Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: People's President to Missile Man of India

Rajan Sarma | Friday, 16 October 2020, 04:07 IST

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Dr.APJ Abdul KalamFormer President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam – also popularly known as the Missile Man of India because of his groundbreaking work towards the development of India’s indigenously guided balletic missiles was a man of many parts. Best known for his tenure as the President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam was a visionary scientist, motivational speaker, a Tamil poet and also an amateur musician.

Born on the Southernmost tip of India in the Rameswaram Island of the Tamil Nadu state, Dr. Abdul Kalam was a visionary leader who perhaps contributed towards the skilling of the youth within India like no other. For his great contributions towards science and education, The United Nations back in 2010 in honor of Dr. Abdul Kalam announced 15th October the day he was born as the World Student Day.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a man who imparted knowledge till his last breath; on 15th July 2015 while delivering a lecture at the Indian Management of Intuition Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from a Cardiac Arrest. Throughout his career Dr. Abdul Kalam promoted the principles of inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students.

On the occasion of his 89th Birth Anniversary on 15th of October, here is a quick list of pointers you should know about Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and his contributions in the field of Science & technology:

  • Before becoming the President, Dr Kalam had put in over 10-years of hard work as the project director for the development of the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle at ISRO that ultimately resulted in one of the greatest scientific development of indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).
  • Dr.  APJ Abdul Kalam played a major role in the Pokhran-II nuclear testing, being the chief scientific man of the then Prime Minister. This led him to be recognized as the best nuclear scientist of the country at that time. The nuclear testing under the supervision of Dr. Abdul Kalam during the period from July 1992 to December 1999 made India a nuclear-armed state.
  • For his outstanding work in the stream of science and technology the former President of India was also awarded with the highest civilian award of India – The Bharat Ratna Award Back in 2012.
  • Initially, the aerospace engineer was known as the Missile Man of India for his contributions towards the development of India’s first ballistic missiles Prithvi and Agni. However, with the passage of time the scientist is better recognized for his views and contributions towards the development of India’s education.

Dr. Kalam breathed his last on July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, when he collapsed and died from cardiac arrest. Five years after his demise his contributions are still remembered as some of the best scientific and technological developments in the country.

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