'DRDO to call for contest to finalise design for Kalam's

Country's top defence research agency DRDO will soon call for a national-level design competition to finalise the design concept for the memorial for former president A P J Abdul Kalam in Pei Karumbu in Tamil Nadu.
Defence sources said that the Ramanathapuram District Collector had handed over 1.36 acres of land to the Ministry of Urban Development on December 29 for the memorial.
The Ministry has given the go ahead to the DRDO to carry out fence erection around the land.
The sources said that the formal transfer of land to the DRDO will be done in due course of time.

The foundation stone for the construction of the compound around the proposed memorial complex was laid at a function at the site on December 29.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on October 15, the birth anniversary of Kalam, that a memorial would be built for the late 'Missile Man' and had requested Tamil Nadu government to allocate land for the purpose.

The commencement of the construction work came days after media reports stated that the place where the memorial of the former President was proposed to be built was lying neglected.
Rare black and white images of his ancestral home and his

meeting with legendary Vikram Sarabhai find a place at the memorial.
One of the panels even carries his famous remark asking people to continue working on his day of death and not declare a holiday, as a true tribute.
Kalam had passed away on July 27 last year following a cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at IIM-Shillong.
An online petition started by senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh played a pivotal role in the formation of the memorial.
"This memorial will inspire millions and the next generation. He was a President of the masses. A few months ago, I came to know that the Centre is not building the memorial, then the Delhi government decided to build it.

"However, there was an apprehension regarding what form and shape it would take. We will make it bigger. We are planning to convert it into a research centre," Kejriwal said while inaugurating it on July 30.
The petition of Singh, that was hosted by the portal change.Org, had garnered around 33,000 signatures. It was launched on October 27, after Kalam's 10 Rajaji Marg residence was alloted to Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.
In April, Delhi Culture Minister Kapil Mishra had visited Rameswaram to bring back his belongings to the city, which were sent there by the Centre after his death.

The memorial has personal belongings of Kalam contributed by his family and close friends, which also includes his awards, hand-written notes, utensils, shoes, pens and bags.
The memorial has been opened to the people without any fee.