DD Podhigai telecast an interview with Mr P M Nair retired IAS officer
who was the secretary to Dr Kalam Sir when he was the President. I
summarise the points he spoke in voice choked with emotion. Mr Nair
had authored a book titled "Kalam Effect" .
1. Dr Kalam used to receive costly gifts whenever he went as it is
customary for many nations to give gifts to the visiting Head of
state. Refusing the gift would become an insult to the nation and an
embarrassment for India. So, he received them and on his return, Dr
Kalam asked the gifts to be photographed and then catalogued and
handed over to the archives. Afterwards, he never even looked at them.
He did not take even a pencil from the gifts received when he left
Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
2. In 2002, the year Dr Kalam took over, the Ramadan month came in
July-August. it was a regular practice for the President to host an
iftar party. Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair why he should host a party to
people who are already well fed and asked him to find out how much
would be the cost. Mr Nair told it costs around Rs. 22 lakhs. Dr Kalam
asked him to donate that amount to a few selected orphanages in the
form of food, dresses and blankets. The selection of orphanages was
left to a team in Rashtrapathi Bhavan and Dr Kalam had no role in it.
After the selection was made, Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair to come inside
his room and gave him a cheque for Rs 1 lakh. He said that he is
giving some amount from his personal savings and this should not be
informed to anyone. Mr Nair was so shocked that he said "sir, I will
go outside and tell everyone . People should know that here is a man
who not only donated what he should have spent but he is giving his
own money also". Dr Kalam though he was a devout Muslim did not have
Iftar parties in the years in which he was the President.
3. Dr Kalam did not like "yes sir" type of people. Once when the Chief
Justice of India had come and on some point Dr Kalam expressed his
view and asked Mr Nair, "Do you agree?"/ Mr Nair said "No sir, I do
not agree with you". The Chief Justice was shocked and could not
believe his ears. It was impossible for a civil servant to disagree
with the president and that too so openly. Mr Nair told him that the
President would question him afterwards why he disagreed and if the
reason was logical 99% he would change his mind.
4. Dr Kalam invited 50 of his relatives to come to Delhi and they all
stayed in Rashtrapathi Bhavan. He organised a bus for them to go
around the city which was paid for by him. No official car was used.
All their stay and food was calculated as per the instructions of Dr
Kalam and the bill came to Rs 2 lakhs which he paid. In the history of
this country no one has done it. Now, wait for the climax, Dr Kalam's
elder brother stayed with him in his room for the entire one week as
Dr Kalam wanted his brother to stay with him. When they left, Dr Kalam
wanted to pay rent for that room also. Imagine a President of country
paying rent for the room in which he is staying. This was any way not
agreed by the staff who thought the honesty was getting too much to
handle !!!.
5. When Kalam Sir was to leave Rashtrapathi Bhavan at the end of the
tenure, every staff member went and met him and paid their respects.
Mr Nair went to him alone as his wife had fractured her leg and was
bed ridden. Dr Kalam asked why his wife did not come. He replied that
she was in bed due to an accident. Next day, Nair saw lot of police
men around his house and asked what had happened. They said that the
President of India was coming to visit him in his house. He came and
met his wife and chatted for some time. Mr Nair says that no president
of any country would visit a civil servant's house and that too on
such a simple pretext.
I thought I should give the details as many of you may not have seen
the telecast and so it may be useful.
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