Abdul Kalam could have lived some more years, says teacher who motivated him to pursue astrophysics

DINDIGUL: As country mourns the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, his physics teacher Fr Ladislaus Chinnadurai, a Jesuit priest at Beschi College in Dindigul, was inconsolable. Ten days ago, during Ramzan time, Kalam paid a visit to him and had a hearty talk with his professor.
Fr Chinnadurai (93) said that Kalam was too young to die and could have lived some more years.
The priest recalled his recent meeting with Kalam stating that the former President had remembered him and paid a visit during Ramzan seeking his blessings.
Fr Chinnadurai said that Kalam had offered his life for the service of the country and was a great human being. “It is indeed sad news to learn his demise. Kalam was beyond religions and related with people not considering religion, caste and creed. Let us pray for his soul to rest in eternal peace,” the elderly priest told newspersons.
With tears in his eyes, he offered floral tributes to the picture of his student kept on the college campus.
Sources from Society of Jesus said Fr Chinnadurai was the teacher who had motivated Kalam to pursue astrophysics while was studying physics at St Joseph’s College in Trichy in the 1950s. In spite of reaching great heights, he always remembered his alma mater and the teachers who had taught him.