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Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Missile Man of India
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Missile Man of India
OF
INDIA
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Dr.Kalamwasbornin1931toaMuslimfamily,
residinginTamilNadu.
Hisfatherwasaboatownerandhismotherwas
ahousewife.
Kalamwastheyoungestoffourbrothersand
onesisterinhisfamily.
Kalam'sfamilywasverypoor;atanearlyage,
hesoldnewspaperstosupplementhisfamily's
income.
Inhisschoolyears,Kalamhadaveragegradesbutwasdescribed
asabrightandhardworkingstudentwhohadastrongdesireto
learn.Hespenthoursonhisstudies.
Aftercompletinghisschool,Kalamgraduatedinphysicsin1954,
fromtheUniversityofMadrasandmovedtoMadrasin1955to
studyaerospaceengineeringinMadrasInstituteofTechnology.
WhileKalamwasworkingonaseniorclassproject,theDeanwas
dissatisfiedwithhislackofprogressandthreatenedtorevokehis
scholarshipunlesstheprojectwasfinishedwithinthenextthree
days.Kalammetthedeadline,impressingtheDean,wholatersaid
that,"Iwasputtingyouunderstressandaskingyoutomeeta
difficultdeadline".
Henarrowlymissedachievinghisdreamofbecomingafighter
pilot,asheplacedninthinqualifiers,andonlyeightpositionswere
availableintheIAF
Aftergraduating,KalamjoinedtheAeronauticalDevelopment
EstablishmentoftheDefenceResearchandDevelopment
Organisation(DRDO)asascientist.
Hestartedhiscareerbydesigningasmallhovercraft,but
remainedunconvincedbyhischoiceofajobatDRDO.
In1969,KalamwastransferredtotheIndianSpaceResearch
Organisation(ISRO)wherehewastheprojectdirectorofIndia's
firstSatelliteLaunchVehicle(SLV);Kalamhadfirststartedwork
onanexpandablerocketprojectindependentlyatDRDOin1965.
In1969,Kalamreceivedthegovernment'sapprovalandexpanded
theprogrammetoincludemoreengineers.
Betweenthe1970sand1990s,Kalammadeanefforttodevelop
thePolarSatelliteLaunchVehicle(PSLV)andSLVIIIprojects,
bothofwhichprovedtobesuccessful.
Kalamwasinvitedtowitnessthecountry'sfirstnucleartest,
eventhoughhehadnotparticipatedinitsdevelopment.Inthe
1970s,Kalamalsodirectedtwoprojects,whichsoughttodevelop
ballisticmissilesfromthetechnologyofthesuccessfulSLV
programme.
DespitethedisapprovaloftheUnionCabinet,PrimeMinister
IndiraGandhiallottedsecretfundsfortheseaerospaceprojects
throughherdiscretionarypowersunderKalam'sdirectorship.
KalamplayedanintegralroleconvincingtheUnionCabinetto
concealthetruenatureoftheseclassifiedaerospaceprojects.His
researchandeducationalleadershipbroughthimgreatlaurels
andprestigeinthe1980s,whichpromptedthegovernmentto
initiateanadvancedmissileprogrammeunderhisdirectorship.
KalamworkedonthesuggestionbythethenDefenceMinister,R.
Venkataramanonaproposalforsimultaneousdevelopmentofa
quiverofmissilesinsteadoftakingplannedmissilesoneafter
another.
RVenkatramanwasinstrumentalingettingthecabinetapproval
forallocating388croresforthemission,namedIntegrated
GuidedMissileDevelopmentProgramme(IGMDP)andappointed
Kalamasthechiefexecutive.Kalamplayedamajorpartin
developingmanymissilesunderthemission.
KalamservedastheChiefScientificAdvisertothePrimeMinister
andtheSecretaryoftheDRDOfromJuly1992toDecember1999.
ThePokhranIInucleartestswereconductedduringthisperiodin
whichheplayedanintensivepoliticalandtechnologicalrole.
KalamservedastheChiefProjectCoordinatorduringthetesting
phase.MediacoverageofKalamduringthisperiodmadehimthe
country'sbestknownnuclearscientist.
In1998,alongwithcardiologistSomaRaju,Kalamdevelopeda
lowcostcoronarystent,namedthe"KalamRajuStent".
In2012,theduodesignedaruggedtabletcomputerforhealthcare
inruralareas,whichwasnamedthe"KalamRajuTablet".
