APJ Abdul Kalam: All you need to know on his birth anniversary

India's 'People's President' Dr APJ Abdul Kalam apart from leading India's defence and space programmes, was also reportedly a voracious reader, excellent orator and an inspiring teacher. On his 88th birth Anniversary here are the things you need to know about the former President and Bharat Ratna Awardee 

Remembering Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, born in 1931 in Rameshwaram, rose to great heights in the field of science and technology, reshaping India's space program with his futuristic vision.  

He graduated in Science from St. Joseph's College, Trichy in 1954. After securing a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1958, Kalam rose speedily in India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) producing several successful missile programs earning the moniker 'Missile Man'. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV configuration.

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Contribution to Science

Dr Kalam is a pioneer in fibreglass technology and led a young team to initiate this effort in ISRO from design, development leading to the production of composites rocket motor cases. Dr Kalam made a significant contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) 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 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 the 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.

In the bio-medical area, Dr Kalam along with his team collaborated with medical specialists in the development of Kalam-Raju stent during 1994 - 1996. Kalam-Raju cardiac stent after qualification trials has been fitted to many needy patients. This development has further led to the creation of a production unit of state-of-the-art stents. Also, he had initiated the use of carbon-carbon and carbon-polymer materials for production of floor reaction orthosis callipers which has reduced the weight of the calliper to 1/10th of the original weight during 1995 & 1996. Over 50,000 children have been fitted with these callipers.

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Contribution in politics

Delving into the political side, Dr Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001 and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies, and missions for many development applications. Dr Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) and piloted India Millennium Mission 2020.

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Contribution to Teaching

Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all, he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting school students across the country. Dr Kalam is passionate about bringing rural prosperity through PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas), in which science and technology have to play a key role.

He rose to national fame when he was sworn in as India's 11th President and transformed the nation's approach to science and technology during his tenure (2002-2007). Kalam wrote several books with his autobiography -'Wings of Fire' and 'Ignited Minds' inspiring millions. Among his numerous awards were two of the country’s highest honours - the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the Bharat Ratna (1997). The great teacher, collapsed suddenly while delivering a lecture in July 2015, and then breathed his last on July 27, 2015.

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