NEW DELHI, 16 October 2004 — President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s 73rd birthday yesterday was packed with a busy schedule with his addressing at least three conferences in Karnataka and Gujarat. Cutting the cake the previous evening, two hours before the special day, he said: “Tomorrow is an important day. Today midnight, I am entering the 73rd orbit around the sun... I will be entering into the 74th orbit, that means, my age is 73.”
The President’s birthday began with his attending a national youth conference at the Suttur Mutt near Mysore, in which thousands of youths participated.
At Suttur village, Kalam distributed cake to children who have undergone surgeries for cleft lip and palate deformities. When Kalam reached there to inaugurate the National Youth Conference on “Unity of Minds — A Pathway to Harmony of Religions,” he was greeted with a birthday song. Visibly moved, Kalam acknowledged greetings with folded hands, quoting saint composer Thyagaraja’s famous lines: “To all those great persons present, my salutations.”
Taking out time for children for whom Kalam has a special concern, he addressed students of an orphanage and met a group of 315 physically handicapped children.
Kalam’s engagements included addressing functions organized by the Lions’ Club and DRDO in Pahalgaon (Karnataka).
