Indian
Express: New Delhi: Monday, 15 February 2016.
The memorial
for commemorating the life and work of late President A P J Abdul Kalam at
Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu will be based on three different themes to showcase
his contribution in motivating the youth apart from his scientific acumen and
eventful life.
Responding to
an RTI application filed The Indian Express, the Ministry of Urban Development
(MoUD) stated that the government will construct the memorial in Rameshwaram
through the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Also, the
“world class” memorial will take inspiration from top memorials and museums of
the country, including Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi-Kutir in Ahmedabad and Rajiv
Gandhi’s memorial in Sriperumbudur.
Pursuant to
an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the former President’s birth
anniversary on October 16, 2015, a meeting was held in November last year under
the chairmanship of Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to give a
concrete shape to the government’s resolution.
According to the
RTI reply, it was decided that the memorial will be based on three broad
themes: “Journey through the life of Dr Kalam”, his “contribution to science”
and his “contribution in motivating the youth.”
The minutes
of the meeting added that “the memorial will have audio-visuals in minimum
three languages, namely Tamil, Hindi and English”.
In the
meeting, which was also attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Union
Minister P Radhakrishnan, former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswamy and
Culture Secretary Narendra Kumar Sinha, the DRDO Secretary and other officials
were asked to visit top memorials in the country “for taking inspiration for
the world class memorial”.
The RTI reply
said a “trust/society may be formed by DRDO officials for the upkeep and
maintenance of the memorial” with inclusion of bureaucrats from MoUD and
Ministry of Culture.
The culture
ministry has been asked to provide inputs on the cultural aspects of the
memorial to the DRDO. The minutes said the Tamil Nadu government will be
requested to provide 2.5 acre additional land adjacent to the plot already
earmarked for the purpose.
A hall in
DRDO headquarter in Delhi will also be refurbished and thrown open to public to
depict contributions of Kalam, added the reply. The DRDO will also obtain
consent of Kalam’s family at his ancestral house in Rameshwaram to provide
support, if required, for the maintenance of the house.
When
contacted, Kalam’s grand nephew A P J Sheik Dawood, said the family met Naidu
recently in Bengaluru. “We have been assured that the government is committed
to build a world class memorial. It is taking some time since the Centre has
sought additional land from the Tamil Nadu government.”
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