In his inimitable style, President A P J Abdul Kalam on Monday departed from the prepared text to recite a Tamil poem, which spoke of a prayer to the Lord to bless India with vision and make it an island of peace.

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Kalam chose to add a prologue to the address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament by reciting a few lines from his poem, an idea, he said, that struck him while on his morning walk on Monday.

Titled The Vision, it read.

"I climbed and climbed, where is the peak my Lord?
I ploughed and ploughed, where is the knowledge treasure, my Lord?
I sailed and sailed, where is the island of peace, my Lord?
Almighty, bless my nation with vision, sweat resulting in happiness."

The address is a prepared text, which is a policy statement of the government, setting the tone for the first session after the Lok Sabha polls.