Yes, yesterday’s president has become a teacher today. He also loves his new role.

Less than 24 hours after stepping down as the country’s president, A P J Abdul Kalam walked into the Anna University here to address teachers amid palpable excitement in the faculty.

When a faculty member addressed him as the former president, Kalam responded with a request — “instead of calling me former president, I am happy to be referred to as professor”.

He wanted to know what the faculty thought about the move to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.

“If women obtain 33 per cent reservation, do you think more work will be done or no work will be done at all? What will be the beautiful or effective dynamics that will take place in Parliament?” he asked.

A male teacher then replied: “Men will think more before they talk in Parliament”. Noting that he was impressed by the fact that 40 per cent of Anna University’s professors were women, Kalam said the dynamics of Parliament would change if women secured 33 per cent reservation.

‘I will be with the people’

Chennai, pti: Former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Thursday said he would work with the people to help push India to become an economically developed nation.

“I am going to be with the people to push India to become an economically developed nation,” he told reporters here.

“My aim is if I see the smiles of the one billion people in the country, I will be happy,” he said. Asked if he had achieved all that he had planned when he was President, he said: “I had a plan....I went through that. One of the things was I went to all the states and union territories, saw tears — both happy and sad.”