PUDUCHERRY:The Union Territory bid a quiet adieu to former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on Thursday with most watching the funeral proceedings on TV.
Many arterial roads wore a deserted look with shops and business establishments remaining closed till evening. Posters condoling Dr Kalam were pasted on the shutters.
While judges and advocates planted saplings in the court complex in honour of Dr Kalam, fishermen kept away from the sea with their boats and nets lying idle on the sandy beach. The Puducherry Cancer Trust organised prayer meetings in its office.
In his death, Dr Kalam seemed to have brought people as a family. People felt same grief as for a member of their own family. The beach road was lined with portraits and some people even kept Kalam’s portrait in their homes and paid tributes.
Already there has been a plea to name the Science City and Planetarium in the memory of Dr Kalam.