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Former President, top scientist, <keyword id="100256" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Ratna">Bharat Ratna</keyword>, these are just some of the titles that come before the name of Dr AJP Abdul <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=kalam">Kalam</a>, who passed away on Monday while delivering lecture at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=iim">IIM </a>Shillong. 
 
Born on October 15, 1931 in a family of a boat owner in Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram, Kalam survived all hardship to grow big in life. He distributed newspaper at one to time to support his family and education. 
 After pursuing graduation in Physics from Madras University, AJP <keyword id="5141" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abdul-Kalam">Abdul Kalam</keyword> decide to take up Aerospace Engineering as he then desired to become a fighter pilot. But the destiny had some bigger plans for him. Traversing through his career journey at the <keyword id="6355142" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="DRDO">DRDO</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=isro">ISRO</a>, Chief Scientific Advisor to the <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> in 1992, the <keyword id="858029" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pokhran-nuclear-test">Pokhran nuclear test</keyword>, he was ultimately elected as India’s 11th President in 2002. 
 
And what Kalam will always be remembered for is, a President who brought people to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and this is what made him the ‘People’s President'. 
 
Once the 83-year-old had said, “It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone.” And certainly it’s his inspiring words through which he rules over a million hearts. 
 
Abhishek Sharma, a software developed, shared on Quora, “Once, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam rejected the suggestion to put broken glass on the wall of a building that needed protection. Why? Because broken glass would be harmful for birds! This happened when Dr Kalam was with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=drdo">DRDO </a>and his team was discussing options to secure the perimeter of a building that needed protection. Dr Kalam reportedly said, “If we do that, birds will not be able to perch on the wall.” 
 
The other instance is when Quora user Naman Narain drew a sketch of Dr Kalam and sent it to the President. To his surprise, the President sent him a thank you card, with a short handwritten message and personalised with his signature. 
 
At a convocation ceremony of IIT (BHU) Varanasi, Dr Kalam was the Chief Guest. There were five chairs on the stage, the centre one being for him, the other four designated for the top university officials. Noticing his chair being bigger in size than the others, Dr Kalam refused to sit on it and offered the Vice Chancellor to sit in stead. Immediately, another chair was made available for the ‘People’s president.’ 
 Another action that displays down-to-earth demeanour of Dr Kalam is that during his first visit to <keyword id="165422" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Trivandrum">Trivandrum</keyword> as the then President, he was entitled to invite anyone as the “Presidential Guests” to Kerala’s <keyword id="138" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raj-Bhavan">Raj Bhavan</keyword>. And as Dr Kalam had spent a significant time as a scientist in Trivandrum, he invited a road-side cobbler – who was quite close to him during his time in Kerela; and so was the owner of the small hotel where Dr Kalam would often have his meals. Can you ever imagine any other politician or a celebrity of his stature inviting a cobbler and a small business owner as his/her most prestigious guests? 
 <keyword id="6359039" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sourav-Ganguly">Sourav Ganguly</keyword>, who received the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=padma+shri">Padma Shri</a> from Dr Kalam in 2004, recalls instances of the Indian <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cricket">Cricket </a>team's interactions with the former President after finishing runners-up in the 2003 <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=world+cup">World Cup</a> in South Africa. "I remember he wished the team. I remember <keyword id="6364325" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anil-Kumble">Anil Kumble</keyword> asked him about his subject. He knew little about cricket and we tried to explain to him how 11 men move around a cricket ball. But whenever we met him we realised that his world and thinking was different. He has become the President of India but his thought process is different from the others," said Ganguly, regarding India’s missile man as a visionary. 
(Image: economisty.com) 


We at Business Insider have created this unique platform for anyone who wants to pay homage to this the beloved Former President, APJ Abdul Kalam- the great leader, teacher, scientist and amongst many other things a visionary par excellence, even as he embarks upon his last journey. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/social/48249034.cms">Click here to pay your respects</a>.

