Birth & place

• Avul Pakir
Jainulabdeen Abdul
Kalam.
• He was born on 15
October 1931 at
Rameswaram.
• He was expired on 27
July 2015.
FAMILY
• Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
father Jainulabudeen
marakayar was a boat
owner and also imam of
a local mosque and his
mother Ashiamma was
a housewife.
• Kalam was the
youngest among all his
siblings.
Childhood
He came from a family
whose financial conditions
were not good enough.

In his childhood, Dr. Kalam

witnessed their business boat
being washed away after a
cyclone struck the Bay of
Bengal.
 Sold newspapers to support family
• After that, his family business totally collapsed, and his father
remained calm and continued to work hard to rebuild the
business
• As a means to support his family’s merge income , Kalam took
up odd jobs in his childhood but never gave up on his
education .
• A young Abdul Kalam, in order to pitch in financially, started
selling newspapers in the morning before diligently reporting
to his school.
• Kalam must have been under ten years of age, but even at that
age, he believed in solving problems instead of letting them
hinder his growth.
education
• He completed his education at the
Schwartz Higher Secondary
School, Ramanathapuram .

• He graduated in physics in 1954

from Saint Joseph’s College
Tiruchirappali .

• In 1955 to study aerospace

engineering in Madras Institute of
Technology
• They may not have been
well off financially, but Dr.
Kalam's family always
encouraged him to study.

• By the time it was time to

go to college, he enrolled
himself to study physics at
Saint Joseph's College,
Tiruchirappalli.
• The Turning point in Dr. APJ Kalam's life:

• In 1955, a scholarship to study aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of

Technology changed his life, in turn preparing him to change the way India looked at
its defence.

• An example of how motivated Doctor Kalam was is clear from an incident that
occurred while he was working on a senior project at Madras Institute of Technology.
Dr. Kalam's first lesson:
• The Dean at the time didn’t like the way his work was progressing and
eventually told him that his scholarship would be revoked if the project
wasn’t completed within the next three days.
• Losing his scholarship wasn’t something he could afford, and even
though the deadline was so tight, he managed to not only present his
project but also impress the Dean.
• The Dean told him, "I was putting you under stress and asking you to
meet a difficult deadline".
Dream to be an air force pilot:

• APJ Abdul Kalam's dream of being

an air force pilot was lost by one
rank.
• Dr. Kalam learned to accept failure,
move on, and have faith in the
larger plan of the almighty in
destiny.
• Later, he joined the Ministry of
Defence.
• He was Scientific Adviser to the
Defence Minister and Secretary of
DRDO from July 1992 to
December 1999.
Twist and turn in Abdul Kalam's life:
• Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s first major project at DRDO was the
SLV-3, which failed in 1979 when it was launched for the
first time.
• He gave a motivational speech after this incident in which he
talked about the role of a team leader and how to handle
success and failure.
• Kalam said, "When failure occurred, the leader of the
organisation owned that failure.
• When success came, he gave it to his team.
• The best management lesson I have learned did not come to
me from reading a book; it came from that experience."
Missile man of India:
• A year later, in 1980, he
re-launched the SLV-3,
successfully.
• Thereafter, he launched
various missiles and
became the ‘Missile Man’
of India.
Abdul Kalam's role in India's nuclear
programme
• After India's first nuclear test was carried out
on May 18, 1974, in Rajasthan's Pokhran, no
nuclear tests took place till 1998.
• When the then prime minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, and the scientific adviser to the
defence minister Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen
Abdul Kalam, decided that it was time for
the country to announce its nuclear status
with a huge bang.
• At the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, Dr.
APJ Abdul Kalam had served as
the Chief Project Coordinator,
along with Rajagopala
Chidambaram, and this was the
crucial moment in India’s nuclear
weapons development that brought
Doctor APJ Abdul Kalam the
much-deserved applause.
 MISSILES
During his tenure in DRDO, he headed the Integrated Guided
Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) to develop five different
missiles-
1. Prithvi
2. Agni
3. Trishul
4. Akash
5. Nag

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

• Agni-1 to 5 missiles are designed & developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
Prithvi (missile)

Prithvi is a tactical surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed

by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India under the
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It is deployed by India's
Strategic Forces Command.

