Kalam's house may be given to Mahesh Sharma; admirers want government to preserve books, personal belongings

New Delhi: The Lutyen’s Delhi residence of former President Abdul Kalam is being requisitioned by the Department of Estates (DoE), say some reports. According to these reports, the same bungalow - 10, Rajaji Marg - is being allotted to Union Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation minister Dr Mahesh Sharma. The house has to be vacated by this month-end. Sharma is the one who had said of Kalam that “despite being a Muslim Kalam was a nationalist”. His statement led to a huge furore and wide condemnation. There is a petition started by a Chennai-based journalist R Bhagwan Singh to stop the allotment of the residence to anybody. It is said that Kalam’s personal effects, including his books, are being moved out.

Kalam, a bachelor, died in last August. All former Presidents and Prime Ministers are entitled for a huge bungalow in Lutyen’s Delhi for the rest of their life. Once they die, their spouses can live after their death. Another former President, Pratibha Patil, has moved to Pune instead of staying in New Delhi.

According to a report in ‘Times of India’, getting a house of APJ Abdul Kalam's choice was not an easy task for Urban Development Ministry after he demitted office in July 2007. The later former President wanted a house with enough space for a library. Finally five months later, he moved to 10 Rajaji Marg, a duplex bungalow where one of the floors was converted into his library.

The duplex bungalow, which falls under Type-VIII category, was readied with special interior and exterior works, a CPWD engineer recalled. Sources said the bungalow was shared by two secretary-level officials and they were shifted to Pandara Road to accommodate Kalam. Sources said the directorate of estates at UD ministry, responsible for finding house for dignitaries including former PMs and Presidents, had shortlisted over half a dozen bungalows including two on Aurangzeb Road and Tughlaq Road. But it was Kalam's need for a separate library that had put the ministry in a fix.

Media reports say that the 30 feet X 30 feet library is where Kalam would sit with his books, prepare for lectures, and on “special” days, play the Veena sitting on a rug on the floor. His bedroom attached to the library is locked too. That too has books — and some clothes.