A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen "A. P. J." Abdul Kalam
Born On - 15 October 1931
Born In - Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Died On - 27 July 2015
Career - Scientist
Nationality - Indian
Born In - Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Died On - 27 July 2015
Career - Scientist
Nationality - Indian
Childhood & Early Life
·
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was
born to Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma on October 15, 1931. He came from a family
whose financial conditions weren’t sound enough. As a means to support his
family’s meagre income, Kalam took up odd jobs in his childhood but never gave up
on his education.
· He graduated from Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli in 1954 but not satisfied with his degree, he left for Madras later next year to study aerospace engineering. He enrolled at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT).
· He graduated from Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli in 1954 but not satisfied with his degree, he left for Madras later next year to study aerospace engineering. He enrolled at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT).
·
After graduating from
MIT, Kalam took up the position of chief scientist at the Aeronautical
Development Establishment of Defense Research and Development Organization
(DRDO). However, the profile didn’t appeal Kalam much who shifted to the Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's
first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
·
His years at the ISRO
were the most crucial ones, as they left a lasting impact on him. Kalam lead
many projects and turned out to be successful each time.
·
In the 1970s, Kalam
directed two projects, namely, Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought
to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of the successful SLV
programme.
·
A milestone was
achieved when locally built Rohini-1 was launched into space, using the SLV
rocket. Upon watching the raving success of Kalam, the government agreed for
initiation of an advanced missile program under his directorship. He played a
pivotal role in developing missiles under the missions Agni and Prithvi.
·
Kalam was the Chief
Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P)
which researched in simultaneous development of a quiver of missiles instead of
taking planned missiles one by one.
·
From 1992 until 1999,
Kalam was appointed as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and
the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation. It was during
this time that Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator for Pokhran II
nuclear tests, after which he was fondly called the “Missile Man of India”.
·
Kalam succeeded K. R.
Narayan to serve as the 11th President of India from 2002 until 2007. It was a
highly one-sided contest. With his appointment, Kalam became the first
scientist and first ever bachelor to occupy the Rastrapati Bhawan.
·
During his tenure as a
President, Kalam was both appreciated and criticised. The latter was mostly due
to his inaction in deciding the fate of 20 mercy petitioners.
·
In addition to all the
profiles that Dr Kalam held, he authored numerous influential and inspirational
books. Amongst all his books, “India 2020” was the widely read and appreciated
one. It forecast an action plan which advocated India turning into a knowledge
superpower and as one of the developed nations of the world by the year 2020.
His other books include, “Ignited Minds”, “Mission India”, “Inspiring Thoughts”
and “The Luminous Sparks”.
·
In 2011, he launched
his mission for the youth of the nation called the “What Can I Give Movement”
with the main aim to defeat corruption in India.
·
After completing his
term as President, Dr Kalam served as visiting professor in various esteemed
institutes and universities of India, such as Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad and Indore. He also served as Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space
Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, Aerospace Engineering at Anna
University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore).
Journey Awards & Achievements as a Scientist
·
After completing his
graduation in 1960, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam joined as a scientist in Defense
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, for the first
time, worked independently in Defense Research and Development Organisation 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.
Dr. Kalam's Tenure as President of India
·
The National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on 10 June 2002 proposed Dr. Kalam's name
for the Presidential post to the Leader of Opposition, Congress President Sonia
Gandhi.
·
The Nationalist
Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party supported his candidature.
·
Dr. Kalam served as
the President of India from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007.
·
He won the election,
getting 922,884 votes, thus defeating Lakshmi Sehgal, who got 107,366 votes.
·
Dr. Kalam succeeded
K.R. Narayanan as the 11th President of India.
·
He was the third
President of India to have received the prestigious Bharat Ratna, the highest
civilian honour. It was earlier given to Dr. Sarvapali Radhakrishnan in 1954
and Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963.
·
He was the first
bachelor and scientist to reside in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
·
Dr. Kalam was
affectionately called the People's President.
·
According to him the
toughest decision taken by him as President was signing the Bill of Office of
Profit.
·
He was criticized as a
President for his inaction to decide the fate of 20 mercy petitions out of 21,
including that of the Kashmiri Terrorist Afzal Guru, who was convicted for the
Parliament attacks in December 2001.
Personal Life
·
Dr A.P.J. Kalam
remained unmarried throughout his life.
·
Dr Abdul Kalam passed
away at Bethany Hospital, Shillong, Meghalaya, due to heart failure after
having collapsed during a lecture at Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.
Top 10 Facts You Did Not Know About A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
·
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
grew up in poverty and distributed newspapers as a young boy to contribute to
his father’s meager income.
·
He was a protégé of
the great Indian scientist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai who guided him and gave him
valuable advice.
·
He always faced the
press following failed tests at ISRO and accepted responsibility for his
mistakes but never claimed the credit for any of the massive successes achieved
at the organization.
·
He was the first
bachelor to become the president and occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.
·
Kalam was the third
President of India to have been honored with a Bharat Ratna before being
elected to the office of President.
·
He was known to write
his own thank you cards with personalized messages in his own handwriting.
·
He was a scholar of
Thirukkural (a classic of couplets or Kurals) and was known to quote at least
one couplet in most of his speeches.
·
He had a keen interest
in literature and wrote poems in his native Tamil.
