Community comes together at Peikarumbu to salute Kalam

Relatives of Kalam led by his elder brother Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraikayar congregated at the memorial around 8 am and offered prayers. Thanking the Centre for having built the Rs 24 crore memorial, which was formally opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017, APJM Saleem, a relative, said the government should expedite the second phase of construction at the memorial. 

A planetarium, auditorium and library were planned to be set up in the second phase. During the last one year, around 33 lakh people visited the memorial, Saleem said. On Friday, the memorial was visited by students from various educational institutions. They saw the exhibits of Kalam’s works and his contributions to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 

Minister for Information and Technology M Manikandan, District Collector S Natarajan and Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena paid floral tributes at the memorial. Founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam TTV Dhinakaran also paid his respects at the memorial. He was presented a memento by Maraikayar, who is aged 102, on the occasion.