Rajya Sabha adjourned for two days over Kalam's death

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for two days on Tuesday as a mark of respect to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who died in Meghalaya on Monday.

"The country has lost a true son of India. His contributions to the nation in his capacity as a man of technology, a teacher and a leader will be deeply cherished by a grateful nation," Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari said.

Kalam was a guide to India's space and missile programmes and his efforts saw India become a front-ranking power in these spheres. His death is an irreparable loss to the country, Ansari said.

Kalam died on Monday evening in a private hospital in Shillong in Meghalaya.

He collapsed at the Indian Institute of Management-Shillong (IIM-Shillong) while giving a lecture to the students on “Livable Planet” and was taken to the hospital.