President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said boldly that he has not watched a movie in the last 50 years due to his intense focus in the area of scientific research.

Mr. Kalam told Radio Kashmir's news editor Gurjeet Malik in an informal chat, "You won't believe it but it's true."

Impressed by Kashmir, the President said its spiritual ambiance was a great uniting force: "I have not seen a gurdwara [Sikh temple], a mosque and a temple next to each other like in Kashmir."

Kalam said it was thrilling to visit the world's highest battlefield Siachen: "In minus 35 degrees the jawans [soldiers] guard our borders so that we can sleep well."

During the course of the interview, he reiterated his dream of making India the No.1 country in the world.

The president, who remains a bachelor, said he sometimes feels lonely but overcame his loneliness by reading books, which he felt were his best companions.

Highlighting his ambitions of an economically developed India, he expressed faith in the young people of the country, who would accomplish his dream and vision of a developed India by the year 2020.