President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of dignitaries on Tuesday paid their homage to former President A P J Abdul Kalam, whose mortal remains were brought to New Delhi from Shillong, where he died on Monday night.
The dignitaries placed wreaths on the body that was wrapped in a tri-colour and placed on a deck on the tarmac at at the Palam technical area after it was brought down from a special Indian Air Force aircraft that ferried it from Guwahati.
Earlier the body of Kalam, who collapsed during a lecture and died of cardiac arrest, was taken from Shillong in a Air Force helicopter to Guwahati, where Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi paid his respects.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi led the state in paying respect to Kalam, calling Kalam’s death an “irreparable loss” to the nation.
“It is an irreparable loss to the nation. He loved children, he loved the nation. I have met him many times. I took him to rural areas of Assam. He was a very simple and honest man. Along with India, entire state is mourning his death,” Gogoi said.
The president and other dignitaries stood in silence as a guard of honour was given before the former president’s body was taken in a flower-bedecked gun carriage to his residence at 10 Rajaji Marg, where it will lie in state for people to pay homage from 3 pm onwards.
The gun carriage was taken in a procession from the airport to Kalam’s residence, a distance of about 12 km.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, three service chiefs and the marshal of the Indian Air Force 96-year-old Arjan Singh were among the dignitaries, who paid their last respects to the departed soul.
The last rites of Kalam will take place at his birthplace in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday at the request of his family members, sources in the government said after a Cabinet meeting that adopted a resolution condoling the death and hailing his services to the nation.
After paying their tributes, the president and the prime minister were seen involved in a conversation. Later, Modi also had a word with the vice president.
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmughanathan, who accompanied Kalam’s body from Shillong, was also seen talking to the PM.
The government has announced a seven-day state mourning in honour of Kalam, who became affectionately known as the 'people's president’.
He became the 11th head of the state and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007.
Kalam’s Twitter account to remain active
Although former President A P J Abdul Kalam is no more, his Twitter account will continue to be active in a new form.
A team of his close associates has decided to run his official Twitter account, which has now been renamed as ‘In memory of Dr Kalam’.
“Dedicated to immortal memories of Dr Kalam. This account will now reflect his thoughts, his lessons & missions. Miss you sir!” Kalam’s close aide Srijan Pal Singh said in a tweet.
Singh would now act as the administrator of his Twitter account and will keep sharing inspirational quotes from an innumerable number of speeches made by Kalam and his books like Wings of Fire, India 2020 and ‘Ignited Minds’.
Another book Advantage India, co-authored by Kalam and Singh, is due to release later the year.
Since February 2011, Kalam had been regularly posting his views on contemporary issues facing the country besides sending out inspirational messages on Twitter.
He had more than 1.4 million followers on the microblogging site which is now flooded with his one-liners.