Variants
•Prithvi II (SS-250) – Air Force version (350 km (220 mi) range with a payload of 500 kg
(1,100 lb)) February 25, 1988

•Prithvi I (SS-150) – Army version (150 km (93 mi) range with a payload of 1,000 kg
(2,200 lb)) January 27, 1996

•Prithvi III (SS-350) – Naval version (350 km (220 mi) range with a payload of 1,000 kg
(2,200 lb)) January 23, 2004
 Agni (missile)
The Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles
developed by India, named after one of the five elements of nature. Agni missiles are
long range, nuclear weapons capable, surface to surface ballistic missiles. The first
missile of the series,
Agni-I
• It was first launched from a road mobile launcher at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Wheeler Island, on 25
January 2002
Agni-II
• On 17 May 2010, the trial was conducted with a special strategic command force (SSC) of nuclear-capable
Agni-II ballistic missile, with a range of 2,000 kilometres from the Wheelers Island off Orissa coast thus
making Agni-II missile operational by army.
Agni-III
• The Agni-III was successfully launched from Wheeler Island on 7 May 2008. The first test of the Agni-III was
conducted on Abdul Kalam Island (then known as Wheeler Island), near the Bhadrak coast, on 9 July 2006.
The launch was unsuccessful; the missile fell into the sea off the coast of Odisha, short of the target
Agni-IV
• On September 19, 2012, the DRDO successfully test launched the Agni-IV to a range
of 4,000 km. The test missile reportedly carried a live conventional payload, which
landed near its target with an accuracy of under 100 meters.
Agni-V
• “A successful launch of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Agni-5, was carried out
on October 27, 2021
Trishul Missile
• In 1985, Trishul made its first unguided flight from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota. The missile made its first full range guided flight in 1989 .

Aakash Missile
• Akash missile was launched in year 2009 and developed by DRDO, Governament
of india. It was mainly used by INDIAN ARMY

NAG Missile
• In September 2001, the missile was launched from a tube in programmed control
mode at the Interim Test Range in Balasore, Odisha. In June 2002, two NAG
Missiles were successfully test-fired. Successful launching of missiles took place,
which led to the birth of the Anti-tank missile.
 invention
• Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV – 3)
• Project Devil and Project Valiant
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• Agni and Prithvi
• Nandi, hovercraft
• Pokhran – 2
• Indigenous guided missiles
• Kalam Raju Stent
• Kalam Raju Tablet
• Lightweight calipers
• APJ Abdul Kalam: 'People's President':
• It was 2002 when Doctor APJ Abdul Kalam became the President of India.
• Dr. Kalam managed to do this not because of fancy degrees or an illustrious
political career, but through hard work and a desire to be something.
• It wasn’t just his scientific achievements but also his simplicity and warm
smile that often made the media refer to him as the People’s President.
• Kalam served as the 11th president of
India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan.
• He won the 2002 presidential election
with an electoral vote of 922,884,
surpassing the 107,366 votes won by
Lakshmi Sahgal.
• His term lasted from 25 July 2002, to
25 July 2007.​
• His love for knowledge made him take
up visiting professor roles at various
renowned universities after his tenure
was over.
• Dr. Kalam motivates the different
generations with his simplicity and
hardworking qualities.
• He once said, "A dream is not that
which you see while sleeping, it is
something that does not let you sleep."
• In May 2012, Kalam launched a programme for
• the youth of India called the What Can I Give
• Movement, with a central theme of defeating
• corruption
• DEATH OF THE LEADER:

• Dr Kalam died on the evening of July 27 in Shillong.

• He collapsed during a speech at the Indian Institute of Management. He was 83.

