The Missile Man

My President and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Dr Abdul Kalam turns 75 today. It was a proud moment for all Indians when Dr Kalam was elected as the President of India. Though the President is essentially a figurehead, its a highly visible post and has been much politicised in the past. But the election of essentially a man with an academic and apolitical background was widely supported across all sections of the society.
The reasons why Dr Kalam is revered by all Indians is not hard to fathom. For some he is the secular face of modern India- He is a practicing Muslim but yet reads the Gita and plays the Veena. For millions of young Indians like me he is the face of a vibrant India driven by technology and an example of how far hardwork can get you. He was also one of the men responsible for the Pokhran-II nuclear test that symbolically announced to the world that India has arrived with a bang though we all knew that our nuclear weapons will never be used for offensive purposes.

I wish Kalam a very happy birthday and hope his dream of a developed India by 2020 comes true.