Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial will inspire us to chase the dream to make Bharat a Developed and Prosperous in the years to come
TS Venkatesan from Chennai
July 27th was a red-lettered day in the annals of Bharat’s history. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the memorial of former President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. The memorial is at Pei Karumbu on Pamban Island in Ramanathapuram District, less than 5km from Kalam’s hometown, Rameswaram.
The memorial has been built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at a cost of about Rs 15 crore near the tomb where Kalam was laid to rest two years ago. The memorial will reflect India’s diversity and various cultures. It will also pay homage to Kalam’s life, displaying replicas of rockets and missiles that the late ace scientist worked on. The elevation in the front resembles the India Gate of Delhi. A life-size seven-feet tall bronze statue of ‘People’s President’ has been placed behind the memorial building along with a model of a 45-foot tall ‘Agni-II’ missile weighing about four ton, a project with which Shri Kalam was intensely involved when heading the DRDO.
Addressing a public meeting at Mandapam on the promontory to Pamban Island, after dedicating, the Kalam memorial to the nation, PM Shri Modi said “Rameswaram has a vital place in our history and it is also known as a place so closely associated with Kalam. It is this sacred land that gave India one of its most famous sons Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.” Shri Modi said to honour the legacy of Kalam, nation should be “developed in all walks of life” when it celebrates its 75th Independence Day in 2022. He called on the youth of the Bharat—so beloved of the scientist turned-statesman—to “take an oath“to achieve this.
While inaugurating the Kalam’s Memorial, Modi sung paeans on the legacy of the ‘People’s President’ APJ Abdul Kalam and said that his Government’s “fight against corruption” could be extended to Tamil Nadu, where the people have been fed up with long years of high corruption and would welcome healthy alternatives.
Praise for LabourersAt the request of Shri Modi, the guests who had gathered at the function gave a standing ovation to more than 450 workers who worked overtime but never claimed extra payment. While lavishly praising the workers who built the Memorial of Shri Kalam Prime Minister said that apart from the Government’s help in the form money and planning, the artisans, labourers, artists and architects who came in from every corner of the country put in a great effort to complete the memorial. Revealing the secret behind the success of the memorial, the PM said “The labourers who were engaged in this work had been working as per the Government norms from 8 am to 5 pm. Then they used to rest for one hour from 5 pm to 6 pm. After having evening tea they used resume work from 6 pm till 8 pm for which they didn’t charged any overtime. This indeed is their tribute to Abdul Kalamji in the form of sheer hard work and sweat of the workers. |
Citing epic Ramayana, Shri Modi said like the squirrel helped Sri Ram to build the Ram Sethu all should contribute for the development of the country. “If each one of the 125 crore people marched one foot ahead like the squirrel, India will march 125 crore feet ahead,” he stressed. While referring to the efforts of the workers, Shri Modi remembered the late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, saying he missed her. “I am missing Jayalalithaa here, and can feel the void. If she was here today, in our midst, she would have been very happy to see the work done by the labourers and would have extended her good wishes. She is a leader we all remember. I believe her soul will continue to shower blessings for Tamil Nadu’s bright future,” he said.
Shri Modi paid floral tributes at Kalam Sthal after inaugurating the memorial and hoisted the national flag. He met the members of the former President’s family and flagged off an exhibition bus, Kalam Sandesh Vahini, at Pei Karumbu.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Modi said that the Centre would extend loans and subsidies from an allocation of 1,500 crore to allow the fishermen to convert their vessels into deep sea liners and acquire the gear required for expeditions far from the coastline. He also distributed letters of sanction to five selected beneficiaries under the scheme.
“The Indian Ocean and the 7,500 km coastal line of India is full of investment potential,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the Centre had conceived the Sagarmala Project, a strategic and customer-oriented initiative to modernise Indian ports with this in mind. Under the Centre’s Blue Revolution Scheme, fishermen from the southern edge of the State’s coastline will be able to venture far from land and overcome the difficulties of fishing in the Palk Strait, where the Sri Lankan Navy has been repeatedly detaining them and confiscating their boats.
The Prime Minster also flagged off a new train, a Rameswaram-Ayodhya-Faizabad Weekly Express, via video conference at Mandabam and inaugurated a road between Mukundarayar Chathiram and Arichalmunai, connecting Dhanushkodi, at the south-eastern tip of the island, and the mainland.
Tamil Nadu acting Governor Shri Vidyasagar Rao, Union Ministers Shri Pon Radhakrishnan and Shri Nirmala Sitharaman, State Information Technology Minister Shri M Manikandan and Finance Minister Shri D Jayakumar shared dais with Shri Modi.
Thanking the Prime Minister Shri Modi for linking the Blue Revolution scheme to the State’s fishermen, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Shri Edappadi Palaniswami said the Centre would help fishermen to convert 500 bottom trawlers into longliners at a cost of 286 crore. In three phases, they would customise 2,000 bottom trawlers at a cost of 1,621 crore. He thanked Shri Modi for accepting “Amma’s proposal” to alleviate the suffering of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen and personally directing the Union Fisheries Ministry to ensure that it released adequate funds for the project.
PM flagged off a science vehicle ‘Kalam 2020’, an exhibition bus that will travel across various states of the country and reach Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 15, the birth anniversary of the former President.
Speaking on the occasion Tughlak editor Shri S Gurumurthy said that the Tamil Nadu people are now sick of the Dravidian brand of politics that had only bred corruption and did little for their economic progress. He said that the days of dominance of the two Dravidian parties over the State’s ballot boxes are fast fading. Shri Gurumurthy pointed out that the BJP badly needs good Muslim youth in the State leadership which would help to shed its anti-Muslim image.
The memorial is a creation of the Modi Government. It’s not only a monument to perpetuate the great legacy of the ‘People’s President’ but also as a gift to the Tamil Nadu people. As the Dravidian parties cannot take credit to Kalam legacy, in all probabilities Kalam would be BJP’s icon (mascot) in Tamil Nadu. PM Modi had not only come to the Island town, for inauguration, amidst his heavy schedule, but also spent some time with the Kalam family.