• "When I am dead, do not declare a holiday. Instead, work a day

extra" - these were Dr Kalam's profound words and hold true
especially today.
• The 11th President of India was laid to rest in Rameswaram, near his native
village of Dhanuskodi in a simple grave.
• Today, a memorial built at the site in 2017, honours and commemorates the
life of the ‘Missile Man of India’.
In memoriam:

• On the first anniversary of his death, the foundation stone of a memorial for Kalam
was laid near his grave.
• The DRDO, where he spent a good part of his life and career, undertook the task of
building a memorial and a year later, on his second death anniversary, the building
was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
List of awards received by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam:
1981: Padma Bhushan

1990: Padma Vibhushan

1997: Bharat Ratna

1997: Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration

1998: Veer Savarkar Award

2000: SASTRA Ramanujan Prize

Books:
I Books: Dr. Kalam Authored Several Books including
“ Wings of Fire”
“Ignited Minds”
“India 2020”
Which became best sellers and inspired millions.
Documentaries:

Many Documentaries were made on his life and achievements, such as “

The Missile Man” and “ The Visionary President” Showcasing his
inspiring Journey.
Popular Culture:

Dr. Kalam's life story has been portrayed in movies and TV

shows, making him an iconic figure in Indian
popular culture
Books & documentaries of a.p.j.
abdul kalam
• Wings of Fire : An Autobiography by A.P.J Abdul Kalam : 1999.
• India 2020 : A Vision For the New Millennium by A.P.J Abdul Kalam : 1998.
• The Luminous Sparks by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam : 2004.
• Mission India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
• Inspiring Thoughts by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam : 2007.
• Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
His personality traits

• Inherited honesty and faith in goodness from

his parents.
• Hard working
• Determined
• Self disciplined
• Passionate for the work
• Artistic
• Highly spiritual
• Loving and caring
• Committed and dedicated For work
• Positive thinker
 Interesting facts about A. P. J Abdul
Kalam
1. Hardships: Jainulabudeen, Kalam’s father,
was a boat owner and imam of a local
mosque. His ancestors were wealthy but due
to business failures, the family fortunes were
lost and the former President was forced to do
odd jobs. He used to sell newspapers to
support his family.
2. Failures: Kalam missed an opportunity to
become a fighter pilot for the Indian Air force.
He was on the 9th spot on the list, and there
were only 8 openings. The first 8 shortlisted
candidates were recruited.
3. Honors: He was honored with doctorates from 40 universities.

4. Frisking at Airport: 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..
5. Science Day: Kalam’s visit to Switzerland is commemorated as Science Day in the
country. This declaration in his honor was made by the Swiss government after the sad
demise of this great personality.

6. The VVS Connection: Kalam followed only one cricketer on his Twitter account –
VVS Laxman. Kalam followed a total of 38 people on this social media account.

7. Youth Icon: He was awarded the MTV Youth Icon award twice, in 2003 and 2006.
8. People’s President: 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.

9. Visionary: 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.

01. Notable Gesture: Dr. Kalam dedicated his book ‘Ignited Minds’ to a Class 12 girl, Snehal Thakkar, who
had impressed him with her response on poverty. He also invited her personally for the swearing in at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan when he took over as the President of India on July 25, 2002.
12. Died Doing what he Loved: 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.

13. World Student’s Day: Abdul Kalam’s birthday i.e. 15th October is observed as the World Student’s
Day. This initiative was started by the UN in 2015. The motive behind this initiative is to promote
diversity, multiculturalism, and innovativeness among students across the world.
14.Universal healthcare plan
Working jointly with cardiologist Soma Raju, the late President developed a cost-
effective coronary stent 'Kalam-Raju Stent' which helped in making healthcare accessible
to all.
15. 'Kalam-Raju tablet'
• The duo of Kalam and Soma Raju in 2012 designed a rugged tablet computer for
better health care administration in the rural and less reachable areas.
• They termed it the 'Kalam-Raju tablet.'
• For his work in the stream of science and politics, the 11th President was also
awarded India's highest civilian honour or the Bharat Ratna.
He former President of India, professor, aerospace engineer shares the four mantras to
succeed in life:
“I will have great aim;
I will continuously acquire knowledge;
I will do hard work; and
I will persevere and succeed”.