Perhaps the most successful appropriation by the RSS was the attempt to fit former President APJ Abdul Kalam into this right wing template. By a slender thread hangs the legend of the Missile man: A fable that seeks to project that for five years at least, a ‘Hindu’ masquerading as a ‘Muslim’ was the presiding deity at Raisina Hills — a great cultural ‘conquest’ for the Sangh parivar. The entire edifice rests on the chant that Kalam was more enamoured of Hinduism than Islam. By way of anecdotal evidence, the saffron voices harp on his love for Sanskrit; dwell on his childhood friendship with three boys — all hailing from orthodox Brahmin families, including one who became a temple priest; and how events from the Ramayana were his bedtime stories. So were events from the Prophet’s life but this fact is glossed over.. They cite his penchant for quoting from the Bhagawad Gita and the Upanishads; highlight the innate preference for vegetarian food; mention his keen interest in Hindustani classical music and expertise on Rudra Veena — the enduring image that Kalam’s bust at Rameswaram seeks to reinforce.