The late Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, had expressed his wholehearted support for Walk of Hope—the 7500 km padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir through 11 states in 500 days—focusing on interfaith harmony and non-violence.
Recalling his meeting with Dr Kalam before setting out on the 7,500 km endeavour, Sri M said the late former president believed that “you need to dream for your dreams to come true”. Sri M had requested Dr Kalam to join the march at some point to endorse the objectives of the Walk. Dr Kalam had also advised Sri M to consider including the North-East in the itinerary or organize a separate padayatra there to focus attention on the region’s lack of progress. He expressed his commitment and love for the people of North-East in the conversation.
Sri M had met Dr Kalam at his Delhi residence in October 2014 to brief him about the padayatra. “I invited Dr Kalam to join us in the march and he requested us to keep him posted on the progress of the initiative. A great supporter of peace and harmony, his endorsement of Walk of Hope has inspired us manifold in our 500-day padayatra. Our greatest wish was to see Dr Kalam participate in Walk of Hope. It would have given a great impetus to our efforts considering his inspiring personality and towering achievements” Sri M said.
Condoling Dr Kalam’s demise, Sri M said, “The leading scientist, statesman, administrator and thinker, despite his achievements, he was a humble man and, above all, a humanitarian. A great visionary, he remained a source of inspiration for the whole country, especially the younger generation. The country has suffered an irreparable loss on his passing.”
Walk of Hope, an initiative of Manav Ekta Mission, is led by Sri M—spiritual guide, social reformer and educationist. Flagged off on 12 January 2015 and currently in progress, Walk of Hope has passed through the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and is presently progressing through Maharashtra. The Walk Of Hope has completed 6 months and has covered a distance of over 3,000 kms since its start. The march, now in Nashik district, will pass through Gujarat, MP, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab before entering J&K by April 2016.
