Tiptoeing, Tanza Habeeb reached above the crowd at the Indo-American Center on Saturday, cellphone camera in hand, for a clear shot of the soft-spoken, silver-haired man at the microphone.
“He’s very famous,” the 15-year-old said.
Habeeb and her older sister, Aneekha, were among 150 people inside the center, just off Devon Avenue on the North Side, to see Abdul Kalam, the former president of her home country, India.
Serving between 2002 and 2007, Kalam is best known for his pivotal role in helping India become a nuclear weapons state.
“I want to ask him, what is your greatest experience as president?” said Aneekha, 16. “And, if you could go back in time, what would you like to do differently?”
Kalam arrived in Chicago on Saturday as part of a weeklong speaking tour in the region.
An esteemed scientist, diplomat and teacher, the former president’s lecture was part inspirational speech and part history lesson.
“If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation,” he said, reciting a poem entitled “Peace.”
His fans in Chicago praised him for his accomplishments.
“We respect this guy,” said Mirza Ahmad, 50. “He is a scientist and a gentleman.”
Kalam appeared humbled by the attention.
“What I like best is being a teacher,” he told the audience.
