APJ Abdul Kalam Biography

He was given the moniker ‘The Missile Man of India’ to launch technology and
ballistic missile development. APJ Abdul Kalam was a key figure in the
Pokhran-II Nuclear Tests in 1998. On October 15, 1931, APJ Abdul Kalam was
born into an impoverished Tamil Muslim family in the pilgrimage town of
Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Ashiamma was a homemaker, while his father,
Jainulabdeen, was a boat owner and an imam at a local mosque.

With four older brothers and a sister, he was the youngest in the family. Even
though the family was not wealthy, all children were reared in a loving and
compassionate environment. During his early years, Kalam had to sell
newspapers to supplement the family’s income.

APJ Abdul Kalam Early Life

He was an average student at school, but he had a tremendous desire to study
and work hard. He loved mathematics and would spend hours studying it. In
1954, he graduated from ‘Saint Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli,’ after
attending ‘Schwartz Higher Secondary School.’

He aspired to be a fighter pilot, but his ambition was dashed when the IAF
only had eight seats available, and he was assigned to the ninth.

APJ Abdul Kalam Career

As a researcher, While on the ‘INCOSPAR’ committee, Kalam worked under
the great space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. After joining the ‘Defence Research
and Development Service,’ he graduated from the ‘Madras Institute of
Technology in 1960 and worked as a scientist at the ‘Aeronautical
Development Establishment.’ In 1969, Kalam was sent to the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO). He rose to the project manager position for the
country’s most advanced satellite launch vehicle (SLV-III). Under Kalam’s
direction, SLV-III successfully launched the ‘Rohini’ satellite into near-Earth
orbit in July 1980.
In 1970, Kalam took part in a variety of initiatives, including ‘Project Devil.’ He
was also a part of the ‘Project Valiant’ group. Despite the project’s failure, it
established the groundwork for creating the ‘Prithvi Missile’ in 1980.

In 1983, Kalam was requested to manage the ‘Integrated Guided Missile

Development Program .’ He returned to DRDO as its chief (IGMDP).

APJ Abdul Kalam Achievements

He was a crucial figure in India’s ‘Porkhran-II’ nuclear tests, which took place in
May 1998. Kalam became a national hero due to the success of these nuclear
tests, and his popularity skyrocketed.

He provided various proposals to make India a developed country by 2020 as

a technical visionary in technology advancements, agriculture, and nuclear
energy.

As President, The governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominated

Kalam for President in 2002, and he was elected President. On July 25, 2002,
he became India’s 11th President, a post he held until July 25, 2007. He was
also the third President of India to be awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ before
taking office.

He was popularly known as ‘The People’s President’ because of his working

manner and interactions with ordinary people, particularly the young. The
signing of the ‘Office of Profit Bill,’ according to Dr. Kalam, was the most
difficult choice he made during his presidency.

During his presidency, he was chastised for his lack of action in deciding on
the fate of mercy petitions that were sent to him. Only one of the 21 mercy
requests received his attention. He advocated President’s rule in Bihar in 2005,
which was also a contentious choice.

As a Professor, He became a visiting professor at the ‘Indian Institute of

Management (IIM), Ahemdabad,’ ‘Indian Institute of Management ((IIM),
Indore,’ and the ‘Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong,’ after his
presidential term ended. He also taught technology at ‘Anna University,’
‘Banaras Hindu University,’ and ‘International Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad.’ he was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at
Anna University, as well as the chancellor of the ‘Indian Institute of Space
Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram,’ an honorary fellow of the
‘Indian Institute of Science (IISc),’ and an adjunct at several other research and
academic institutes across the country.

In 2012, Kalam launched the ‘What Can I Give Movement,’ a youth-led

initiative to combat corruption and increase efficiency.

8 Scientific Contributions By Dr.

Kalam That Gave Wings To India’s
Technological Ambition
A great scientist, people's President, and a phenomenal teacher, Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam has been the driving force behind many cutting-edge technologies in India.
From satellites to local healthcare, his contributions will always be worthy of
mention when we talk of science and technology in India.

1. He was the Project Director in ISRO to

help develop India's first indigenous Satellite
Launch Vehicle.
At a time when India had hardly dreamt of its own Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV),
Dr. Kalam's efforts and hard work for over a decade, made it possible for us to
develop our first indigenous SLV. SLV III injected Rohini satellite in the near
earth orbit in July 1980 making India an exclusive Space Club member.

