The last time a President travelled by train was in 2006 when A P J Abdul Kalam boarded a special train from Delhi to Dehradun to attend the passing-out parade of the Indian Military Academy cadets.
A P J Abdul Kalam was a 'rashtra-ratna' (nation's gem) and the best tribute to him would be to realise his dreams for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said as the nation mourned the demise of the former president.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti drew comparisons between the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh and minorities in India, sparking criticism from the BJP. Mufti expressed concerns about the alleged oppression of Hindus in Bangladesh and criticized recent surveys of mosques in India. She called for a united front against forces dividing people on religious lines and warned of a potential repeat of 1947-like riots.
'As a nation we came up short, but that did not deter Kalam. He made it his life mission to exhort the young to greatness.'
Till now, the maximum Bharat Ratnas were awarded in 1999 when four recipients were given the coveted award.
ISRO is part of an exclusive league which has forayed into the Moon and Sun.
Dr P K Menon, Chief Scientist and CEO, Optimal Synthesis Inc, who worked with Dr A P J Abdul Kalam early on in his career, recalls what it was like working for his first boss.
It was former President A P J Abdul Kalam's idea to paint the Indian flag on the Moon. Minutes after his dream was realized, a relieved Kalam is seen holding a globe with the Tricolour on it. ISRO chief Madhavan Nair is also seen.
Keeping his secular credentials in mind and his love for all religions, a special prayer will be held at the Rameshwar temple and the Mohideen Aandavar Masjid.
Here is a list of leaders who have flown IAF aircraft in the past:
Kalam likely to refuse the front's offer; BJP hopes this may swing some front votes its way.
Former speaker of the Lok Sabha P A Sangma, who was the first one to announce his candidature for the President is watching the political developments very closely. According to sources, if he finds that former President A P J Abdul Kalam is backed by National Democratic Alliance, Sangma may prefer to join electoral fray as vice president.
For former President A P J Abdul Kalam, the greatest regret in life was not being able to provide facilities like 24-hour electricity to his parents during their lifetime.
The Home Ministry sat over Afzal Guru's mercy petition and did not send its recommendation to President A P J Abdul Kalam till his last day in office, it has been disclosed. Putting a lid on speculative reports that Kalam had deliberately kept the petition pending, P M Nair, who was Secretary to the President, said till July 25, 2007, Kalam's last day in office, no recommendation had come from the Home Ministry on the issue.
Ahead of Republic Day, the Indian Army announced on Thursday the addition of two new features to this year's parade: battlefield surveillance systems and a Defebce Research and Development Organisation tableau showcasing Pralay, short-range ballistic missiles.
As protests rage in Kudankulam and reach a crescendo, V Ponraj, scientific advisor to Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, speaks about the report he and the former Indian President prepared in this interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
Many ordinary citizens are drawn to by a sense of history and India's remarkable journey from bondage to freedom which culminated in this monumental building.
'The benchmark was set by Dr Sarabhai.' 'If there is a problem, everybody would be encouraged to come up with a solution.' 'The final solution will be the result of all the inputs.' 'This is passed on through time.' 'Even today, you see that nobody wants to take particular credit on a success.'
Kovind is the first president to visit the Siachen base camp since the visit of the then president APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his team, including a powerful former bureaucrat in New Delhi, have failed in their efforts to persuade former president A P J Abdul Kalam to continue as visitor of the upcoming Nalanda International University in the state.
"This is not a new thing that Kalam saheb has said. He has said this before as well. Just because he has written this in his forthcoming book, Sonia Gandhi does not become an epitome of sacrifice. She is still the super-Prime Minister. She has a bigger secretariat (NAC) than the PM," BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told PTI.
Rare glimpses of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Kind courtesy: Architectural Digest India.
Naib Subedar Chunni Lal is the only soldier awarded the Ashok Chakra, Vir Chakra and Sena Medal.
'No actor knew him as well as I did.'
'Sreedharan epitomises the way in which an Indic ethos can be brought to bear upon the seemingly intractable problems facing India,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
This was the first time in 15 years that a President took a train ride. Kovind has also become the first President not to travel on a presidential saloon car.
There are challenges galore before him, and it is not going to be easy. In the next four years, he has to conjure a system that changes the optics about him and the BJP both nationally and internationally so that he can ride back on his own, claim the top slot, and not have to lean on a coalition, asserts Ramesh Menon as Modi 3.0 completes a year in power.
The Madame Tussauds Wax Museum at the DLF Mall, Noida hosts 50 waxworks of Indian and international celebrities.
Dr Kalam, The Dalai Lama, M F Husain. Mrinalini Sarabhai. Dancer Astad Deboo lists his favourite Indian treasures.
The President said the focus must be on Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) and interlinking of rivers.
'Our education system keeps churning out graduates who remain unemployed whereas we have an unprecedented and robust job market which is crying out for skills. I think this is the fundamental problem. In my view, the remedy is to redesign education and its delivery to overcome skills shortages. We need to prepare our education system for the 21st century.'
The West Bengal government scheduled the hanging of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, convicted of raping and murdering a 14-year-old girl in her Kolkata home, on August 14 after President A P J Abdul Kalam rejected his mercy plea.
So far, all those Vice-Presidents who ran for the Presidency, have been successful in reaching Raisina Hill.
'He was one of us. He was a perfect Indian. He breathed India, he wore India's core values. His faith was India. We will miss you sir.'
President Abdul Kalam and Union Home Minister L K Advani will call on him on Friday.
India needs large number of talented youth with higher education for creating and imparting knowledge, former Indian president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has said.
A distinguished jurist and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, 75-year-old Venkatachaliah was presented the prestigious Padma Vibhushan by President Kalam.
