The Cochin Chamber of Commerce & Industry organised the Second Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture on the occasion of his 85th Birth Anniversary on Saturday the 15th of October at the Abad Plaza, Ernakulam. Mr. P.M. Nair I.A.S (Retd) who was Secretary to the late President between 2002 and 2007 was the Speaker on the occasion. Speaking for over one and half hours, Mr. Nair gave an instance by instance account of his experiences with Dr. Kalam both in India and abroad which revealed the simplicity, gentleness and integrity of Dr. Kalam. His thirst for knowledge, his vision for India, his passion for the youth of this country and above all his concern for every individual was clearly explained by Mr. Nair. Becoming emotional at times Mr. Nair was unequivocal in saying that the years he spent with Dr. Kalam were the best of his 40 years in the Civil Service. Following the lecture Mr. Nair fielded questions from the audience. On this occasion, the Cochin Chamber announced the commencement of an annual Student Scholarship Award to be given to one student who has excelled in the academic field. This year, the Chamber President Mr. Shaji Varghese announced that the winner of the scholarship of Rs.25,000/- and the Certificate of Appreciation was Mr. Samson Joseph who had excelled in his studies and secured admission to the BDS Course through the All India NEET. The scholarship and certificate were presented to Mr. Samson Joseph by Mr. P M Nair IAS (Retd).