'Science and spirituality, religion and rockets': Remembering Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

"He was well versed in all major religions, both Indian and foreign. I have not seen many like him, who are able to talk about the Quran, Bible, Thirukkural and Bhagavad Gita with the same depth", Dr Madhavan Nair, former Chairman, ISRO, recalls about his Guru (mentor and guide), Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, in a recently-published autobiography.

October 15th is the Birth Anniversary of Dr. Kalam, the veteran aerospace and defence scientist, who later went on to serve as the President of India.

Having been an integral part of ISRO's growth trajectory from the Thumba days of the late 1960s, to the Chandrayaan-1 days in the first decade of the 21st century, Dr. Madhavan Nair has an immensely powerful story to tell via his memoir 'Rocketing Through the Skies'. Having known Dr. Kalam professionally and personally, Dr. Nair shares several lesser-known facets of Dr. Kalam, who is also admired as India's 'People's President'.

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"A devout Muslim, he would perform Namaazdaily, fast during Ramadan, and read the Quran. He engaged with temples and churches with the same intensity. One could witness a rare mingling of many great Indian values in him,"Dr. Nair writes about Dr. Kalam. Interestingly, he also shares an anecdote from a Tirupati temple visit along with Dr. Kalam.

Before every rocket launch, the project director and a few others used to visit the Tirupati temple and make an offering of a small model of the rocket. It is a ritual followed even today. I had the opportunity to go to Tirupati with Dr. Kalam once, says Dr. Nair.

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"The chief priest was surprised to see a Muslim scientist coming for darshan. He received Dr. Kalam cordially and took him to the guest house. There, they talked about many things. In due course, their discussion reached the topic of Hindu philosophy. It turned out that the pujari had a doctorate in it! Still, he was deeply impressed with Dr. Kalam's knowledge of Hindu philosophy," reads a para from the book.

It also reveals that Dr. Kalam inherited his deep-rooted spirituality from his father Jainulabdeen Marakayar.

While delving into the depths of Science and Rocketry (later, missiles and nuclear weapons) and helping India progress in these domains, Dr. Kalam remained a deeply spiritual and religious individual, the book conveys.

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Dr. Madhavan Nair was the Chairman of ISRO from 2003-09 and his tenure witnessed the success of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-1.

He is also a recipient of top Indian government honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.

Former ISRO scientist Jaya G Nair has collaborated with Dr. Madhavan Nair in translating, re-narrating, and editing the original autobiography 'Agniparikshakal', which was in Malayalam.

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