“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”- Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.
The nation grieves as the ‘People’s President', Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam passed away in Shillong while delivering a lecture. The Bharat Ratna, also known as the ‘Missile Man of India’, endeared himself to all with his humble persona and will remain an inspiration for generations to come.
He wasn’t only a preeminent defense scientist but also a cult hero who had earned many epitaphs like being the ‘people’s president’. On his sad demise, when the nation is mourning and paying him last respects, let us remember the India’s most popular president and his contributions to the nation.
Early Life
Kalam was a devout Muslim born on October 15, 1931 and was raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. His father was a boatowner and imam in the mosque. Kalam sold newspaper after school to support his father. His great interest in science made him study physics and aerospace engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. He had been brought up in a society which had a progressive outlook and was not bound by shackles of religion.
A Spearhead Scientist
He stepped into the space club in July 1980 making a significant contribution as Project Director to work on India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III). The project was a success as SLV-III injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit. He led many projects in his life and treated each one of them as his last.
As a prominent scientist and chairman at Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, he led missions like Technology Vision 2020 and India Millennium Mission 2020 respectively with a view to make India a developed nation.
Journey at ISRO
His journey at ISRO had also been fruitful for the nation where he spent two decades of his life mastering launch vehicle technologies. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) configuration was one of his major contributions here.
Father of Indian Missile Technology
After working at the space club he joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation. to feed his interest of building up Indigenous Guided Missiles. His cutting edge defense technologies devised missiles such as- PRITHVI, AKASH, TRISHUL, NAG and AGNI. Development of ballistic missile, launch vehicle technology and his contribution in 1998’s nuclear weapon tests earned him the title of ‘Missile Man of India’.
Igniting Young Minds
Kalam will be remembered forever for instilling the need to develop and achieve success within the youngsters. His academic quest as a Professor at Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 had been remarkable. His books ‘Ignited Minds - Unleashing the Power Within India’, ‘India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium’, ‘Wings of Fire’ and ‘My journey’ are sources of sheer inspiration and knowledge.
“My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.”
India’s 11th President
He swore in as the President of India on July 25, 2002 succeeding K R Narayanan. He was the first scientist and first ever bachelor to have become the President of India. He was a highly admired and loved president, especially amongst the youth. His motivational speeches were spring of inspiration to all. He himself is an example of ‘Make in India’ without having any training abroad. He demitted office on July 25, 2007.
A Man Of Honor
The honor of Bharat Ratna was conferred on him by K R Narayanan in 1997. Apart from receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions, he was awarded:
Padma Bhushan in 1981
Padma Vibhushan in 1990
Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1997
IEEE Honorary Membership in 2011
Hoover Medal in 2009
Veer Savarkar Award in 1998
Ramanujan Award in 2000
International von Kármán Wings Award in 2009
King Charles II Medal in 2007
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