earlier on the day, large crowds, including school students, public and politicians cutting across party lines gathered at the memorial site to pay homage to the late leader.
‘Kalam still alive in Vision of India’ New Delhi: Union Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar and Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar released Dr Unnat Pandit’s three books entitled Dr Kalam, Prerna ki Udaan in Hindi, Do You Know Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in English and Prerna Nu Zarnu: Dr Abdul Kalam in Gujarati to pay tribute to Dr Kalam on his first death anniversary on July 27. Dr Kalam still lives in the imaginations of children, in the innovations of youth, in aspirations of adults, in the inventions of scientists and in the vision of our India. |
