Video: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's friend remembers him on his 84th birthday

Bengaluru,Oct 15: On the occasion of 84th birthday of Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Kalam, who is popularly known as the 'Missile Man of India', his college friend Mahabaleswara Bhat, recalled his memories with the late president, on Thursday, Oct 15.

During an exclusive interview, Bhat, who studied at Madras Institute of Technology with the former president Dr Kalam, told OneIndia, "I don't think that was not culture at all at that time to celebrate birthdays, so he also did not like to celebrate his birthday."

"Rather than celebrating this day as his birthday, we should celebrate his work which he has done during his lifetime", he suggested.[Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's college friend recalls his days with the "missile man"]

He also added, "I was his roommate in hostel and I was surprised to see him reading Hindu scriptures like the Bhagawad Gita, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, despite being from a Muslim family."

In addition to that Bhat said, "I was surprised to see him playing 'veena', as normally Muslims play other instruments like flute but it was very strange to see him playing 'Veena'."

Watch the entire interview here:

Part 1:

Part 2:

83-year-old Dr Kalam breathed his last at 7.45 pm while delivering a lecture at IIM Shillong, when he suddenly collapsed at the dais. He was immediately rushed to a hospital, where doctors could not revive him.

OneIndia News