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

Avur Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was loved and respected as a scientist, a teacher, a visionary, and then as the 11th President of our country. No one would have thought that this little boy from Rameswaram would one day be honored with the Bharat Ratna, India’s most prestigious award, and will always be remembered for his vision for India. Born on 15th October 1931,on the island of Dhanushkodi off the southeastern coast the temple town of Rameswaram, located in Tamil Nadu in India, He was born to a very poor Tamil Muslim family. Abdul was the youngest child of Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma. His father was the Imam at the local Mosque of Rameswaram and led worshippers during prayers. Many people considered him to be a healer. The water was then used for healing people. His father often explained to young Abdul the power of faith and prayer. This advice probably stayed with him throughout his lifetime. Due to poverty, Dr. Abdul Kalam had to sell newspapers in his early childhood to run his family, but he was a hardworking and sharp student. He started his schooling from Schwartz Higher School in Ramanathapuram. and later he went to Saint Joseph’s College from where he became a physics graduate. In 1955 he went to Madras to pursue his studies further in University of Madras and Young Abdul Kalam got admission into the Madras Institute of Technology. His parents did not know how to meet the cost of his higher education. His elder sister, Zohra gave her gold bangles to make ends meet even though she had little money for her own household needs. Abdul was touched by this selfless gesture. He studied hard to get a scholarship to redeem the piece of jewellery that she had given up. He developed an early fascination with flight by watching birds, which developed into an interest in aeronautics after he saw a newspaper article about a British fighter plane.

His work was commendable  and after completing his education, His hopes of becoming a fighter pilot were dashed when he narrowly missed out on a spot with the Indian Air Force. Kalam instead joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as a senior scientific assistant in 1958. After moving to the newly formed Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1969, he started his contribution as a scientist. Dr Kalam got a job at the Indian National Committee for Space Research as a Rocket Engineer. There he was introduced to Dr Vikram Sarabhai,  one of the pioneers of India’s Space Programme. Kalam was assigned to work with Group Captain VS Narayanan to Develop a Rato, which is a Rocket-assisted Take-off system, in eighteen months. The team successfully completed the project in just sixteen months and conducted sixty-four Rato Static tests. This saved the country roughly INR four crores in foreign exchange. He almost met with death twice While working at ISRO, Dr. Kalam was saved from the explosion of payloads, the dangerous mix of pure sodium and thermite, by his colleague Sudhakar. This selfless act of Sudhakar inspired Dr Kalam to work even harder and make his life more meaningful and useful to others. when he was the project director of India’s first satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) was used to launch the satellite Rohini in 1980 and is considered the developer of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle designed and produced on Indian soil. He also played a crucial role in the development of Agni and Prithvi missiles.  Returning to the DRDO as director in 1982, Kalam implemented the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He then became the senior scientific adviser to India's defense minister in 1992, a position he used to campaign for the development of nuclear tests. Kalam was a key figure in the May 1998 Pokhran-II tests, in which five nuclear devices were detonated in the Rajasthan Desert. Although the tests resulted in condemnation and economic sanctions from other world powers, Kalam was hailed as a national hero for his staunch defense of the country’s security.  He again faced danger in 2001, when the helicopter in which he was travelling crashed in Bokaro. Though nobody was injured, this second clash with death made Dr Kalam turn to a career in teaching and unfold his vision for India.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was given two hours to accept his presidency and In June 2002, Dr Abdul Kalam got a call from the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The PM expressed his wish to nominate him for the post of President. Vajpayee gave Kalam two hours to make up his mind and give his answer. After consulting with his family and friends, he accepted the offer and was sworn in as the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. The swearing-in ceremony of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was attended by the head of Ramanathaswamy Temple, the priest of Rameshwaram Church and the imam of Rameshwaram Mosque, apart from his family and colleagues. He Initated E-Governance in the Rashtrapati Bhawan, When Dr Kalam started his tenure as the president of India, he initiated e-governance in Rashtrapati Bhawan and changed the way of work being done in his office. While visiting the Air force Base in Pune in June 2006, President Kalam expressed his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. Immediately, the pilots around him encouraged him to fly with them as the co-pilot. The President flew in the fighter aircraft for half an hour. With this feat, he not only achieved his childhood dream but also became the oldest Indian to fly a fighter aircraft at the age of seventy four. Known as the People's President, Kalam set a goal of conducting 500,000 one-on-one meetings with young people over the course of his five-year term. His immense popularity led to him being nominated by MTV for a Youth Icon of the Year award in 2003 and 2006. After leaving office in 2007, Kalam became a visiting professor at several universities. Kalam wrote several books, including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). Among his numerous awards were two of the country’s highest honours, the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the Bharat Ratna (1997). Kalam visionary passed away on 27 July 2015 while delivering a lecture to students at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.

With Regards

Dr. Adarsha Gowda

St. Aloysius College, Autonomous

Mangalore, India.

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