APJ Abdul Kalam : The 11th President of India.
Dr. Kalam wrote many books throughout his life. But, ‘India 2020’ was his most notable work which contains an action plan to make India a superpower. Apart from this, he wrote his autobiography ‘Wings of Fire’ in 1999. This was spread among passionate readers like a wildfire.
APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15th October 1931 in the island town of Rameshwaram, Tamilnadu. His father was an imam at a local mosque whose name was Jainulabdeen. His mother was a caring and simple housewife whose name was Ashiamma. He was belonging from a middle-class Tamil Muslim family. He lived in an ancestral house and was one of the many children of the big family.
Kalam completed schooling from Schwartz Higher Secondary School. Then, he completed B.Sc. from St. Joseph College, Tiruchirappalli. After B.Sc, he completed aerospace engineering from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT). APJ Abdul Kalam was distributing newspapers with his cousin to meet his study expenses. During the 2nd World War, he was around 8 years old. He was unaware of the war’s complicacy. But, at that time due to the sudden demand of tamarind seed, he started collecting the seeds and selling them in a nearby provision store for earning. At an early age, he started providing financial support to his family as well as continued his study.
In 1958, he started his career at DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) as a scientist. In 1963, he visited space research centers located in Virginia and Maryland. Later he transferred to ISRO as a project manager. He was involved in the design and production of SLV III, the first satellite launch vehicle in India. In 1992, he joined as a scientific advisor to the Ministry of Defense. In 1999, he joined as the chief scientific advisor to the Govt of India.
In 2002, APJ Abdul Kalam became the President of India. During his Presidency, he contributed a lot to the nation with an open heart. So, he was known as ‘People’s President’. But, at the end of his term, he was not satisfied with his work. So, he wished to be the President for the 2nd time but later forfeited his name. In 2010, he achieved a doctorate degree from the University of Waterloo. In 2011, he was awarded IEEE Honorary Membership.
Abdul Kalam was reading the Quran and also Gita every day. He was greeting his visitors with ‘salam’ and ‘Ram Ram’ as well. Dr. Kalam has a passion for teaching. So, on completion of his tenure of the presidential office, he began teaching at different educational institutions across the country. He was saying the youth of the country is very talented. But they need an opportunity to prove their worth. So, Dr. Kalam was supporting them in all of their good deeds.
Dr. Kalam was not only awarded by Indian organizations but also awarded and honored by many International organizations. Dr. Kalam was honored with the Padma Bhusan, Padma Vibhushan, and Bharat Ratna award for his scientific contributions. APJ Abdul Kalam has given his excellent contribution to nuclear power and launch vehicle systems in India. Due to which he was also known as ‘the Missile Man of India’. He contributed a lot to the country as a scientist and president of India. So, the government has awarded him the highest civilian award.
Due to cardiac arrest, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam took his last breath on July 27th, 2015. It was the most tragic moment for the nation. He got sudden cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture to students in Shillong. In honor of his dedication towards empowering youth with quality education the Southern-east Indian State Govt organized an award known as ‘Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM AWARD’. This award will be given to those individuals who excel in the science and technology field and encourage the youth and serve humanity.
India lost one of an extraordinary scientist and dedicated national hero in 2015. He dedicated his life to the development of the nation. He had a great vision to empower India as a powerful nation. Dr. Kalam was a person with a dynamic personality. His life teaches patience, discipline, diligence, and simplicity. Dr. Kalam will always be remembered as an outstanding scientist, an excellent teacher, and a great human being.
