New Delhi: The demise of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has left a void in the hearts of many. An inspiration for millions, Dr Kalam had once said, "It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone." And that is exactly what he did, he won us over. One of the several people the affable Dr Kalam managed to inspire through his life-span is Nila Madhab Panda, the director of the 2011 release 'I am Kalam'.
'I am Kalam' garnered accolades from across the globe and won several prestigious awards for itself. In an exclusive interaction with IBNLive.com, Panda spoke to us about how the 'Missile man' inspired him and how the country needs more political figures like him.
'I am Kalam' is a story of a little boy Chhotu, who one day, watches Dr Kalam on the television and gets extremely overwhelmed and inspired by him. The movie helps us gain an insight into the dreams and aspirations of children, and how imperative they are for the growth of our nation.
"The movie was all about letting children follow their heart, something that Kalam believed and said all the time," said Panda, adding, "I don't understand how we let our children beg at traffic signals. These children are the future of our country, we depend on them. this is against everything the former President believed in. He believed in letting kids dream and that's the essence of 'I am Kalam'".
Panda also spoke about how often we disregard the indispensable role that children have in the development of a country and how we more often than not, unknowingly end up imposing our own aspirations on them.
When asked about Kalam's reaction on seeing the movie, Panda recalled, "Dr Kalam was not a self- praising human being. He was humbled by the effort and expressed his happiness regarding the issues being raised in the movie. He has always believed in letting children follow their hearts and subsequently realising their dreams."
With the dearth of enough political figures to look up to today, the demise of the awe-inspiring APJ Abdul Kalam sure serves as a huge loss to the younger generation today. Nila Madhab Panda echoed the same opinion. "I am extremely saddened today, the country has lost a hero. And I don't think any political leader can attain the place Dr. Kalam has in our hearts."
As the world mourns the loss of a phenomenal human being that Dr. Kalam was,he will always be respected and remembered for his inspirational quotes among several other things, one of the most popular being "Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action."
Image Courtesy: Reuters Pictures
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