Tribute To A Legend…. Poem by sushma nair

Sleep eludes me; all around a sense of loss prevails
A pure soul has exited from a body wrinkled and frail
The nation pays homage and readies itself to bid adieu
As heaven opens her doors to receive her son full of virtue
The Lord eagerly awaits the return of his marvelous creation
Goodbye and return if possible cries an orphaned nation!

One of the noblest souls to have ever treaded the blue planet
His humility and warmth endearing him to all he met
You have bequeathed us a legacy scientific, political and else
Your wings of fire collapsed, but ignited minds every where else
These ignited minds will burn generation after generation
It’s the best tribute we can pay you, in this we seek consolation

You empowered us first with Prithvi and with Agni after a while;
Pivoted our nuclear capabilities at Pokhran when Buddha smiled
In a nation ravaged by scams and fragmented by religious strife
Yours was the cleanest hand, merging true essence of religion in life
From being the Missile Man to President, a journey so exceptional
To the young and old alike, you will remain enormously inspirational

As we bid our final farewell to you, the youth of India pledges
To fulfill your Vision of India 2020, to cross the bridge
That delineates the rural and the urban with PURA
With Sarabhai, Dhawan, Brahmprakash and now Kalam an era
That was golden the history of Indian space science ends
But they have molded us as a force that nobody can bend!