22 March 2016 😍
What can I say about this day?? 22 March has been a very special day ever since this happened!!! A childhood dream... Say when I was in 7th...I had this dream... I walk past a car which was having Dr. APJ in it... And as I run past to shake hands with him... His car vanishes... Just miss! Several times... I used to get this same weird saddening dream. I missed it again, once again and then this dream never made me sad anymore. Felt atleast in dreams I have this opportunity to see him :') 💕
But on 22 March 2013 it was a dream come true and beyond. We students at college got to know before hand that APJ Sir will be present for the college's 4th decennial celebration. My heart raced like a jet, what a great opportunity. My Appa asked me, " Your greatest inspiration is coming to your college and what will you present to him??", I told him, there are thousands of students... Will I even be able to get near him... Appa continued, "But then what if you? Who knows what happens... You should not repent later you see.. ", That's it, now I wanted to do something and all I had was a little bit of sketching skills - that again - all credits to Appa!!! I did a sketch of him the previous night, I was thrilled. Though I was the College President (science forum), that day all students were treated alike, for security purpose. I then gave a hint to my beloved Lecturer, asked her opinion on the sketch, she made me talk to the princi... She agreed!!!! Wow. I was able to present my silly amateur, unartistic pencil sketch to his highness, humbleness personified, great human, great leader, huuuggggeeee inspiration to the mankind Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Sir.
This was not all! Prior to this there was much more for me to cherish 22 March 2013, not just as a day on the calendar but more like a day where I was overly blessed with luck.
Starting from 11AM, excitement was in air, auditorium was full with students, only those who would be asking questions were allowed to sit in gallery, while the rest in the balcony!
He arrived, all stood up, I saw him enter the auditorium, Iwas in tears of joy! I was on the same floor where my inspiration was walking! Damn in the same auditorium while he's waving hand at us. All eyes on him, not a single blink went without noticing him, and then he gave a formal opening to the ceremony followed by his motivational talks to us. He even took into consideration 1000s of students who were sitting outside the auditorium in the college grounds watching live relay of the same, their scream of excitement touched the ceiling of the auditorium. After his speech, the moment had come. Questionnaire!
A week before this event, we had to write in all our questions in a sheet of paper and drop into a box, after the screening process, a number be allotted so that APJ will be asked important, reasonable questions first. Of course I did drop my question! Who wouldn't want to? And luckily, I recieved a call previous day from a lecturer that my question was selected as the first question to be asked. And I better come to college without fail. 😀😂.
Cloud 9? Nah! What's cloud? I was in an undefined state of excitement!!! Now that made a point clear, even if I can't take a picture with him, I'd still be allowed to ask a question for sure! My allotted number was 1! So even if he allows 5 minutes of questionnaire amidst his busy schedule, I'd still be getting a chance! You know what I mean.
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I stood up first, asked him my question and then...
APJ Sir: Good, what class are you studying?
Me : *answers*
APJ: what combination have you taken?
Me: * so excited, we're having a convo!!! Answered this too *
APJ Sir: what is your dream?
Me: * I'm beaming cheek to cheek!! I forgot who I am for a second. I was 😁ing unbelievably in a convo?? Me? Really? And then gain conscious, try to answer that...*
APJ Sir: No, my idea was, you've asked a good question!
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The hand kerchief I had that day has my first ever sequential tears of joy. Haven't even washed it, it's preserved in my treasure box.