Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was an eminent Indian scientist and the 11th President of India. He served in some of the most important organizations of the country (DRDO and ISRO). He also played an important role in the Pokhran II nuclear test in 1998. Dr Kalam was also associated with India's space program and missile development programme. That is why he is also called 'Missile Man'. Kalam was elected President of India in 2002 and after serving a term of 5 years, he returned to teaching, writing, and public service. He was honored with several prestigious awards including Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
Early Life
Career
After completing his engineering studies from Madras Institute of Technology, Kalam joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as a scientist. Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army. Kalam was not getting satisfaction from his work in DRDO. Kalam was also a member of the Indian National Committee for Space Research formed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. During this he got the opportunity to work with the famous space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. In the year 1969, he was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Here he was appointed as the director of India's satellite launch vehicle project. As a result of the success of this project, India's first satellite 'Rohini' was placed in Earth's orbit in the year 1980. Joining ISRO was the turning point in Kalam's career and when he started working on the satellite launch vehicle project, he felt as if he was doing what he wanted to do.
During 1963-64, he also visited the US space organization NASA. Nuclear scientist Raja Ramanna, under whose supervision India conducted the first nuclear test, also invited Kalam to witness the nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1974.
Dr. Kalam became very famous in India with his works and successes in the seventies and eighties and his name was counted among the greatest scientists of the country. His fame had increased so much that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi allowed him to work on some secret projects without the approval of his cabinet.
The Government of India started the ambitious 'Integrated Guided Missile Development Program' under the supervision of Dr. Kalam. He was the chief executive of the project. This project has given missiles like Agni and Prithvi to the country.
From July 1992 to December 1999, Dr Kalam was the Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). India conducted its second nuclear test during this period. He played an important role in it. R. Dr Kalam was the coordinator of the project along with Chidambaram. The media coverage received during this time made him the country's greatest nuclear scientist.
In the year 1998, Dr Kalam developed a low cost 'coronary stent' in collaboration with heart doctor Soma Raju. It was named 'Kalam-Raju Stent'.
President of India
In view of his achievements and fame as a defense scientist, N.D.A. The coalition government of India made him the presidential candidate in the year 2002. He defeated his rival Lakshmi Sehgal by a huge margin and was sworn in as the 11th President of India on 25 July 2002. Dr Kalam was the third President of the country who had been awarded the Bharat Ratna even before becoming the President. Earlier, Dr. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Zakir Hussain had been awarded the 'Bharat Ratna' before becoming the President.
During his tenure he was called the 'President of the People'. At the end of his term, he also expressed his desire for a second term, but due to lack of opinion among the political parties, he abandoned this idea.
At the end of the term of 12th President Pratibha Patil, his name was once again in the discussion as the next possible President but due to lack of consensus, he abandoned the idea of his candidature.
Post-Presidency
After retiring from the post of President, Dr. Kalam was engaged in teaching, writing, guidance and research and was associated with institutions like Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management, Indore, as visiting professor . In addition he was a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, K. Chancellor, Anna University, Chennai, Professor of Aerospace Engineering.
He also taught Information Technology at IIT Hyderabad, Banaras Hindu University and Anna University.
Kalam always talked about the youth of the country and how to make their future better. In this regard, he also started the "What Can I Give" initiative for the youth of the country, whose aim is to wipe out corruption. Seeing his popularity among the youth of the country, he was awarded twice (2003 & 2004) 'M.T.V. It was also nominated for 'Youth Icon of the Year Award'.
The Hindi film 'I Am Kalam' released in the year 2011 is influenced by his life.
Apart from teaching, Dr Kalam has also authored several books which are prominent - 'India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium', 'Wings of Fire: An Autobiography', 'Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India', 'Mission India'. , 'Indomitable Spirit' etc.
Awards and Honors
For his work done for the country and society, Dr Kalam was honored with many awards. About 40 universities gave him honorary doctorates and the Government of India has honored him with the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and India's highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna'.
| Year | Honors | Organization | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Doctor of Science | University of Edinburgh, UK | |
| 2012 | Doctor of Law (Honorary) | Simon Fraser University | |
| 2011 | IEEE Honorary Membership | IEEE | |
| 2010 | Doctor of Engineering | University of Waterloo | |
| 2009 | Honorary Doctorate | University of Auckland | |
| 2009 | Hoover Medal | ASME Foundation, USA | |
| 2009 | International Kerman Von Wings Award | California Institute of Technology USA | |
| 2008 | Doctor of Engineering | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | |
| 2007 | Charles II Medal | Royal Society, UK | |
| 2007 | Honorary Doctorate of Science | Wolver Hampton University, UK | |
| 2000 | Ramanujan Award | Alverse Research Centre, Chennai | |
| 1998 | Veer Savarkar Award | Government of India | |
| 1997 | Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration | Indian National Congress | |
| 1997 | Bharat Ratna | Government of India | |
| 1994 | Distinguished Fellow | Institute of Directors (India) | |
| 1990 | Padma Vibhushan | Government of India | |
| 1981 | Padma Bhushan | Government of India |
Death
On 27 July 2015, he suffered a heart attack while teaching at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, after which Dr. Abdul Kalam, the beloved and beloved of millions, passed away.
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