·
A practicing Muslim,
he was also well versed with Hindu traditions and read the Bhagavad Gita.
·
He had more than a
million followers on Twitter but followed only 38 people.
Career at DRDO
After completing his studies he joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist.
One of the first
projects he worked on was to design a small helicopter for the Indian Army. He
also got the opportunity to work with the renowned space scientist, Vikram
Sarabhai as a part of the INCOSPAR committee.
However, Kalam was not
much satisfied with his career at the DRDO.
Career at ISRO
Kalam was transferred
to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969 as the project
director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III).
An expandable rocket
project on which he had started working independently in 1965 got the government’s
approval for expansion in 1969. Over the next several years he developed the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and SLV-III projects, both of which
proved to be successful.
In the 1970s he also
worked on the development of ballistic missiles from the technology of the
successful SLV program and directed the projects Project Devil and Project
Valiant which were aimed at producing a short-range surface-to-air missile.
Even though the
projects were discontinued in 1980 without achieving full success, they earned
Kalam great respect and admiration from the scientific fraternity.
Return to DRDO
Return to DRDO
In 1980s, the government decided to initiate an advanced missile program under his directorship and thus the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) was launched with Kalam as the chief executive.
The program which
aimed at the research and development of a comprehensive range of missiles
started in 1982-83. Under the able guidance of Kalam, several missiles
including Agni, an intermediate range ballistic missile and Prithvi, the
tactical surface-to-surface missile, were developed.
Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, known as the 'missile man' of India, and also endearingly called the 'People's President', passed away in Shillong on Monday evening after he collapsed while delivering a lecture at the IIM-Shillong, plunging the entire country in gloom.
Here are some interesting events of his life, which are largely unknown to the public:
During his childhood days, Dr Kalam, had three close friends Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivapraksan. All three were from Hindu Brahmin families.
The highest priest of Rameswaram temple Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry was a very close friend of Kalam's father.
Dr Kalam was very fond of respected doyen of Carnatic music MS Subbulakshmi. The vocalist too had deep respect for Kalam and often served him food she cooked with her own hands. They ate sitting in tradition manner - squatting on the floor and eating off banana leaves.
Kalam liked to have south Indian food, especially 'idlis'.
Though a nominated president can avail free air tickets for his relatives attending swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Kalam, who led a modest life, chose not to avail such privileges and paid for 2nd AC train tickets for kin.
Once during an event, the country's first bachelor president, Kalam refused to sit on a chair that was designated for him at convocation at BHU because the chair was larger in size than the other chairs!
Once, Kalam rejected the suggestion of putting a broken glass on the wall of a building that needed protection because it would be harmful for birds.
Once while speaking to around 400 students, Kalam ensured the power cut didn't cause any interruption. He walked right in the middle of the crowd and asked the students to surround him. He then spoke to them with his bare voice and delivered, like always, an inspiring keynote.
And, who did ex-president Kalam invite as the "Presidential
Guests" to Kerala's Raj Bhavan during his first visit tothe state after
becoming the presiden a road side cobbler and owner of a very small hotel.
Documentaries and Books by Dr. Kalam
·
Ignited Minds:
Unleashing the Power Within India
·
Inspiring Thoughts
·
Indomitable Spirit
·
The Luminous Sparks
·
Turning Points: A
journey through challenges
·
My Journey:
Transforming Dreams into Actions
·
Developments in Fluid
Mechanics and Space Technology, by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha
·
India 2020: A Vision
for the New Millennium, by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Y.S. Rajan.
·
Wings of Fire: An
Autobiography, by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari.
·
Mission India, by Dr.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam .
·
Envisioning an
Empowered Nation, by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and A. Sivathanu Pillai.
·
You Are Born To
Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond, by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari.
·
Target 3 Billion, by
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh
Biographies
·
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam:
The Visionary of India, by K. Bhushan and G. Katyal.
·
Eternal Quest: Life
and Times of Dr. Kalam, written by S. Chandra.
·
President A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam, written by R.K. Pruthi.
·
My Days With Mahatma
Abdul Kalam, written by Fr. A.K. George.
·
A Little Dream, a
documentary film by P. Dhanapal, Minveli Media Works Private Limited.
·
The Kalam Effect: My
Years with the President, written by P.M. Nair.
Death and Legacy
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam passed away on 27 July 2015 due to a
massive cardiac arrest after he collapsed during a lecture at the Indian
Institute of Management, Shillong.
On July 27, 2015, Kalam suffered a massive heart attack
while lecturing at the Indian Institute of Management and subsequently died at
the age of 83.
Kalam was laid to rest on July 30 with full state honors in
his native Tamil Nadu. In honor of the scientist and former president, the
southeast Indian state government of Tamil Nadu created a "Dr. A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam Award," which recognizes exceptional individuals who promote
the sciences, students and humanities. The government has also established
Kalam's birthday (October 15) as "Youth Renaissance Day." Discussion
about building a large-scale memorial at his burial site is underway.
Among his many accolades, including honorary doctorates
from 40 universities, he was granted the Padma Bhushan (1981), the Padma
Vibhushan (1990) and the Bharat Ratna (1997) — India's highest civilian
awards — for his contributions in modernizing government defense technology. He
also wrote several books, including the autobiography Wings of
Fire in 1999.
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