New Delhi: Bidding farewell to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President A P J Abdul Kalam had a special word of praise for the poet-Prime Minister saying he was "impressed" by his poems, particularly his collection titled "Oonchai" (Heights).

During a brief speech, President Kalam recounted how he had met Vajpayee, the then Leader of the Opposition, at the successful launch of PSLV-III in 1980 and shared several moments including as Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister.

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The icing on the cake for Vajpayee came when Kalam said, "I have read all your (Vajpayee) poems, especially Oonchai (heights) with which I am deeply impressed."

The comment from the President saw all-round applause from the gathering at the Rashtrapati Bhawan last night (May 15, 2004), which mainly comprised of members of Vajpayee's Cabinet.

In return, Vajpayee was all praise for Kalam and said, "Jab jab mein Kalam sahab se milta tha, man aanandit ho jata tha (it was always a delight to meet Kalam)."

The Prime Minister said he and his colleagues had learnt a lot from the "simplicity" of the President.