AR Rehman – Dr. Kalam, when you became the President, you gave the word ‘hope’ a new meaning for Indians… Today, we have lost a great leader who inspired our young minds to feel that we live in the greatest nation on earth and that each one of them can achieve great things… May the creator lead you to heaven.

Dilip Mandal – कलाम साहेब को सादर नमन और श्रद्धांजलि के साथ कुछ खरी बात। ऐसा इसलिए भी कि कलाम साहब को साफ़गोई पसंद थी। चापलूसी से उन्हें नफरत थी। 1. पोखरण-2 विस्फोट के वाजपेयी सरकार के फ़ैसले में अगर आपका कुछ भी योगदान था तो यह आपका बेहद गलत फैसला था। इसकी वजह से पाकिस्तान को परमाणु विस्फोट करने का मौक़ा मिल गया और दुनिया में एक और परमाणु हथियार संपन्न राष्ट्र को मान्यता मिल गई। इंदिरा गांधी भारत को यह दर्जा दिला चुकी थी, इसलिए भारत को इससे कुछ नहीं मिला। सिवा इसके कि पड़ोस में एक परमाणु शक्ति संपन्न राष्ट्र आ गया और हथियारों की नई होड़ शुरू हो गई।

Kavita Srivastava- I too am very uncomfortable about glorifying former President Abdul Kalam. For me he will always remain the man who led India to become nuclear. All that he did later cannot nullify how that act resulted in putting the whole of South Asia on short fuse. Even militarily he made us weak. India supposedly had nine times military might over Pakistan. But after the blasts of 11th May 1998, within 15 days Pakistan by doing their blasts equalised the weaponisation strength. What was the difference between Dr. Qadir who led Pakistan to become nuclear and Dr Kalam. We have put the whole South Asian region in jeopardy. Yes he had a way with children, lived an austere life, was against the Death penalty all values which are very important for me, but can we nullify that for the same children he loved he also gave them a world with more dangerous and lethal weapons. A weapon which can destroy life itself. I think we should not go gaga over him. Please also don’ t call him a scientist, he was an engineer, a technologist. Even with children he mostly talked about achievement and success. What about dreams, freedom to think, experimentation, forgiveness, reflection. These were wanting in his speeches. No i cannot be his fan. Deep condolences though for the departed soul. Normally one does not fight or talk critically of a dead person. I wrote this as almost everybody was only singing praises.

Nandita Das- #RIPAbdulKalam What a way to go….in the midst of a talk to the students in Meghalaya.

Mahesh Bhatt- Dr Kalam once told me that he learnt about true service from Gandhiji

Dipankar (CPIML) – Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a practising refutation of the obnoxious VVIP syndrome and the anachronistic ostentation of India’s highest office.

Read-

http://original.antiwar.com/bidwai/2002/06/22/missile-man-as-indias-president/