Augustine Pamplany CST

It is an unknown facet of the life of the great Indian scientist and 11th President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam that he advised Nambi Narayan against suing those who fabricated spy case against him. His motivation to this advice, recollects Nambi Narayan, was his firm faith in God. “Many of us know Kalam only as a visionary scientist who could inspire and motivate others. While being a great scientist, Kalam remained a firm believer in God. He had the ability to pardon people who had committed mistakes. He used to say that God would take care of those who committed crimes. He asked me why I wanted to sue them He would say leave it to God, one cannot sell fabricated stories in the court of God.”

Kalam thought that meditation can bring out the best of creativity. In contemplative state. Kalam said, “preset mind vanishes, imagination blossoms, creativity blossoms, activating neurons in the brain, and problem solving capacity of the neurons increases which brings optimal wisdom leading to innovative discoveries.” He believed in the universality of spirituality as common to all religion and emphasised training children to distinguish between theology and spirituality. He even suggested introducing moral classes in school curriculum towards achieving this goal.

Kalam was aversive to the split between science and religion: “I wonder why some people tend to see science and something which takes man away from God. As I look at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation.”

Kalam had his own radical views on religion as a promoter of peace: “For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool… No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.” His emphasis on prayer implies that unlike many scientists who regarded God only as a power or principle, Kalam believed in a personal God “God, our creator has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.”