DR.A.P.J ABDUL KALAM | BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

DR.A.P.J ABDUL KALAM | BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

What made this poor Paperboy from Rameswaram, become the Missile Man of India? Have a look at some most notable moments from his biography..

• A.P.J ABDUL KALAM BORN INTO POOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY.

• HIS FATHER HAD ONLY ONE BOAT TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY.

• HE STARTED IN HIS CHILDHOOD by SELLING NEWSPAPERS TO HELP HIS FATHER and HIS FAMILY.

• HE SPENT MORE TIME ON STUDIES.

• KALAM WAS EXCITED AND INTERESTED ON PHYISCS AND MATHEMATICS.

• HE COMPLETED HIS GRADUATION AT St. JOSEPH COLLEGE ,TIRUCHIRAPALLI IN 1954.

• HE JOINED TO STUDY AEROSPACE ENGINEERING IN MADRAS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AT MADRAS IN 1955.

•  HE MISSED ACHIEVING HIS DREAM OF BECOMING A FIGHTER PILOT, HE WAS 9^TH RANT IN QUALIFIERS AND IN EARLY TIME , THERE ONLY 8 POSITIONS WERE AVAILABLE IN INDIAN AIR FORCE (0R) PILOT.

•  1960, KALAM BECAME INVOLVED WITH DRDO’S AERONAUTICAL DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT.

• IN 1969,KALAM WAS MADE THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLES AND WAS SHIFTED TO ISRO. THE PROJECT BECAME SUCCESSFUL, AND INDIA, UNDER THE DIRECTORSHIP OF KALAM, WAS ABLE TO LAUNCH THE ROHINI SATELLITE SERIES INTO EARTH’S ORBIT.

• KALAM WAS KNOWN AS THE ‘MISSILE MAN’ OF INDIA DUE TO HIS CONTINUED, SUCCESSFUL WORK WITH BALLISTIC MISSILES AND LAUNCH VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY.

• KALAM ALSO MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES OF INDIA. THE POKHRAN -2 NUCLEAR TESTS (IN 1998) WERE SUCCESSFUL THANKS TO HIS ORGANIZATIONAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

•  KALAM WAS HONORED WITH MANY AWARDS, INCLUDING THE HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD IN THE COUNTRY, THE BHARAT RATNA (1997). HIS OTHER AWARDS INCLUDE PADMA BHUSHAN (1981) AND PADMA VIBHUSHAN (1990).

•  KALAM WAS BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY OF THE WORLD –INDIA – ON JULY 25, 2002. HE WAS KNOWN AS “THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT” BECAUSE OF HIS SIMPLE AND DOWN-TO-EARTH ATTITUDE.

• KALAM IS THE FIRST UNMARRIED PRESIDENT AND SCIENTIST IN INDIA.

• KALAM IS AMONG ONLY THREE PRESIDENTS OF INDIA WHO WERE CONFERRED THE BHARAT  RATNA BEFORE THEY WERE ELECTED PRESIDENT.

• HE WAS WROTE A VISION FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM: INDIA 2020.

• KALAM WAS FRISKED TWICE AT JFK AIRPORT IN NEW YORK. HE WAS CHECKED FOR EXPLOSIVES BY THE AIRPORT STAFF. THIS INCIDENT WAS PROTESTED BY INDIA ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.

• KALAM WOULD GET UP AT 4:00 AM TO TAKE HIS MATHEMATICS LESSONS. HE WOULD ALSO TAKE A BATH BEFORE GOING TO CLASS, WHICH WAS A CONDITION IMPOSED ON ALL THE STUDENTS BY THE TEACHER.

• KALAM VALUED DR. VIKRAM SARABHAI AS HIS MENTOR. HE TURNED TO THIS OTHER GREAT SCIENTIST OF INDIAN ORIGIN FOR ADVICE AND SUPPORT.

• KALAM’S FIRST MAJOR PROJECT, SLV-3, FAILED, AND HE WAS SHATTERED.

• KALAM ALSO ACTED AS A SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

• HE DONATED HIS PRESIDENTIAL SALARY TO CHARITY. HE FORMED A TRUST NAMED PURA (PROVIDING URBAN AMENITIES TO RURAL AREAS), AND DONATED HIS SALARIES TO THIS TRUST WHEN HE BECAME AWARE THAT THE GOVERNMENT TAKES CARE OF ITS PRESIDENTS.

• KALAM WAS A GREAT COMMUNICATOR. ONCE KALAM USED YAHOO ANSWERS TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT TERRORISM. HE ASKED, “WHAT SHOULD WE DO TO FREE OUR PLANET FROM TERRORISM?” HE RECEIVED MORE THAN 30,000 RESPONSES.

• KALAM’S WISH WAS TO POWER THE RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN COMPLETELY WITH SOLAR POWER. HOWEVER, THIS COULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED DURING THE TERM OF HIS PRESIDENCY.

• KALAM WOULD TAKE THE SOLE BLAME FOR LOSSES AND SETBACKS, BUT GAVE ALL CREDIT TO HIS TEAM WHEN THEY ACHIEVED ANYTHING UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP. SUCH WERE THE QUALITIES OF THE “MISSILE MAN.”

• HE ALSO PUBLISHED HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, WINGS OF FIRE, WHICH WAS CO-AUTHORED WITH ARUN TIWARI. IT GIVES A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF HIS CHILDHOOD, HIS PERSONAL LIFE AND CAREER; IT HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO 13 LANGUAGES INCLUDING FRENCH AND CHINESE.

• HE WAS AN AVID READER AND WRITER. HE AUTHORED NO LESS THAN 15 BOOKS ON VARIOUS TOPICS, INCLUDING NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES.

• ON HIS LAST DAY, HE WAS DELIVERING A LECTURE AT IIM, SHILLONG. HE WAS STANDING AT THE PODIUM DELIVERING HIS SPEECH TO HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS WHEN HE SUFFERED A CARDIAC ARREST THAT MADE HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR. HE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR TEACHING AND WORKING HARD. AND AT THE TIME WHEN DEATH CAPTURED HIM, HE WAS DOING WHAT HE LOVED.