A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam better known as A.P.J. Abdul Kalam .  (15 October 1931 – 
27 July 2015) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007 .

He was elected against Lakshmi Sehgal in 2002 and had support from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, the two leading parties of Indian politics. By profession he was a scientist and an administrator in India. He worked with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as an aerospace engineer before becoming the President of India. His work on the development of launch vehicle and ballistic missile technology had earned him the name of the 'Missile Man of India'. The Pokhran-II nuclear tests conducted in India in 1998 after the original nuclear test of 1974 saw him in a pivotal political, organisational and technical role.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Indore; the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; and the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. He was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the JSS University in Mysore and at the Anna University in Chennai, apart from being an adjunct and visiting faculty at other research and academic institutions in India. He was the honorary fellow of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and the Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram.

In his book 'India 2020', he recommended plans to make the nation a fully developed one by the year 2020. His interactions with the student community and his motivational speeches made him quite popular among the youth. In 2011, he launched a mission called 'What Can I Give Movement' aimed at the youth of India, which focused on defeating corruption in the country.

Childhood And Early Life 

He was born as Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam on 15 October 1931 into a Muslim family in Rameswaram, then in the Madras Presidency in British India, and now in the state of Tamil Nadu. His father Jainulabudeen was a boat owner while his mother Ashiamma was a housewife. Kalam had four elder siblings.

Even though his ancestors had been wealthy traders, the family had lost most of its fortunes by the 1920s and was poverty-stricken by the time Kalam was born. As a young boy he had to sell newspapers in order to add to the family’s meager income.

Even though the family was not financially well-off, the children were raised in an atmosphere filled with love. In one of the books which Kalam wrote decades later, he fondly remembered how his mother would lovingly feed her own quota of food to the children and go hungry herself.

He was a good student and always curious to learn more about how things happened. When he was ten years old, one of his teachers, Siva Subramania Iyer, took the students to the seashore and asked them to observe the birds in flight.

Then the teacher gave the children a theoretical explanation, which coupled with the live practical example, cast a deep influence on young Kalam’s mind. That very day the boy realized that his life’s calling had something to do with flight.

After completing his studies at Schwartz Higher Secondary School, he enrolled at Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, graduating in science in 1954. Pursuing his childhood dream, he travelled to Madras to study aerospace engineering in Madras Institute of Technology.

During his third year, he was assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with a few other students. The project was a difficult one and on top of it, their guide gave them a very tight deadline. The young men toiled together, working under immense pressure, and finally managed to achieve the target within the stipulated deadline. The guide was thoroughly impressed by Kalam’s dedication.

At this juncture, Kalam aspired to become a fighter pilot. However he could not realize this dream.

Journey and Achievements as a Scientist

After completing his graduation in 1960, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam joined as a scientist in Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Establishment.

At the very start of his career, he designed a small helicopter for the Indian army.

He also worked under the renowned scientist Vikram Sarabhai as a part of the committee of INCOSPAR.

From 1963 to 1964, he visited the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the Wallops Flight Facility located at the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Langley Research Center of Nasa situated at Hampton Virginia.

In 1965, he worked independently in Defense Research and Development Organisation for the first time on an expandable rocket project. The programme was expanded in 1969 and more engineers were included after receiving government's approval.

He became the Project Director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) when he was transferred in 1969 to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In July 1980, his team was successful in deploying the Rohini satellite near the orbit of the Earth.

Dr. Kalam's efforts in developing the projects on SLV-III and Polar SLV from 1970s to 1990s proved to be successful.

Dr. Kalam directed Project Valiant and Project Devil that aimed at developing ballistic missiles using the technology of the SLV programme that was a success. It is known that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, using her discretionary powers, allotted secret funds when these aerospace projects were disapproved by the Union Cabinet.

Dr. Kalam and Dr. V.S. Arunachalam, on the proposal of the then Defense Minister R. Venkataraman, worked on developing a quiver of missiles instead of one at a time. Dr. Kalam was made the Chief Executive of the programme, which was named Integrated Guided Missile Development programme.

From July 1992 to December 1999 he remained the Secretary of the Defense Research and Development Organisation, and also the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister. This period witnessed the Pokhran II nuclear tests, when Dr. Kalam played a key technological and political role. At the time of the testing phase, he, along with R. Chidambaram, was made the Chief Project Coordinator.

He developed a low-cost Coronary Stent along with Dr. Soma Raju, a cardiologist, in 1998. It was named "Kalam-Raju Stent" after them. Both of them also designed a tablet PC called "Kalam-Raju Tablet" for healthcare in rural areas.

Personal Life & Legacy

·  A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the youngest child in a close knit family. He was very close to his parents, especially his mother, and had loving relationships with all of his four elder siblings.

·  He never married. Throughout his life he maintained close ties with his siblings and their extended families. A benevolent soul, he often sent money to his elderly relatives.

·  He was a very simple person who lived an unpretentious lifestyle. He owned a few possessions—including his beloved veena and collection of books. He didn’t even have a television! A kind hearted man, he was a vegetarian and consumed simple food.

·  A devout Muslim, he had been raised with strict Islamic customs. He respected all religions and was well-versed in Hindu traditions in addition to his Islamic practices. He not only read the namaz daily and fasted during Ramadan, but also regularly read the Bhagavad Gita.

·  He remained active till the very end. While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong on 27 July 2015, he collapsed and was rushed to the Bethany Hospital. He was confirmed dead of a cardiac arrest at 7:45 pm. The Government of India declared a seven-day state mourning period as a mark of respect.

·  His body was then flown first to Delhi, then to Madurai, and finally to Rameswaram where he was laid to rest at Pei Karumbu Ground with full state honours on 30 July 2015. His last rites were attended by over 350,000 including the Prime Minister, and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Honours And Awards 

·                                   Ø  The United Nations has recognized Dr. Kalam's 79th birthday as "World Student's Day"

Ø  In 1981 he received the Padma Bhushan and in 1990 the Padma Vibhushan from the Indian Government for his work with DRDO and ISRO and as scientific advisor to the government.

Ø  He received the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his contribution in the field of scientific research, development and modernisation of technology in the defense sector of India.

Ø  In 1997, the Indian National Congress conferred him with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration.

Ø  In 1998 the Government of India gave him the Veer Savarkar Award.

Ø  The Alwars Research Centre of Chennai bestowed on him the Ramanujan Award in 2000.

Ø  The University of Wolverhampton in UK bestowed on him the Honorary Doctorate of Science in 2007.

Ø  The Royal Society of UK honoured him with the King Charles II Medal in 2007.

Ø  In 2008 he received the Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

Ø  The California Institute of Technology, USA honoured him with the International von Karman Wings Award in 2009.

Ø  He received the Hoover Medal from ASME Foundation, U.S.A in 2009.

Ø  The University of Waterloo honoured him with the Doctor of Engineering in 2010.

Ø  In 2011, he became an Honorary member of the IEEE.

Ø  In 2012, the Simon Fraser University conferred him the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa).

Ø  In 2013, he received the Von Braun Award from National Space Society in recognition of his excellence in the leadership and management of space-related projects.

Ø  In 2014, he received an honourary degree in Doctor of Science from Edinburgh University, UK.

Ø  In September 2015, the national missile test site in Odisha, Wheeler Island, was renamed Abdul Kalam Island.

Ø  On October 15, 2015, commemorative postal stamps on Dr. Kalam were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 84th birth anniversary celebrations at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.