Kalamservedasthe11thPresidentofIndia,winningthe2002
presidentialelections.theelectionwasaonesidedaffairand
Kalam'svictorywasaforegoneconclusion,ashewasbackedby
theNationalDemocraticAlliance(NDA),SamajwadiPartyandthe
NationalistCongressParty.AftertheSamajwadiPartyannouncedits
supportforKalam,Narayananchosenottoseekasecondtermin
office,leavingthefieldclear.
DrKalamusedtoreceivecostlygiftswheneverhewentasitis
customaryformanynationstogivegiftstothevisitingHeadofstate.
Refusingthegiftwouldbecomeaninsulttothenationandan
embarrassmentforIndia.So,hereceivedthemandonhisreturn,Dr
Kalamaskedthegiftstobephotographedandthencataloguedand
handedovertothearchives.Afterwards,heneverevenlookedat
them.Hedidnottakeevenapencilfromthegiftsreceivedwhenhe
leftRashtrapathiBhavan.
~~~Remains~~~
In2002,theyearDrKalamtookover,theRamadanmonthcamein
JulyAugust.itwasaregularpracticeforthePresidenttohostaniftar
party.DrKalamaskedMrNairwhyheshouldhostapartytopeople
whoarealreadywellfedandaskedhimtofindouthowmuchwould
bethecost.MrNairtolditcostsaroundRs.22lakhs.DrKalamasked
himtodonatethatamounttoafewselectedorphanagesintheform
offood,dressesandblankets.Theselectionoforphanageswasleft
toateaminRashtrapathiBhavanandDrKalamhadnoroleinit.After
theselectionwasmade,DrKalamaskedMrNairtocomeinsidehis
roomandgavehimachequeforRs1lakh.Hesaidthatheisgiving
someamountfromhispersonalsavingsandthisshouldnotbe
informedtoanyone.MrNairwassoshockedthathesaid"sir,Iwill
gooutsideandtelleveryone.Peopleshouldknowthathereisaman
whonotonlydonatedwhatheshouldhavespentbutheisgivinghis
ownmoneyalso".DrKalamthoughhewasadevoutMuslimdidnot
haveIftarpartiesintheyearsinwhichhewasthePresident.
DrKalamdidnotlike"yessir"typeofpeople.OncewhentheChief
JusticeofIndiahadcomeandonsomepointDrKalamexpressedhis
viewandaskedMrNair,"Doyouagree?"/MrNairsaid"Nosir,ido
notagreewithyou".TheChiefJusticewasshockedandcouldnot
believehisears.Itwasimpossibleforacivilservanttodisagreewith
thepresidentandthattoosoopenly.MrNairtoldhimthatthe
Presidentwouldquestionhimafterwardswhyhedisagreedandifthe
reasonwaslogical99%hewouldchangehismind.
DrKalaminvited50ofhisrelativestocometoDelhiandtheyall
stayedinRashtrapathiBhavan.Heorganisedabusforthemtogo
aroundthecitywhichwaspaidforbyhim.Noofficialcarwasused.
AlltheirstayandfoodwascalculatedaspertheinstructionsofDr
KalamandthebillcametoRs2lakhswhichhepaid.Inthehistoryof
thiscountrynoonehasdoneit.Now,waitfortheclimax,DrKalam's
elderbrotherstayedwithhiminhisroomfortheentireoneweekas
DrKalamwantedhisbrothertostaywithhim.Whentheyleft,Dr
Kalamwantedtopayrentforthatroomalso.ImagineaPresidentof
countrypayingrentfortheroominwhichheisstaying.Thiswasany
waynotagreedbythestaffwhothoughtthehonestywasgettingtoo
muchtohandle!!!.
WhenKalamsirwastoleaveRashtrapathiBhavanattheendofthe
tenure,everystaffmemberwentandmethimandpaidtheirrespects.
MrNairwenttohimaloneashiswifehadfracturedherlegandwas
bedridden.DrKalamaskedwhyhiswifedidnotcome.Hereplied
thatshewasinbedduetoanaccident.nextday,Nairsawlotof
policemenaroundhishouseandaskedwhathadhappened.They
saidthatthePresidentofIndiawascomingtovisithiminhishouse.
Hecameandmethiswifeandchattedforsometime.MrNairsays
thatnopresidentofanycountrywouldvisitacivilservant'shouse
andthattooonsuchasimplepretext.