President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said former president APJ Abdul Kalam was an ideal representation of Indo-Islamic culture.
Delivering the fourth APJ Abdul Kalam Azad memorial lecture organized by India Islamic Culture Centre, Kovind recalled the former president's remark that when music composer AR Rahman sings Vande Mataram, every countryman connects to him.
Kalam used to play 'veena' and read Quran and Geeta daily, liked Vidur from the Mahabharata for his ability to raise his voice against injustice, Kovind said citing a book by Kalam's former press secretary SM Khan. He also said like Kalam, he too has full faith in the hard work and competence of the country's youth to build India's future.
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"He (Kalam) used to specially meet school children. He was sure that future generations will form the golden future of the country. I am also sure of the competence and hard work of our youths. I also believe that girls will have an important role in the country's development," he said.
The president said being a visitor to many universities he has observed that girls perform better than boys in higher education institutes. He also said that stories of scientists should be part of stories of nation builders.
