APJ Abdul Kalam spoke of literature with Rashtrapati guards, was not picky about security arrangements

Former president APJ Abdul Kalam might go down in history as one of India's favourite presidents of independent India but for those who know him closely remember him as someone who used to be more excited to meet people instead of staying in the confines of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Brajesh Kumar Singh, now posted as the deputy commissioner of police in the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police, spent five good years serving as personal security officer to the former president and spoke to dna a day after Kalam's demise.

"Dr Kalam was a staunch academic but that did not stop him from enjoying all the bureaucratic work during his tenure as president. However, I can say without a doubt that the excitement he displayed while interacting with people, especially with the youth, was unparalleled," said DCP Singh who prior to his stint with Kalam had also served as PSO to former president Dr KR Narayan.

His stint as PSO to Kalam started from July 2002 and continued until the full tenure of the former president which ended in July 2007. DCP Singh told dna that he has so many fond memories of the former president that it would take ages to document them. "He never saw us as policemen. In fact, I don't remember a single instance of him discussing his security arrangements. All he ever talked to me about, was literature, poetry and sometimes music. Dr Kalam was influenced by Tamilian Sangam literature and I being a student of Hindi literature was fortunate enough to have a kind of a cultural exchange with none other than the President of India," said Singh.

"One day Dr Kalam asked me who my favourite sage was. Dr Kalam himself was influenced by sages of the Vedic period and when he learnt that I liked the works Vishvamitra he engaged me in several discussions," said DCP Singh who went on to author a book about Vishwamitra. He added that during his last meeting, a month ago, Dr Kalam only spoke about literature, poetry and spiritualism. "He practised what he believed in. He took the best of all religions and applied them to his own life," said Singh.

The DCP taught at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University before joining police ranks. A cadre of IPS 2003 batch, Singh said that he opted for the position of PSO to the president when he learnt about Dr Kalam being appointed to the office.

"Even my officers were so much in love with him that one of the inspectors wrote poetry for him. It was an absolute honour to know him," he said. "In a speech in South Africa, Dr Kalam got a roaring response from the audience. The South African president told Dr Kalam after the speech that had he run for elections, he might have ended up defeating him," said the DCP.

"On many occasions he was asked if he was in favour of developing nuclear arms. Dr Kalam would say, that, like others scientists belonging to any part of the world, his dream too was to see his country stronger and more developed," said DCP Singh adding," Dr Kalam was not an idealist."