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How the world mourns Abdul Kalam

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Moeena Halim
Moeena HalimJul 30, 2015 | 11:18

How the world mourns Abdul Kalam

While the temple town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu prepares to bid farewell to the beloved Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, here's how people across the world paid tribute to one of India's most popular presidents and inspirational scientists:

* Bhutan, joining India to mourn the death of a beloved leader, has lowered the national flag to half mast on the command of the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

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King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck with Dr Kalam. 

* Indian Americans from various groups and communities across the USA mourned the passing of Dr Kalam by holding prayer meetings. In Secaucus, New Jersey, Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan North America organised a candlelight vigil at the Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Temple. A Shraddanjali Sabha was held at India House in Houston, Texas.

* In Doha, Qatar, the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) held a condolence meeting at to pay homage to the former Indian president. Two books of condolence were also opened in his name, at the Indian Embassy in Qatar, inviting residents to convey their regards for Dr Kalam.

* Cricket players from Australia joined the Indian team in commemorating the former president. They cricketers wore black armbands and observed two minutes' silence in at the start of the second four-day unofficial Test held at Chennai.

* Google has come up with a way to mourn the loss as well. Yesterday, the search engine put up a black ribbon on its homepage in memory of inspirational leader.

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* If the former president served as an inspiration to countless Indian students, the scientist influenced several students in China as well. "Dr Kalam is not simply a scientist of India but also for the entire world. People of China will remember him for long," promised Prof Jiang Jingkui, who heads the Centre for South Asian Studies in Peking University.

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* In Russia, he will be remembered for his attempt at building a closer relationship between the nations. President Vladimir Putin's official condolence message was accompanied by messages from several other neighbouring nations including Malaysia, Afghanistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Last updated: July 30, 2015 | 12:04
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