Biography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: The Missile Man

The Missile Man Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Prepared By: Falgun Pujara

About the Legend Full name :Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam Visit on the Planet:15th Oct 1931,at Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram District,TamilNadu Father:Jainulabdeen Marakayar,a boat owner Mother:Ashiamma Has three siblings

Personal life Abdul kalam personal life was full of struggles and hard work. Kalam's father was a devout Muslim, who owned boats which he rented out to local fishermen and was a good friend of Hindu religious leaders and the Rameshwaram. APJ Abdul Kalam mentions in his biography that to support his studies, he started his career as a newspaper vendor.On Wednesday April 29, 2009, Abdul kalam became the first Asian to be bestowed the Hoover Medal, America's top engineering prize, for his outstanding contribution to public service.Abdul President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna before being elected to the highest office, the others being Sarvapalli Radhakrishnanand Zakir Hussain . school teachers at Kalam is the Third

Education Primary education was from Rameshwaram elementary school. Later he settled in schwartz, Ramanathapuram where he was highly inspired by his teacher IYADURAI SOLOMON,who told to master three forces desire,belief and expectation. In 1950 he joined St Joseph college at Tiruchirapalli to do B.Sc He joined DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at MIT,Madas(1954-1957) In 1958,after passing as a graduate,aeronautical engineer,he j o i n e d Hindustan Aeronautical Limited(HAL),Bangalore as a trainee.

As an aerospace engineer After graduating in Physics from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirapalli, Abdul Kalam graduated with a diploma in the mid-1950s from Madras Institute of Technology specializing in Aeronautical Engineering .As the Project Director, he was heavily involved in the development of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III). As Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), he also played a major part in developing many missiles of India including Agni and Prithvi. Although the entire project has been criticised for being overrun and mismanaged[11]. He was the Chief Scientific Adviser to Prime Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period, and have been associated with Kalam although he was not directly involved with the nuclear programme at the time.

Political Views

Kalam's belief in the power of technology to resolve society's problems and his views of these problems as a result of inefficient distribution of resources is modernistic. He also sees science and technology as ideology- free areas and emphasizes the cultivation of scientific temper and entrepreneurial drive. In this, he finds a lot of support among India's n e w business leaders like the founders of Infosys and Wipro, who began their careers as technology professionals much in the same way Kalam did.

His book "India 2020" strongly advocates a n action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and into a developed nation by the year 2020. Kalam is credited with the view that I n d i a ought to take a more assertive stance in international relations. he regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.

Major Contributions He helped in the development of India s first Satellite Launch Vehicle S L V - 3,in1980 which helped India to become the member of Space Club by injecting Rohini, in Earth s nearest orbit. In 1982, as Director of DRDO, Kalam was entrusted with the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme(IGMDP), India's most successful military research task to date. The programme constituted of 5 major projects for meeting the requirements of the defence services and for establishing re-entry technology. He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India s Pokhran-II Nuclear test in 1998. He served as a principal scientific adviser to the Defense Minister and later Govt of India (1999-2001) and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications.

Cont The 5 projects were scheduled to be completed in a time frame of only 10 years and consistedof: (1) Nag - an anti-tank guidedmissile (2) Prithvi - a surface-to-surface battlefield missile (3) Akash - a swift, medium-range surface-to-air missile (4)Trishul - a quick-reaction surface-to-air missile with a shorter range (5) Agni - an intermediate range ballistic missile, the mightiest

As Chairman, Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), he generated the Technology Vision 2020 documents. Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C).

Achievements Achievements - Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that was popularly called the People's President. He is the first scientist and a bachelor to chair the position of a president holding the largestDemocracy.

Contd He received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally. In the year 1981, the Government of India presented him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan and then again, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain - to have received the Bharat Ratna before being appointed to the highest office in India. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India

Contd Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took avid interest in the spheres of India's science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio- implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of technology.

Cont O n 29 April 2009,he became the first Asian to be bestowed upon America s top ,Hoover s medal. H e received Dr.Biren Roy Space Award Engineering award O m Prakash Basin Award for Science and Technology National NehruAward A r y a Bhatt Award etc

Books Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam . Scientist to President by Abdul A.P.J. Kalam; Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam India-my-dream by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Envisioning an Empowered Nation: Technology for Societal Transformation by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life Children Ask Kalam by A.P.J Abdul Kalam; Indomitable Spirit by A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Kalam begins his day by reading from the Bhagwad Gita. Kalam is leading a remarkable ascetic life. He works for about 18 hours each day. He plays the 'Rudra Veena'. Took leave just twice, when his parents died. He is a self-confessed 'Ram Bhakti'.

Current Status He always remain linked with the academics,say before becoming a president he worked with Annamalai University till 2002. He is the Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology(Tiruvanthapuram) A Professor at AnnaUniversity,(Chennai) Visiting faculty at many academic and Research institutions across India. He is the member of Indian Academy of Sciences ,Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies.

His Personality Traits Inherited Honesty,self discipline,and Faith in Goodness from hisparents HardWorking Determined Possess Perseverance Passionate for thework Artistic Highly spiritual Loving andcaring Committed and dedicated for work Positive thinker

THANK YOU By : Dr. G.Chitra Parvathy , Dept. of History, T.D.M.N.S. College,