Kalam's family has quiet remembrance prayer

At President Kalam's Rameswaram home, family members have a prayer ceremony on the eve of his first death anniversary.
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar reports.

At 4 pm on July 26, former President A P J Abdul Kalam's family assembled at his eldest brother A P J Maracayer's home in Rameswaram to pray for the departed soul who passed away a year ago.

"On Wednesday there will be too many people coming here and so we decided to have the prayer meeting on Tuesday," says Sheikh Dawood, Maracayer's grandson who had come down from Chennai. "We will visit his memorial like everyone else on Wednesday."

Former Central Bureau of Investigation director D R Karthikeyan was one of those present at the ceremony.

"Every summer he called us grandsons to New Delhi to stay with him for a week," recalls Sheikh Dawood. "Last year we went on May 7. This happened regularly after he finished his tenure as President."

"He also came for my house warming ceremony in Chennai in March last year. He used to speak to me twice a week on the phone," Sheikh Dawood adds. "He always advised, 'have dreams, set goals, acquire knowledge, then action. If you follow this you can face any challenge in life and be successful'."

Sitti Sahia is President Kalam's niece. Her father A P J Mustafa Kamal was the People's President's elder brother. "He came to wish his eldest brother, my uncle, on his birthday in 2015. That was the last time I saw him," she says.;

Sitti's daughter Rizvana Parveen is in school. She has a scrapbook with pictures of her granduncle and his sayings. "He always told me to study hard," says Rizvana. "I am going to become a veterinary doctor."

Her father Sadiq Basha, a tailor, has fond memories of President Kalam. "He once invited the entire family to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Fifty two members went there and stayed for a week. On the first day they showed us around Delhi, then Rajasthan the next day. On the third day they took us to Ajmer Sharif. We had a memorable stay," Basha remembers.

Mustafa Kamal's elder daughter Rasheeda Begum has fond memories of her uncle. "I met him when he came to wish his elder brother on his birthday. There was a crowd and so we all spoke to him at the same time," she says. "He enquired about our health and the children. He was very affectionate," she says.

IMAGE: President Kalam's elder brother A P J Maracayer, who is 100 years old, with former CBI director D R Karthikeyan at the prayer ceremony. Photograph: A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com