Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president, a scientist, an erudite scholar and an excellent teacher.
He was born into a Muslim family who lived in a remote town called Rameswaram on Pamban Island. It is a popular pilgrimage centre located in the State of Tamil Nadu, South of India.
Dr. Kalam always said he was a teacher first and a president next. Such was his love for teaching. The nation remembers him as a great role model.
He was called the “People’s President” because he asked students in the country to dream of a strong, self-reliant India. And he tasked the teachers with preparing the young towards achieving the goal.
He emphasized the importance of students developing a scientific temper and encouraged them to think independently to find solutions.
Dr. Kalam returned to teaching, writing and public service after he served just one term as president. Humility was his character and personality.
He wrote a book titled India 2020 wherein he put out an action plan that he said would take India towards achieving a developed status by 2020. It’s now 2024 and the nation is achieving the objective thanks to Dr. Kalam’s vision.
In 1997, Kalam received India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to scientific research and modernization of defence technology.
He died while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong on 27 July 2015.
The nation remembers him not just as a scientist, scholar or the former president of India, but as a beloved teacher.
"சென்றிடுவீர் எட்டுத் திக்கும்" 