CHENNAI: All Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Tamil Nadu will be celebrating the birth anniversary of APJ Abdul Kalam as "youth awakening day" on October 15.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that various programmes and events have been organised to observe the birthday of the former and late Indian President.

"Accordingly, all the HEIs including engineering and polytechnic colleges across the State have started the celebrations from today (Friday) by organising essay competitions and elocution competition at district level for college students in the selected topics' ', he added.

Stating that a mega space education show at Birla Planetarium in Chennai for the benefit of the school college students have been organised between October 14 and 15, he said "similarly, youth rally in each district headquarters by the National Service Scheme (NSS) student's volunteers along with the college students will be conducted on October 15".

The official said likewise, an hour lecture in all colleges, roping in the principals, professors, local resource person on the developmental ideas propounded by later Kalam will also be organised on October 15.

The Higher Education Department has urged all the principals of all colleges including government, aided institutions and self-financing institutions to organise all the events in their respective campuses and send an action taken report to the official concerned.