“People’s President” A P J Abdul Kalam, who passed away in Shillong on Monday, will be given a state funeral with full military honours at his birthplace Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu at 11 am on Thursday.
Kalam’s body, wrapped in Tri-colour, was flown to the national capital in an Air Force plane and kept at his 10, Rajaji Marg residence.
People paid respect for the Bharat Ratna, whose simplicity and humility was more overpowering than the exalted offices he occupied — be it as a leading missile scientist, scientific adviser or President.
Kalam’s mortal remains will be taken in a special aircraft to Madurai at 7:45 am on Wednesday. From there, the body will be flown in an IAF helicopter to Rameswaram, where it will lie in state till 7 pm for the people to pay their last respects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at least 12 Union ministers and six chief ministers are expected to be in Rameswaram.
The last rites will be held in accordance with the wishes of Kalam’s family, headed by his elder brother Muthu Mohammed Meeran Marraikar (99), whose grandsons flew in from Bengaluru and Chennai to coordinate with officials for arrangements for the last rites.
Among the first to arrive at 10, Rajaji Marg on Tuesday were Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, AIADMK MPs M Thambidurai and A Navneetkrishnan, and former Union minister E Ahamed. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the casket at the Palam technical area here, where the body was kept briefly.
Later, the casket was taken to Kalam’s residence in a gun carriage, with students lining the roadside to have a last glimpse of a statesman children loved perhaps the most after “Chacha” Jawahar Lal Nehru.
The former President’s aides for several years, Ponraj and Prasad, broke down as Kalam’s mortal remains reached his official residence.
His friend Srijan Pal Singh, who was with Kalam during his dying moments, refused to look at the body.
“I always want to remember his smiling face,” he said. A sea of people — the powerful, the rich and the masses — swelled at his residence.
Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Sadananda Gowda, Suresh Prabhu, BJP chief Amit Shah, BJP veteran L K Advani, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar took turns to pay floral tributes to Kalam.
Later, at 4 pm, the venue was opened up for the public. People were seen clicking photographs and making videos of the fleeting moments. “In his passing away, the country has lost a visionary scientist, a true nationalist and a great son,” said the resolution passed by the Union Cabinet.
(Published 28 July 2015, 20:33 IST)