Shakila teaches maths in President Kalam's old school.
Shakila is a 26 year old teacher of maths - a favourite subject of President APJ Abdul Kalam. She teaches in his old school and despite the massive crowds, she knew she had to come and pay her respects on the day of his funeral.
Shakila told NDTV, "I feel so proud to teach in the same school. The children were so upset when he died. But he will live forever in the hearts of children.
She teaches at the Schwartz Higher Secondary School in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram.
President Kalam was a student there from 1946 to 1950.Dr Kalam was buried with full state honours at a public ground in Rameswaram town where he was born. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with many chief ministers, union ministers and other political leaders like Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attended the last rites.
Thousands of others who came to the funeral had never met Dr Kalam but had been deeply inspired by him. Like G Sridhar, a lawyer who took a night bus from Chennai.
Mr Sridhar told NDTV, "He was like a second Mahatma. I was so impressed when he took the blame for an ISRO failure but said the next success was due to others."
There were many moved to tears by the loss of Rameswaram's Dr Kalam - and many who said he would live on. One man said, "We are not burying a man, we are planting a seed of inspiration."
The day of the funeral of Dr Kalam, in his hometown Rameswaram was a very hot one. But people made the effort to come here and pay their respects. They believed they simply had to.