2. He also became the Project Director for two

missile projects whose aim was to develop ballistic
missiles from the technology of the successful SLV
programme.
After the success of the SLV programme, Dr. Kalam also became the director of
two projects, Project Devil and Project Valiant. In the 1970s, the goal of Project
Devil was to produce a short-range surface-to-air missile. Although discontinued in
1980 without achieving full success, Project Devil, led to the later development of
the Prithvi missile.

3. He took up the responsibility

of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at DRDO.
After working for two decades in ISRO, Dr. Kalam was appointed as the CEO of
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He was responsible
for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI missiles.
This also earned him the title of 'Missile Man of India'.

4. He was the brain behind multiple nuclear tests

carried out at Pokhran in 1998 which made India a
nuclear weapon state.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister of India
between 1992 and 1999 when India went ahead with the nuclear explosions at
Pokhran. He supervised the Pokhran II explosions as the CEO of DRDO. While
camping in the Thar desert for over a fortnight, he said:
"The testing was a 'defining moment' in the country's history, next only to adopting
the path of economic liberalisation in 1991."

5. He helped design a cost-effective coronary stent

known as 'Kalam-Raju-Stent' making healthcare
accessible to all.
Dr. Kalam collaborated with cardiologist B. Soma Raju for the development of the
famed 'Kalam-Raju-Stent' for coronary heart disease. The device was introduced in
the market in 1994, and led to reduction of prices of imported coronary stents in
India by more than 50 percent. The upgraded models of this stent are now available
in the market.

6. He was deeply involved in the country's Light

Combat Aircraft project.
Since passing out of the Madras Institute of Technology where he specialised in
Aeronautical Engineering, President Kalam had been associated with avionics. In
particular, he was deeply involved with the country's Light Combat Aircraft
project. He also became the first Indian Head of State to fly a fighter plane.

7. Dr. Kalam and Dr. Soma Raju, came up with

a rugged tablet computer in 2012 to take care of the
health of underprivileged people in rural India.
After the success of Kalam- Raju stent, he along with the cardiologist, Soma Raju
developed a tablet that was aimed at arming healthcare workers at the primary
level to respond to emergency medical situations.

8. He was the driving force behind the development

of lightweight callipers for patients with motor
disabilities.
While India has been declared polio free by the WHO, back in 1995 and 1996, Dr.
APJ Abdul Kalam and his team worked endlessly to produce orthosis callipers that
weighed 1/10th of the weight of those that were available in the market. These
floor reaction calipers made movement and walking less painful and cumbersome,
allowing kids to walk more freely and fluidly without much help.

APJ Abdul Kalam Awards

 The Government of India awarded Kalam the coveted ‘Bharat Ratan,’
‘Padma Vibhushan,’ and ‘Padma Bhushan.’
 In 1997, the Government of India presented him with the “Indira
Gandhi Award for National Integration.”
 The Veer Savarkar Award was given to him.
 The ‘Alwars Research Centre’ awarded him the ‘Ramanujan Award’ in
2000.
 The Royal Society awarded him the ‘Kings Charles II Medal’ in 2007.
 Kalam was awarded the Hoover Medal by the ASME Foundation in
the United States.
 In addition, he was awarded honorary doctorates from 40
institutions.
 Kalam’s 79th birthday was declared World Students’ Day by the
United Nations.
 He was nominated for the MTV Youth Icon of the Year award in
2003 and 2006.

APJ Abdul Kalam Death

 On July 27, 2015, Kalam visited IIM Shillong to give a “Creating a Livable
Planet Earth lecture.” He acknowledged considerable pain when
mounting a set of steps, but he made it to the auditorium. He fainted in
the lecture hall just five minutes into the talk, about 6:35 pm IST. In a
deep state, he was brought to ‘Bethany Hospital.’ He was maintained in
 critical care, but he showed no indications of life. He was confirmed
deceased at 7:45 p.m. IST due to cardiac arrest.
 On July 28, Kalam’s corpse was carried to New Delhi by an Indian Air
Force chopper. At his apartment at 10 Rajaji Marg, many dignitaries and
the general public paid their respects to him. Kalam’s corpse was flown
to Mandapam, where an army vehicle transported it to his hometown of
Rameswaram, covered in the national flag. His corpse was laid out in
front of a bus station in Rameswaram so that people might pay their
final respects to the departed soul. The former President was put to rest
with full state honors at Rameswaram’s Pei Karumbu Ground on July 30,
2015. More than 350,000 individuals attended Kalam’s last rituals.