A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - The 'Missile Man' of India

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - The 'Missile Man' of India 

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born in a poor family on October 15, 1931, in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram, India. His father Jainulabdeen was neither highly educated nor wealthy, he was a sailor and was very strict in rules. His relations with Hindu leaders and teachers of Rameswaram were very good. Abdul Kalam also worked to distribute newspapers to continue his early education. Abdul Kalam is also popularly known as the 'Missile Man' of India. He was an Indian scientist and politician who played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of the country from 2002 to 2007. 

Due to the miraculous performance in the world of science, the doors of Rashtrapati Bhavan were automatically opened for him, the person who performs best in a particular field, nothing remains rare for him. Abdul Kalam is seen representing this quote. He did not marry. The life story is not less than the story of the hero of an interesting novel. The personality of Abdul Kalam, rich in miraculous talent, is so advanced that he appears to be a person of all religions, castes, and sects. It is such an acceptable Indian who becomes a great role model for all. Becoming the country's first citizen of the world of science is not a mere fantasy because it is a true story of a living leader.

Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in 1958 joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and in 1969 he moved to the Indian Space Research Organization, where he was project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and produced in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the program that produced a number of successful missiles, which helped earn him the nickname “Missile Man.” Among those successes was Agni, India’s first intermediate-range ballistic missile, which incorporated aspects of the SLV-III and was launched in 1989. From 1992 to 1997 Kalam was a scientific adviser to the defense minister. He also played a role in the 1998 Pokhran-II tests under the leadership of Atar Bihar Vajpayee and he later served as principal scientific adviser (1999–2001) to the government with the rank of a cabinet minister. 

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - The 'Missile Man' of India 

Abdul Kalam was felicitated with a Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990, and then received India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in 1997. His prominent role in the country’s 1998 nuclear weapons tests solidified India as a nuclear power and established Kalam as a national hero, although the tests caused great concern in the international community. In 1998 Kalam put forward a countrywide plan called Technology Vision 2020, which he described as a road map for transforming India from a less-developed to a developed society in 20 years. The plan called for, among other measures, increasing agricultural productivity, emphasizing technology as a vehicle for economic growth, and widening access to health care and education.

In 2002 India’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) put forward Kalam to succeed outgoing President Kocheril Raman Narayanan. Kalam was nominated by the Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) NDA even though he was Muslim, and his stature and popular appeal were such that even the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, also proposed his candidacy. Kalam easily won the election and was sworn in as India’s 11th president, a largely ceremonial post, in July 2002. He left office at the end of his term in 2007 and was succeeded by Pratibha Patil, the country’s first woman president.

He is also known for a humble and respectful attitude towards people and was called the 'People's President'. Kalam remained committed to using science and technology to transform India into a developed country. After the end of his tenure as President of the country, he went back to delivering lectures to students and writing. He died after suffering cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong on July 27, 2015. He was buried in his hometown Rameswaram with full state honours.

Kalam wrote several books, including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). Among his numerous awards were two of the country’s highest honours, the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the Bharat Ratna (1997).

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES