People gather in large numbers at Kalam’s Rameswaram house

The prime minister and the president went to the airport to pay tributes to the late leader.

Ace lyricist Vairamuthu in his condolence message has said “I am heartbroken as if a elderly person of our family is dead”.

He collapsed Monday during a lecture in Shillong, the capital of India’s far eastern Meghalaya state, the Press Trust of India reported, without saying where it got the information.

India’s 11 President who is the most eminent scientist, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam birthday i.e. October 15 is observed as World Students Day, it was declared by United Nations on Kalam’s 79 birth anniversary.

As President, Kalam utilised any opportunity that came to him to address students, especially school children, to dream big so that they became achievers in life.

Last rites for the People’s President will be performed in his hometown Rameswaram, after the public tribute at his residence in Delhi at 10 Rajaji Marg.

The body of the former president was flown out from Delhi to Madurai in Tamil Nadu this morning, from where it will be taken by helicopter to Rameswaram. Residents can express their sympathies in the book at the Embassy’s premises from 9am to 4pm on July 30. He played a key organisational and technical role in India’s nuclear program.

In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Hamid Ansari said the country had lost a true son.

Obaid ur Rahman, chairman, Bihar Foundation, said, “APJ was a great scientist and nice human being who contributed immensely in the field of science and technology and space”.

Srijan Pal Singh tweeted, “Dedicating immortal memories of Dr. Kalam, this account will now reflect his lessons and missions”.

Acknowledged as the driving force behind India’s quest for cutting-edge defence technologies, Kalam’s contributions to India’s satellite programmes, guided and ballistic missiles project, nuclear weapons programme and the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) project made him a household name.

Kalam received several prestigious awards, including Bharat Ratna, India’s top civil honor conferred by the government. Known as “Missile man of India” he was loved by one and all from children to youth to the elders crossing all party lines.