The president of the Philippines hosted a banquet in honour of President Kalam, in the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace. The word ‘Malacanang’ in Tagalog, a Filipino language, means, ‘there is a noble man there’. The majestic white stone mansion on the bank of the Pasig River reflects in it’s calmly flowing water, just as it has mirrored the changing fortunes and rulers of the country. Malacañan Palace has been occupied by eighteen Spanish Governor-Generals, fourteen American military and civil governors and later, each of the presidents of the Philippines.

From Siachen to ceremonies of state, Dr. Kalam was comfortable in almost any given situation, but I can never forget his blushing face and shyness in President Arroyo’s presence. For all of his life, Dr. Kalam had been used to demurely attired Indian ladies. He had only ever encountered women from other lands in sober, formal settings. President Arroyo, though, was simply dazzling in an aquamarine, off-shoulder brocade gown with a diamond necklace adorning her décolletage. Her glamorous demeanor was quite a cultural shock for Dr. Kalam. His usual calm aplomb deserted him, and he bashfully stood next to President Arroyo at the banquet, meeting guests.

I met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (b. 1952; I share my birthday with him), the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, in Singapore. Lee is the eldest son of Singapore’s founding father and the first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled the nation for three decades.

Singapore is a nation carved from the ideals and motivation of the first generation of migrants, who chose to make this island their home. The top leadership ensured that the nation belongs to all Singaporeans, regardless of ethnicity. From the outset, equal rights for every citizen has been the foundation of the national ideology.

The government of the new nation preferred English as the language for administration. In another bold step, meritocracy was made as the guiding principle for working in the government and people with connections were kept away from the new institutions.  When I asked the reason behind the peace and prosperity of a small nation with so many ethnic diversity – Chinese, Indians, Malaysians, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, I was told that law enforcement and dispensing of justice is so impeccable and just that no one holds a grievance when punished for a fault.

I was also very impressed with the public housing system. Four of five Singaporean families live in a public house.  It not only creates a charming uniformity but also provides world-class amenities to every family. Dr. Kalam called Singapore ‘small paradise’ on earth where tradition and modernity co-exist. For me, it was a perfect blend of capitalism and socialism like chikori-mixed coffee. You feel like walking in New York minus the intimidation!

Bhadant Nagarjun Arya Surai Sasai (b. 1935), a Japanese-born Indian Buddhist monk who came to India in 1966 and made it his home, released my book, ‘Peerless Benefactor of Humanity: The Life and Thoughts of Gautam Buddha’ at Ananda Buddha Vihara, Mahendra Hills, Hyderabad.

On November 19, 2006, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Care Hospital at Nagpur, I visited Sasai Maharaj at the Indora Buddha Vihar. He made me sit opposite to him, exactly at the center of a huge dome, and chanted sutras in his booming voice, while rattling the kapali ka damaru. For about five minutes, I felt like I was in a different realm.

“I have dusted off the bad smears of your earlier incarnations and invoked your hiri–ottappa,” said Sasai Maharaj, walking me out of the stupa. When I asked for an explanation, Sasai Maharaj laughed and said, “Human life is like an iron rod smeared with excrement at one end and heated to a red-hot glow at the other end. It hurts the ignorant one day, debases him another day. Hiri is your disgust at grabbing the rod in the place where it is smeared with excrement, ottappa is your fear of grabbing it in the place where it is red-hot.” Well, I did not exactly become a pious person after this, but my conscience started poking me more frequently and rather forcefully, suggesting that hiri–ottappa were very much active!

Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar (b. 1934) met President Kalam to present the audio version of our book, ‘Wings of Fire’, that he had translated and narrated in Hindustani, with the title, ‘Parwaz’. When asked the meaning of ‘Parwaz’ by Dr. Kalam, Gulzar sahib explained that having wings is not enough to become a bird. The existential truth of the bird is to fly. This struggle, this endeavor, this aspiration to fly higher and higher is ‘Parwaz’. Hearing this, President Kalam, setting aside protocol, got up and held Gulzar sahib’s hand.

After coming out of the Presidential Study, where the meeting took place, Gulzar sahib lovingly hugged me and said, “Kya khoob likh diya bhai apne.” I told him, “Sir, we are all channels, as you so aptly wrote – noor ki boondh aise diyon se baha karti hai.” Whenever I read the lyrics of Gulzar sahib’s song, ‘Parwaz’, ‘Meri zindagi parwaz hai, wo hawa meri main urujahan’, divine energy passes through me like some invisible and yet, powerful magnetic field. I am a firm believer in Gulzar sahib’s line, ‘Jinke ke sar ho ishq ki chhaon, paon ke neeche jannat hogi’. Meeting him has been like meeting an angel in flesh and blood, a cherished memory that will remain ever close to my heart.

President Kalam hosted a ceremonial banquet for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. I was given a seat on the 44-member dining table, with 22 guests on each side; the Presidents facing each other in the middle and the guests by their side in the decreasing order of their stature. Ignoring the great fortune of being present there, my ‘lower self’ felt relieved that I was not placed at the corner-most seat. The small orchestra at the balcony played ‘Awara hoon’ with its most melodious piece on the piano and accordion. President Putin waved towards the musicians in appreciation.

Every member of President Putin’s large delegation, some 80-odd of them, wore formal black suits. They looked right out of a movie scene – measured steps, half-smiles, and black briefcases and ladies’ bags. The variety of dresses, facial expressions and body language of the Indian leaders and guests, on the other hand, were in complete contrast. President Putin held my hand in a steel-like grip and looked straight into my eyes. “This man means business and knows how to get what he wants,” I felt.

The next day morning, Dr. Kalam told me during a walk through the Mughal Gardens, “Russians are magnanimous people. They are people who live by their hearts. Russia has endured so much and yet, her people never fail to rise up from adversity and strife more confident and stronger for having achieved victory over the challenges she has faced! Russia was almost destroyed in the last ten years, but this man is a man of destiny for his people. Russia will rise again with him!”

Sachin Tendulkar visited the Care Hospital with his wife, Dr. Anjali. He came to see me; a great gesture on his part. I have been a cricket fanatic since childhood and had earlier met Sachin in 2003, when President Kalam hosted a reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Indian cricket team, who had lost the finals to Australia. When, before the arrival of the team, Dr. Kalam asked me what he should say to Sachin, I told him that he should talk about Sachin Tendulkar’s Master Class against Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and his iconic six off Shoaib Akhtar at the Centurion. Dr. Kalam noted down the names, rehearsed them and mentioned them correctly while praising the team, to the great delight of Sachin and all the other team members.

I thanked Sachin for dropping in and spoke of the joy I experienced when he had scored an unbeaten 241 at Sydney as a New Year celebration for the country. We made some small talk. His father had named him after the great musician, Sachin Dev Burman; he was a fan of John McEnroe and grew his hair and tied a band around it in his style in his teenage. I told Dr. Anjali that Sachin was a national treasure and she said that she was aware of that and was guarding him properly. This visit was the high point of my mundane hospital stay.