It is a different love President A P J Abdul Kalam has for roses!

Kalam is bowled over not by the outward looks of the flower but by its inner beauty.

This rare quality of the outgoing First Citizen came to the fore when his reaction was not that enthusiastic and forthcoming on seeing a special rose bloom in the Mughal Garden, recalls his Officer on Special Duty Brahma Singh.

Kalam was not impressed by the flower as it did not have fragrance. What mattered to the missile-scientist was the fragrance reflecting the inner beauty and not external looks, explained Singh.

“I was thrilled to see a special rose bloom in the Mughal Garden and such was the excitement that I wanted to share it with the President at first possible opportunity,” Singh said.

An equally ardent admirer of flowers, especially roses, Kalam did not waste any time and arrived to have a look.

“By the time I explained the beauty of the rose, Kalam had already bent to test its fragrance. When he stood up, I could read a negative reaction on his face,” he said.

“I regained my composure after the negative reaction from the President and mustered courage to ask him about his visible disappointment.

“Its not so beautiful. Rose flower without fragrance is not beautiful,” the 75-year-old Kalam said and continued with his argument “look Brahma, we should not go with the outward beauty only. Rather we should focus on inner beauty and fragrance reflects that beauty.”

The episode left an indelible imprint on Singh’s mind, who says that he learnt a moral lesson which even sages cannot impart in such a simple manner.

Immediately, everyone got the message and the dream of having a  “Fragrant Rosary” in a corner of Mughal Garden came true with 59 different species of sweet smelling roses in full bloom, Singh said.

Sharing beauty
The President was always keen on keeping all special variety of flowers, especially roses, in and around Mughal Garden, where the general public could also enjoy its beauty rather than becoming a private haunt of the President.

When Singh compiled a book on roses, Kalam himself wrote couplets for some of them, including Black Baccara, the blackest rose till date, for which the President wrote “I cheer sad hearts...”

Maintaining 300 acres of land of flowers, gardens and trees with an army of 200 gardeners was not possible without the guidance and support of the President, says one of the officials working in the President’s estate.
There are nearly 160 kinds of trees spread all over the President’s estate, including the majestic banyans, which moved the President to an extent that he penned a poem on them.