‘Transcendence’ was the last book penned by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, recording his deep respect for and spiritual journey with Pramukh Swami Maharaj as his guide. The book launch in Bahrain was an opportunity to celebrate and share the spiritual values of Dr. Kalam and Pramukh Swami Maharaj with leaders and decision makers in Bahrain.
Held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Bahrain, the book launch was attended by 275 distinguished guests. The Guest of Honour was the Indian Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Alok Kumar Sinha. Other guests included His Excellency Mr. Ebrahim Al Dossary, from the Prime Minister’s Court; famous national poet Mr. Hassan Kamal; former Minister of Labour Dr. Majid Al Alawi, Deputy Chief of Indian Mission Mr. Ram Singh, ex- Undersecretary of Ministry of Health Dr. A. Abdul Rahman Buali. Chairman of Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait Mr. Murad Ali Murad.
Dr. Mirza was the Minister-in-Charge during the last visit of Dr. Kalam to Bahrain in February 2015 and had interacted with him closely. In his address, Dr. Mirza said, “It is awe-inspiring that in this age of a million distractions, we have a person like Dr. Kalam, who chose to make time to explore the higher realms of spiritual thought within the framework of his life as a political figure and a scientist…. Dr. Kalam also found the words – with the help of his colleague Professor Tiwari – to set his thoughts down for future generations – and for you and me so that we could ponder about the meeting of faith and science, and the greatness of a saint such as Pramukh Swami Maharaj whose motto is ‘In the joy of others, lies our own’…. I urge each guest here to absorb the lessons of tolerance and spiritual fullness in the book ‘Transcendence’ and live up to the goals that it sets before us.”
Brahmavihari Swami delivered a thought-provoking keynote address in which he called for people to make sure they do not neglect the development and nurturing of the Inner World that we all carry within us in the rush and pursuit of the Outer World. He recalled how Dr. Kalam first came to meet Pramukh Swami Maharaj with a plan to develop India – a 5-point program that was envisioned by 500 leading intellectuals after a year of discussion. Immediately, Pramukh Swami pointed out that there was a very important sixth point needed – faith in God. It was a turning point for Dr. Kalam, by his own admission, and changed his approach to development. Brahmavihari Swami also called for everybody to engage with their family and friends lovingly and to give love generously, making ‘love’ a verb and not a noun.
The program also included the screening on large LED screens of the animation presentation ‘A Tale of Two Boys’ which traces the lives and coming together of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Dr. Kalam. This was followed by the screening of excerpts from the book and the milestone dates on which Dr. Kalam and Pramukh Swami Maharaj had met personally.
The Indian Ambassador to Bahrain H.E. Mr. Alok Kumar Sinha said that the book launch emphasized the deep cultural ties between India and Bahrain.
Professor Tiwari spoke of his experience in writing the book, “Just like the moon shines because of the reflected light of the sun, I too am here because of the light of Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Dr. Kalam,” said Professor Tiwari, “The book is the result of over 120 hours of deep conversation with Dr. Kalam, exploring his respect and spiritual regard for Pramukh Swami Maharaj.”
The launch of ‘Transcendence’ represented a direction shown by Pramukh Swami Maharaj on how everyone can harness goodness to make the world a better place.