Swamiji had a spiritual power which impressed the great scientist of the country
By Harihar Swarup
The unique association of Pramukh Swamiji and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam signalled the beginning of the new age of spirituality spanning 33 years was an unmatched blessing for Dr Kalam. He started as his subordinate scientist at the Defence Research and development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad in 1982, and earned the confidence to handle his mandate of developing civilian spinoffs of defence technologies for the benefit of the people.
The unique work led to the development of an indigenous and affordable coronary stent in 1995 and the creation of the foundation for the Indian MedTech industry, valued at $11 billion in 2023. Dr. Kalam made Swamiji the co-author of his autobiography, Wings of Fire, in 1999. It turned out to be a modern classic, selling more than two million copies with translation in 18 languages.
During the 2001 earthquake relief work in Kutch in Gujarat, Dr. Kalam came into contact with the BAPS Swaminathan Sanstha. Impressed by their work, he sought an audience with Pramukh Swamiji. They met on June 30, 2001 in Delhi. During the discussion on how India could become a developed country, Swamiji surprised Dr. Kalam by telling him that any amount of material development is futile without the spiritual development of the people. Such pursuits have created immense problems and suffering elsewhere in the world. To everyone's surprise, Pramukh Swamiji blessed Dr. Kalam by putting his hand on his head and asking him to “lead India” in that direction.
In a year, events happened unexpectedly, even miraculously, for Dr. Kalam. He was nominated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as a candidate for the post of President of India and was supported by both the ruling and opposition parties. After assuming the highest office of the land, Dr Kalam visited Pramukh Swamiji in Ahmedabad on August 13, 2002. Gujarat was undergoing the turmoil of communal violence.
After meeting Pramukh Swamiji, Dr Kalam visited the relief camps created for riot victims and walked holding the hand of the then CM had a spiritual power, delivering a powerful message. Gujarat has not seen any communal violence since then. Even the terrorist attack on Gandhinagar Akshardham temple complex on September 24, 2002 failed to trigger any violent reaction among the people. Such was the power of the spiritual shield that Pramukh Swamiji created through Dr. Kalam.
(IPA Service)