This is how Dr APJ Abdul Kalam touched lives of #AamAadmi

New Delhi, Feb 1 () The Union Budget for 2019-20 is focused on women, middle-class, farmers and poor, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for the next fiscal in Parliament in the morning. 
"Thank FM @nsitharaman ji for a historic budget, which perfectly embodies the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas by keeping Gareeb, Kisan, Mahila and the Aam-Aadmi at the centre of her #Budget as well as positively touching every section of society. #JanJanKaBudget," Steel Minister Pradhan said in a tweet.
The budget focuses on economic development, boosting income and enhancing purchasing power for all. This budget will open up new vistas for a vibrant Indian economy and strives to give impetus to Indian spirit of entrepreneurship, he said in another tweet.
Pradhan also said "...the #JanJanKaBudget gives further impetus to India's march towards a gas-based economy. Expansion of National Gas Grid from the existing 16,200 km to 27,000 km will further enhance access of #NaturalGas in the country."
From Saraswati Sindhu civilisation to artificial intelligence and machine learning, the budget connects the ancient to the current and lays down a roadmap of New Economy of the future driven by technology, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of young India, he said.
He further tweeted "Woven around the theme of aspirational India, economic development for all and creating a caring society, this #JanJanKaBudget will go a long way in enhancing prosperity and ease of living for our citizens helping them realise their aspirations. #NewIndia." ABI MR
MR

