Former Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam tests his FB page at his Rajaji Marg residence in Delhi on February 4, ahead of the launch. Photo: Express
By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service
Express News Service
Bangalore: An 80-year-old inspiration-enabled Indian ‘missile’ hits Facebook. Set to penetrate the hearts of fans across the globe for the first time through a social net-working site, this piece of igniting information could be your dose of enlightenment on a Monday morning. It’s official news. It’s exclusive to Express. APJ gets FBIed!So, when former President A P J Abdul Kalam made up his mind to get FBied, little did he realize that there are already over 10 ‘others Kalam’s ruling the Net, with one even having a fan following running into lakhs. Hence the original Kalam’s official address on FB will be: www.facebook.com/OfficialKalam. Like his famous missile launch campaigns, Kalam quietly ran the trial run of his new-found-love a month ago and late on Saturday night (February 4), decided to make the site live. Giving him company in the hour of networking was his Man Friday and IIM-Ahmedabad grad Srijan Pal Singh.
“I travel across Indian cities and villages meeting thousands of people, with a majority of them youth, who are great innovators and social entrepreneurs. Through my social networking page, I want to enlighten the nation about such wonderful initiatives, ideas and people –who are silently shaping future of this country. I look forward to a constructive discussion on such initiatives which would be vital for achieving the vision for an economically-developed India by 2020,” Kalam told Express.
He said that his FB page will to be a tool to promote a spirit of ‘What Can I Give’ among the citizens, especially the youth. “I would be sharing all the examples and ideas from the nation, of those people who have been giving to the society, nation or environment to create smiles, happiness and peace. I am calling this ‘The What Can I Give Diary’ which will be regularly uploaded on the page,” says Kalam, with age catching up with his body, but not mind.
Hinting that his FB mission will be one for a cause, Kalam said that he is keen to bring forth the problems and opportunities of rural India to a larger audience. “I have come across cases where farmers have suffered in bad season due to poor technology and in good season due to bad management. Can we bring forth these problems and evolve solutions with a national participation through social networking? Or can we use the social networking platform to discuss, improve and replicate some of the impactful initiatives in villages for empowerment of the farmer and underprivileged communities?” he asks.
When asked how often would he get on to FB, considering that his schedule puts to shame all those who ‘fixed only 24 hours in a day,’ and not 30, Kalam said: “Every day.” When probed about the ‘other Kalams’ on FB, he said: “Such pages will always exist. We will try and merge them into one common page over a period of time.”
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