August 30, 2015
SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI MERDEKA KE 58
August 06, 2015
The Great Statesman
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was not a politician, but he was a true leader of men and a great success story. He was a poor kid who became a role model for leaders around the world.
THE VVIP walked to the stage to loud applause, flanked by the hosts. He passed the speaker’s podium. And stopped in his tracks. There, before him, were two rows of seats with a special chair in the centre for him, comfortable cushions and all.
The man flatly refused to move unless the chair was removed.
“Get me a chair just like the others,” he demanded.
The hosts were flustered. They rushed around before deciding to remove the comfortable chair and place one of the other chairs there instead.
Placated, the VVIP walked over, raised his hands to the crowd and sat. And the crowd rose as one to give Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Kalam (pic) a standing ovation.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who died on July 27, was that kind of man – a humble leader who always considered himself one of the millions of ordinary Indians.
He was no ordinary man, though. He has even been compared with Mahatma Gandhi, the man behind India’s independence and the great movement called satyagraha (passive resistance) and ahimsa (non-violence).
Like Gandhi, he owned precious little but for most Indians of today, he was the most precious thing in the country. He was scientist, philosopher, poet, leader, teacher, medical researcher, missile man – and, above all, the People’s President.
When Dr Kalam was made president, he went into Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, with two bags of clothes. Five years later, his tenure done, he left the palace – with the same two bags.
Aides tell of how he used to wear the same few coats and shirts – some were frayed – although he was asked to buy new ones.
To his death, he owned little. He had some 2,500 books, a wristwatch, six shirts, four trousers, three suits and a pair of shoes. He did not own property. Not even a fridge, TV, car or air conditioner.
He survived on the royalties from his books – he authored four of them – and his pension.
He did not believe in accepting money from anyone. And his penchant was in driving this message home to the youths of India.
“If you know your father bought that car with money that he did not rightfully earn, tell him that you will never sit in the car. And stick to your words,” he said.
He wanted them to walk or cycle rather than ride in a car bought with ill-gotten wealth.
He said if society was to be fighting corruption, there were three key people who could make it happen – the father, the mother and the teacher. And he was the teacher.
He told youths to dream, not idle dreams, but dreams that would come true. Dreams, he said, are not what you see when you are asleep. They are what keep you from sleeping.
He was a devout Muslim – the son of an imam – but also a man who embraced all religions.
Born in Rameshwaram, an island in the southernmost tip of India, he grew up with the famed Ramanatha Swami temple towering over him. His best friend was Ramananda Shashtri, the son of a Hindu priest.
For great men, he said, religion was a way of making friends.
“Small people make religion a fighting tool,” he said.
And he lived up to his doctrine.
During his visit to Malaysia, he walked the street of harmony – Jalan Kapitan Keling – in Penang. At St George’s Church, he stood in front of the cross and recited a prayer. At the Kuan Yin temple down the road, he prayed with joss sticks in his palms. Then, he walked over to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple where he paid his respects.
As he stepped out to loud Indian traditional music, the crowd mobbed him. He took the mike and told the crowd in his native Tamil language to recite after him his favourite mantra. And, with a fervour seldom seen there, they chanted:
If there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character;
If there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home;
If there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation;
If there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.
Then, it was over to the Kapitan Kling mosque where he was greeted by the imam. He planted a tree – tree-planting to stop global warming was another great drive of his – and then joined a congregation of fellow Muslims in zohor prayers.
It was a lesson in harmony, on Harmony Street.
He may have been the man behind India’s killing machines, its rockets and bombs. But he was a man who loved every soul as his own. The only sad thing is: he was never an elected leader, one who could have made a difference in politics and policies. He was just a titular head of state.
But Dr Kalam died every inch a statesman, and as a role model for those in public life throughout the world. Even in death, he left a memorable legacy. Don’t declare a holiday on my death, he said.
“If you want to remember me, work an extra day,” he said.
In Jaipur, not only did they not have holiday on the day he died, all civil servants came back to work last Sunday to honour his words.
