Among the menagerie of animals who call Rashtrapati Bhavan home is a deer called Tipu, who was born with a defect in his foot.
Few people know that, during his time as the Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam oversaw the surgery that set Tipu's foot right.
Few people know that, during his time as the Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam oversaw the surgery that set Tipu's foot right.
When Tipu's mother refused to accept him, Kalam also adopted him and, for nine months, fed him milk from a bottle.
And Tipu was not the only case.
And Tipu was not the only case.
A horse belonging to the only cavalry division in the Indian Army (the 61st Cavalry) was operated for cataracts inside Rashtrapati Bhavan's state-of-the-art veterinary facility.
Hearing of this, a travelling circus camping outside New Delhi sought help from President Kalam for their star attraction, a hippopotamus who also had cataracts. He was also operated upon in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In fact, Dr. Kalam's routine at Rashtrapati Bhawan was incomplete without feeding the peacocks who live in the famous Mughal Garden. When one of the peacocks broke his leg, a splint was arranged, and a uniquely delicate operation called intra-medullary pinning was performed.
βOnce he summoned me at 5:30 in the morning,β recalls Rashtrapati Bhavan chief photographer Samar Mondal.
βI arrived at the apartment to see him looking at a peacock from his window. βThis guy is very nice,β he said. βGo take a picture.
βI arrived at the apartment to see him looking at a peacock from his window. βThis guy is very nice,β he said. βGo take a picture.
He always dances for me while I sip my morning tea. Whenever you feel like you are in pain, you should take pictures of birds in nature. You will find that the pain is gone.'β
Then there are stories about a snake whose vertebrae were shattered, being nursed to health by Kalam after an operation.
"His love for nature and birds was amazing. He made it a point to feed the birds in the garden whenever he was here.
"His love for nature and birds was amazing. He made it a point to feed the birds in the garden whenever he was here.
He also replaced the wooden windows of his room that open to the garden with glass ones to get a clear view," said another staff member at the presidential residence.
"But, most importantly, he was a nice human being.
"But, most importantly, he was a nice human being.
He always treated us like his own people. We certainly miss him," said the staffer.
#APJAbdulKalam #Kindness #respect #heroes #animals #heartwarming
[APJ Abdul Kalam, Respect, Kindness, Heartwarming]
#APJAbdulKalam #Kindness #respect #heroes #animals #heartwarming
[APJ Abdul Kalam, Respect, Kindness, Heartwarming]
Loading suggestions...