What the who’s who of India said of the iconic Indian – Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, nuclear scientist and former President of India, fondly known as Peoples’ President. He died on 27th July, leaving an intellectual void in our country. Corporate Citizen salutes him for his colossal contribution in the arena of Science, Governance, Literature and for being an influencer of young minds of the nation

“His character, commitment and inspirational vision shine through his life. He was unencumbered by ego; flattery left him cold. His vision for the nation was anchored in freedom, development and strength.” Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

“People’s president and first scientist to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kalam was free of political affiliation and very popular among the scientists, academics and students fraternity around the world. At various stages of negotiations (on the nuclear deal), I used to brief (him (Kalam), and I was very happy when he endorsed what we were doing. He (Kalam) recognised the problems that I had in managing a difficult coalition government.” Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister of India

“New dimension to Rashtrapati Bhawan as he became the people’s President with whom every Indian, be it a child, student, farmer, scientist or industrialist could identify himself or herself” Rana Kapoor, President, ASSOCHAM

“Even as the President, Kalam would host discussions on the missile’s progress and give crucial inputs and closely follow military developments across the world. He was like a guide and teacher for us. He transformed DRDO. He told us that success is a result of team work. And, if anything fails, the responsibility is then individual’s” Dr Avinash Chander, Former DRDO Chief

“President Kalam was a true patriot and a statesman. As President he connected with and inspired so many people, particularly youngsters across the country. At a personal level, he was a very simple, kind, and genuine man - a great role model for our country. I had known him for nearly two decades and I join the country in mourning this loss” NR Narayana Murthy, Infosys co-founder

His vision for India had no boundaries and challenges in our nuclear program and space program were approached with a can do attitude! He was an inspiration to me to take on technical challenges that seemed insurmountable! His humility and life story were an inspiration for a generation of young people - Jamshyd Godrej, chairman, Godrej & Boyce

“His tenure as India’s 11th president witnessed unprecedented growth in US-India ties. Suitably named ‘the People’s President’ Dr. Kalam’s humility and dedication to public service served as an inspiration to millions of Indians and admirers around the world” Barack Obama, US President

“He was a person who could make the impossible look possible and he actually made it possible for ordinary people to dream they could be anybody. If he could make it in this country, he gave the hope that anybody could make it” Prof N Balakrishnan, Senior aeronautical and computer scientist and former associate director of the Indian Institute of Science

“Dr Kalam’s role as the leader of India ‘s maiden space launch vehicle mission SLV-3, his leadership qualities and his key part in the nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998, stand out among his immense contribution. Pokhran II made the world realize the potential of India and gave us an upper hand in the handshake with the US” Raghunath Mashelkar, Eminent Scientist

“The best part about Kalam was that whenever he delivered his speeches he used to come down to the level of a common man and speak despite being such a great scientist. He had great faith in the country’s youth and would always say that youngsters should be given the responsibility of taking the nation forward by developing expertise in various fields and also by building moral values in them” Jayant Narlikar, Eminent Astrophysicist

“In 1989, I got the opportunity to work with Kalam for his book ‘India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium’ co-authored with YS Rajan. I had contributed in research and data collection as a chairperson for one of the task forces ‘Agro-Food’ as I was associated with the food processing industry, Later, Kalam motivated me to write a book on the lives of girls who were given scholarships and achieved success in life. I started working on the book titled ‘21st Century Belongs To Them’. This book was published in 2005 at Rashtrapati Bhavan by Kalam in the presence of the girls who are featured in the book. The book has a foreword by Kalam. It was a moment of great pride for the girls” Lila Poonawalla, founder, Lila Poonawalla Foundation

“Today, I look back - he took the final journey, teaching, what he always wanted to be remembered doing. And, till his final moment he was standing, working and lecturing. He left us, as a great teacher, standing tall. He leaves the world with nothing accumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. He was a successful, even in his end. The man is gone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam” Srijan Pal Singh, Kalam’s adviser, co-authored two books with the former President and was on the same stage with him in Shillong when he collapsed and was taken to hospital where he later died.