Missile Man Of India

A. P. J. Abdul kalam Born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of Space Club. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV configuration. After working for two decades in ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defence Research and Development Organisation as the Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions. He was the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. During this period he led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon State. He also gave thrust to self-reliance in defence systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.

Early life and education

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931, in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, to a Tamil Muslim family. His father,Jainulabdeen Marakayar, was a boat owner and mosque imam, while his mother, Ashiamma, was a housewife. Kalam was the youngest of five siblings. The family, originally wealthy Marakayar traders and landowners, faced financial decline with the failure of their businesses, leading to poverty by the time Kalam was born. As a young boy, he contributed to the family's income by selling newspapers. Despite average grades in school, Kalam was a dedicated and hardworking student, particularly excelling in Mathematics. After completing his education at Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram, he graduated in Physics from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, in 1954. In 1955, Kalam moved to Madras Institute of Technology to study aerospace engineering. During a senior class project, he faced a challenging deadline set by the Dean but managed to impress by meeting it, securing his scholarship. Although Kalam's dream of becoming a fighter pilot was narrowly missed due to his placement in the qualifiers, he continued to pursue a successful career in aerospace engineering.

Career as a scientist

After graduating from the Madras Institute of Technology in 1960, Kalam joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist. He became a member of the Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS). Initially working on designing a small hovercraft at DRDO, Kalam later joined INCOSPAR, working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist. He was subsequently recruited into ISRO by H. G. S. Murthy, the first Director of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he served as the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III), successfully deploying the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980. Kalam had initiated work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. In the same year, he received government approval and expanded the programme to include more engineers. Between 1963 and 1964, Kalam visited NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and Wallops Flight Facility. Throughout the 1970s and 1990s, he played a key role in developing the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and SLV-III projects, both of which were successful. Kalam was invited by Raja Ramanna to witness India's first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha, as the representative of TBRL. Despite not participating in its development, he played a role in directing projects like Project Devil and Project Valiant, aiming to develop ballistic missiles from the successful SLV programme. Kalam also played a significant role in initiating the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), working on missiles like Agni and Prithvi, despite criticism for mismanagement and cost overruns. From July 1992 to December 1999, Kalam served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. During this period, he played a crucial role in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, serving as the Chief Project Coordinator alongside Rajagopala Chidambaram. In 1998, he collaborated with cardiologist Soma Raju to develop a low-cost coronary stent, named the "Kalam-Raju Stent." In 2012, they designed a rugged tablet computer for healthcare in rural areas, known as the "Kalam-Raju Tablet.

Presidency

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. On 10 June 2002, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) expressed that they would nominate Kalam for the post of President, and both the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party backed his candidacy. Kalam filed his nomination papers in the Indian Parliament on 18 June. The polling for the presidential election began on 15 July 2002, and Kalam became the 11th President of the Republic of India in an easy victory. He moved into the Rashtrapati Bhavan after being sworn in on 25 July. Kalam was the third President of India to have been honored with a Bharat Ratna before becoming the President, and he was the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan. During his term as president, he was affectionately known as the People's President. Kalam was criticized for his inaction in deciding the fate of 20 out of the 21 mercy petitions submitted to him. Article 72 of the Constitution of India empowers the President to grant pardons, suspend, or commute the death sentence of convicts on death row. Kalam acted on only one mercy plea during his tenure, rejecting the plea of rapist Dhananjoy Chatterjee. He also took the controversial decision to impose President's Rule in Bihar in 2005. In September 2003, in an interactive session in PGI Chandigarh, Kalam supported the need for a Uniform Civil Code in India. At the end of his term, on 20 June 2007, Kalam expressed his willingness to consider a second term in office but later decided not to contest the 2007 presidential election. Nearing the expiry of the term of the 12th President Pratibha Patil on 24 July 2012, media reports in April claimed that Kalam was likely to be nominated for his second term. On 18 June 2012, Kalam declined to contest the 2012 presidential poll, stating his decision not to do so.

Post-presidency

After leaving office, Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the Indian Institute of Management Indore; an honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram; professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University; and an adjunct at many other academic and research institutions across India. He taught information technology at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and technology at Banaras Hindu University and Anna University. In 2011, Kalam was criticized for his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant; he supported the establishment of the nuclear power plant and was accused of not speaking with the local people. The protesters were hostile to his visit, seeing him as a pro-nuclear scientist and unimpressed by the assurances he provided regarding the safety features of the plant. In May 2012, Kalam launched a program for the youth of India called the What Can I Give Movement, with a central theme of defeating corruption.

Death

On 27 July 2015, Kalam traveled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on "Creating a Livable Planet Earth" at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong. While climbing a flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort but was able to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. He was rushed to the nearby Bethany Hospital in a critical condition; upon arrival, he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life. Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. IST. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were reportedly: "Funny guy! Are you doing well?" Following his death, Kalam's body was airlifted in an Indian Air Force helicopter from Shillong to Guwahati, from where it was flown to New Delhi on the morning of 28 July in an air force C-130J Hercules. The flight landed at Palam Air Base that afternoon and was received by the President, the vice-president, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, and the three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces, who laid wreaths on Kalam's body. His body was then placed on a gun carriage draped with the Indian flag and taken to his Delhi residence at 10 Rajaji Marg; there, the public and numerous dignitaries paid homage, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. On the morning of 29 July, Kalam's body, wrapped in the Indian flag, was taken to Palam Air Base and flown to Madurai in an air force C-130J aircraft, arriving at Madurai Airport that afternoon. His body was received at the airport by the three service chiefs and national and state dignitaries, including cabinet ministers Manohar Parrikar, Venkaiah Naidu, Pon Radhakrishnan, and the governors of Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya, K Rosaiah and V. Shanmuganathan. After a brief ceremony, Kalam's body was flown by air force helicopter to the town of Mandapam, from where it was taken in an army truck to his hometown of Rameswaram. Upon arriving at Rameswaram, his body was displayed in an open area in front of the local bus station to allow the public to pay their final respects until 8 p.m. that evening. On 30 July 2015, the former president was laid to rest at Rameswaram's Pei Karumbu Ground with full state honors. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites, including the Prime Minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu, and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

Awards and honours

Kalam received 7 honorary doctorates from 40 universities.[152][153] The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his work with ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the Government.[154] In 1997, Kalam received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to the scientific research and modernisation of defence technology in India.[155] In 2008 Kalam was the recipient of Hoover Medal.[156] And in 2013, he was the recipient of the Von Braun Award from the National Space Society "to recognize excellence in the management and leadership of a space-related project".[157] In 2012, Kalam was ranked number 2 in Outlook India's poll of the Greatest Indian.[158] Following his death, Kalam received numerous tributes. The Tamil Nadu state government announced that his birthday, 15 October, would be observed across the state as "Youth Renaissance Day;" the state government further instituted the "Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Award", constituting an 8-gram gold medal, a certificate and ₹500,000 (US$6,300). The award will be awarded annually on Independence Day, beginning in 2015, to residents of the state with achievements in promoting scientific growth, the humanities or the welfare of students.[159] On the anniversary of Kalam's birth in 2015 the CBSE set topics on his name in the CBSE expression series.[160] Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceremonially released postage stamps commemorating Kalam at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi on 15 October 2015, the 84th anniversary of Kalam's birth. Researchers at the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had discovered a new bacterium on the filters of the International Space Station (ISS) and named it Solibacillus kalamii to honour the late president Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.[161] Several educational and scientific institutions and other locations were renamed or named in honour of Kalam following his death.