New Delhi:
On a day Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was buried at his hometown Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Google paid special tribute to the People's President by displaying a black ribbon on its homepage.
The search giant is well known for honouring notable people and marking important occasions and anniversaries by redesigning its logo, famously known as the Google doodle. In the past, it has paid similar tribute to filmmaker Satyajit Ray, mathematics genius Shakuntala Devi and actor Raj Kapoor.
The Google Doodle for Dr Kalam is just the ribbon below the search field. When the cursor is placed over the ribbon, it says: "In memory of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam".
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.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and a host of world leaders including US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin joined in paying their respects to the former President through their messages.
Known as the Missile Man of India, Dr Kalam played a pivotal role in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan and India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.