Dr Kalam may not have wanted a holiday upon his death but there are days for him. In Switzerland, May 26 – the day he visited the country – is World Science Day. And his birthday on Oct 15 is World Students Day. He was a teacher to his last breath.
August 04, 2015
July 27, 2015
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam passes away - AL Fatihah (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam)
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/fifteen-inspiring-quotes-by-bharat-ratna-dr-abdul-kalam/20150728.htm
Former president A P J Abdul Kalam, the 'missile man' who came to be known as 'People's President' passed on Monday 27 -7 2015 after he collapsed during a lecture at the IIM Shillong on Monday evening.
Kalam, who would have turned 84 in October, was confirmed dead more than two hours after he was wheeled into the ICU of Bethany hospital in a critical condition following the collapse at around 6.30 pm.
Considered the most popular President, Kalam became the 11th head of the state and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007 but lack of consensus denied a second term in office for a man who came from outside political spectrum.
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmughanathan, who rushed to the hospital on hearing the news of his admission, said Kalam died at 7.45 pm. Despite medical team best efforts, he could not be revived.
Chief Secretary P B O Warjiri told reporters outside the hospital that he had spoken to Union Home Secretary L C Goyal asking for necessary arrangements to be made for carrying Kalam's body from Guwahati to Delhi on Tuesday morning.
"The former President has been admitted to Bethany hospital in a critical condition," M Kharkrang, SP Khasi Hills said earlier.
Doctors from the army hospital and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences rushed to Bethany Hospital but their efforts proved to be of no avail.
A seven-day national mourning will be declared by the Centre, Union Home Secretary L C Goyal said. Both the houses of Parliament are likely to make obituary references and adjourn as a mark of respect to his memory.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam rose from humble origins to become the president in the most unexpected manner during the National Democratic Alliance government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee after an all party consensus minus the left parties that saw him through in an election which he won handsomely.
An aeronautics engineer from Madras Institute of Technology, Kalam was considered the brain of missile programme in India got and as Chief Scientific Adviser to Vajpayee was also instrumental in the Pokhran nuclear test in 1998.
As president, Kalam utilised any opportunity that came to him to address students, especially school children, to dream big so that they became achievers in life.
A bachelor, the former president was a veena player and was deeply interested in Carnatic music. He was vegetarian all his life.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and leaders cutting across party lines condoled the demise of the former President.
Modi described him as 'marg darshak' while the home minister termed him as an inspiration to an entire generation.
Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that Kalam was a darling of youths and students. Azad said Kalam was always happy to be among children and educational institutions. Even he breathed his last in the premises of an educational institution, he noted.
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in recent history only a few people had endeared themselves to the young and old, to the poor and rich, to the educated and the unlettered and to the people belonging to different faiths and speaking different languages.
July 22, 2015
Ripped Freak - Fat Burning
28 Days to Lean Meal Plan
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3 Favorite Diet Foods
Here are Juge'’s picks for the top three foods to turn to when you're trying to shed fat.
Egg Whites - "“There'’s no fat or cholesterol and they're pure protein. They'’re very easy to prepare -- they take just a couple of minutes to make."
Oatmeal - It'’s low in sugar, high in fiber and provides sustained energy. Choose the old-fashioned variety if you have a few minutes to spare, and the one-minute oats if you'’re in a rush. In a pinch, you can even rip open a packet of instant oatmeal (plain flavor only) -- just add hot water and stir.
Green Veggies - They'’re healthy and deliver many benefits, like fiber for improved digestion. They contain many valuable vitamins, phytochemicals and antioxidants for better health. Plus, they'’re bulky and fill you up for just a few grams of carbs per cup of veggies. (Quick tip: To quickly steam veggies, put an inch or two of water in a bowl, add veggies, cover bowl and microwave for 2-–3 minutes
July 11, 2015
Freshly Opened Cafés Worth A Visit
http://says.com/my/lifestyle/photos-says-top-20-freshly-opened-cafes-worth-a-visit-or-two
http://says.com/my/lifestyle/photos-says-top-20-freshly-opened-cafes-worth-a-visit-or-two
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