Mangaluru, July 28: Today, the students, management and faculty of St. Aloysius College congregated together to condole the death of former president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The ‘People’s President’ as he is known, had been a mentor and a friend to the staff and students of St. Aloysius College. An alumnus of a Jesuit institution himself, Dr Kalam studied in St. Joseph’s College, Trichy and during his visit to St. Aloysius College in March 2003 to inaugurate the PG and IT block, he had said that “Jesuit education is a tradition of traditions”.
Dr. Kalam’s love for students was reciprocated by the students for his departed soul as they sang hymns, respectfully bowing their heads and praying silently in respect. Verses from the holy scriptures, Qur’an, Bible and Bhagavath Geeta, were recited to provide solace to the multi-talented Missile Man.
Rev. Fr. Swebert D’Silva S J, the Principal of the College, repeated the words of Dr. Kalam and said that the nation has lost a great mind, a technocrat and a scientist. With a joyful memory of Dr. Abdul Kalam lingering in his mind, Fr. Swebert said, “Dr. Kalam would never rest. He was dynamic, active and quick in his movements and thoughts. An epitome of humility and friendliness was his character. We lost a great friend of our nation, a missionary who would have taken India to greater heights. He also ignited the minds of so many young people to work for the cause of the beloved nation.”
Though it was hard to digest the fact that Dr. Kalam is no longer in the material world, he will forever remain in the hearts of the youngsters. He has given a dream about India to the present generation of citizens which will ultimately come true in the horizon of vision, the year 2020.