Women, poor, farmers and middle class at centre of Budget: Pradhan

<ul><li><keyword id="29464" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parle">Parle</keyword>, founded in 1929, has been able to reinvent itself over the years, while keeping its legacy intact.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="120094" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mayank-Shah">Mayank Shah</keyword>, Senior Category Head, <keyword id="235733" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parle-Products">Parle Products</keyword> about all that the brand has been doing, to further grow its presence in the market. </li></ul>Every time someone says Parle-G and we bet you cannot help visualize yourself dunking one in a steaming cup of chai (and at times losing half of it too). For decades now, Parle-G has been our favorite tea-time companion, the most affordable ‘snack’ that got many of us, from the previous generations, through college, and well basically a comfort food, that is so nostalgia-inducing. Much before Oreo popularized dunking it in milk, we had been doing it with Parle-G. <div type="image" title="Parle Products Creative 1" msid="84131808" hostid="261"></div> Parle, founded in 1929, first started manufacturing orange candies. It was only 10 years later that it manufactured its first biscuit, coming up as an alternative to the more elite British biscuits. From there to now, this homegrown brand has come a long way. While entering the premium segment with <keyword id="4498428" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="parle-platina">Parle Platina</keyword> in 2017 that comprises products like Hide &amp; Seek biscuits, Milano cookies, Mexitos nacho chips and Nutricrunch range of nutritious products, it recently further diversified its offering, with the launch of its <keyword id="480300" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parle-G">Parle G</keyword> Chakki Atta. The aim was to cash in on the momentum that branded atta consumption has been witnessing, since the <keyword id="43587" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="pandemic">pandemic</keyword>. <div type="image" title="Parle Products Creative 5" msid="84131819" hostid="261"></div> Last year, Parle made headlines when they spoke about a surge in sales of Parle-G biscuits during the <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword>. This demand was a result of people stocking up on biscuits. It also became the most affordable ‘meal’ for thousands of migrant workers, who we saw with distress, walking back to their villages. It makes for an interesting case study, to understand how this brand, that was started 82 years ago, has stood the test of time. Despite being eight years short of a century old, Parle has tried to reinvent itself over the years, while keeping its legacy alive. A lot of the love for the brand comes from nostalgia, and also from the fact that despite entering newer categories, launching premium products, it is still looked at as an aam-aadmi product. How they react during a crisis also says a lot about the ethos of brands. The pandemic and Parle Last year, even before the pandemic hit India in full force and the government announced its first rounds of lockdown, Parle was prepared. Observing how things were in other countries, it had increased its production, just to make sure that the market never ran out of its biscuits. “What happened after the pandemic was something completely unprecedented, but we had been studying what was happening in neighboring countries, or in Europe, and we decided to double down on our production,” shared Mayank Shah, Senior Category Head, Parle Products. They also started shipping the products, keeping the stocks closer to the market, to minimize supply chain disruptions. As a result, when the lockdown was announced, and most brands were caught unprepared, Parle had its products, and especially Parle-G, in shops across the country. Having said that, Parle did meet with its fair share of troubles. With the sudden lockdown and with uncertainty looming large, there was a shortage of labor which the company was able to tackle by prioritizing its production; it stopped producing many of its offerings that were more labor-intensive. “As a result of this prioritizing, we were able to meet maximum demand. If at normal times, the demand is at 100%, during this time we saw between 160-170% demand, firstly because people were pantry-loading and secondly because of speculative buying,” explained Shah. However, this was also the time for the brand to give back to the society. The brand won a lot of love when it donated close to 3 crore biscuit packets to the government and NGOs. “Parle G is a brand that stands for goodness, in all senses, and we are more than just a corporate brand that is only interested in profits. We have always been a brand for the common man. Last year, raw material prices were going up and we could have easily taken a price hike, we never did that. I have been a part of this company for 20 years and I was surprised when my management came and told me we should be helping people. So each and every employee in the company lives by the philosophy of doing something for the greater good. Parle was launched as a Swadeshi brand to take on global biscuit brands, and this was during this last one year that I saw those philosophies come in play,” said Shah. “We saw so many posts on social media talking about us saying they were proud to see a brand go out and service consumers in the time of their need, it was a very moving experience for us,” he added. Entry into newer segments Over the years, we have seen Parle innovate and expand its portfolio to enter premium segments too. But why did the company, which primarily produces biscuits, decide to launch an atta brand? Shah said that the company has been producing atta for years now, but the product was exported to markets like the Middle East, UK and USA. “The packaged atta segment in India is worth around Rs 20,000 crore and only Rs 10,000 crore out of that is for branded packaged atta, which are either national or regional brands. But the overall atta market is much larger, and that is mostly people going out, buying wheat and getting it milled. During the pandemic however, we observed that people wanted to buy products that they thought were safer and we saw many switching to packaged atta. Penetration of packaged atta in the market is still very low and there is a huge opportunity for growth, so we thought this was the ideal time for us to launch it here,” explained Shah. He is not even worried about the more established players as he feels there is a huge, unpenetrated market for the brand to capture where people who used to buy loose atta are now converting to packaged, trusted brands. Parle had launched its premium range Platina three year back and now wants to focus on it to grow its market share, and to build relevance. “There has been a bit of a slowdown in the growth of our premium products in the last 1.5 years, so we will renew our focus on the segment with the opening up of markets,” explained Shah. <keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing">Marketing</keyword> during the pandemic During times of crisis, marketing budgets are usually the first to get slashed.While Parle did not cut down majorly on its spends in the last 1.5 years, it did rationalize its spends, shared Shah. “During the pandemic, we did two things, firstly, we increased our digital spends, which helped us a lot, while also continuing to advertise on TV. Secondly, we also tweaked our creatives. Our communication in the last one year has been very different from what we usually do. All our communication has been about what has been happening around us. We paid tribute to the known and unknown frontline workers. That communication also sent a strong signal to our internal stakeholders that its our responsibility to rise to the occasion because so many of them were risking their lives in working during those times, and we wanted to acknowledge that.” Meanwhile, brands like Parle G also gain a lot from nostalgia. The last year has seen people take to social media to talk about their love for the brand, come up with content using the product and also coming up with innovative recipes using the biscuits. “That’s the thing about Parle G asa brand, everybody has their own way of eating the biscuit and they have their own stories. I have my Parle G story too; I stayed in a hostel for about 10 years. For anybody who has stayed in hostels knows how the food is. So we would eat the hostel food at 10 and then get hungry by 12. So we had a routine of having chilled milk from Aarey at 1 pm, we used to add a packet of Parle G to it, mix it and have it as a slurry. That was our lunch for 10 years. It was not just me, I know many people who did it. So we have always had a lot of user-generated content but the pandemic took it to a whole different level. It was heartening to see that kind of response from consumers,” he added. On where the next phase of growth for Parle as a brand will come from, Shah said, “It will come both from our biscuits and non-biscuits portfolios. While the penetration of biscuits is high, the per capita consumption is still lower, compared to Western markets. So I feel there’s still a scope of growth in the <keyword id="11569298" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="biscuits-segment">biscuits segment</keyword>.”

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This is how Dr APJ Abdul Kalam touched lives of #AamAadmi

Saba Haider

Women, poor, farmers and middle class at centre of Budget: Pradhan

PTI

How Parle has stood the test of time

Samarpita Banerjee

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