'APJ Abdul Kalam, India's former president, dies', reported the BBC. 'An unlikely compromise candidate for president, he soon became the most popular occupant of that exalted post, disregarding its customary ceremonial role to reach out to ordinary people, particularly the young,' it reported in its obit by Shashi Tharoor. IN PIC | Kalam presents the Padma Shri to Actor Aamir Khan in New Delhi in 2003. (File photo | PTI)