Jammu, July 28 -- There is something more quietly heart-breaking about Dr Abdul Kalam than the fact of his passing itself: he never truly succeeded in changing the system he lived within. Before you take offense or reach for an angry retort, understand this isn't a criticism of the man - it was never his failing that he found himself out of step with a polity and society that placed little premium on the values he embodied and articulated. What set him apart, what made him a rare gem in a landscape of mediocrity, was that he stayed warm and optimistic regardless.
Consider the irony: the nation today is flooded with tributes and his memorable sayings, all genuinely moving and uplifting - yet in his final living moments, what troubled him mo...