Born in 1931, in the beautiful city of Rameswaram during the British Raj, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been one of the greatest leaders we’ve ever come across. Popularly known as ‘People’s President’, Kalam not only found his way to the hearts of millions of people but also made his way to immense success in the field of science.
Growing up, Kalam was the youngest among the five siblings and was the son of a boat owner. While in school, Kalam was notably said to be average in studies but an exceptionally hardworking student who had the fire to learn more throughout school and college. Kalam completed his higher secondary education from Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram and further he went on to attend Saint Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, which was affiliated with the University of Madras at that time, from where he graduated in physics in 1954.
After graduating from Madras Institute of Technology with a degree in Aeronautical engineering, Kalam wanted to join the IAF which he missed by a hair’s breadth by ranking ninth when only eight positions were available.
Despite the IAF results, Kalam did not lose any hope and was quite determined to serve the country and he ended up joining the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the year 1958 where he contributed greatly towards the greater good and became well known for his contributions. Fast forward to 1969, he was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where he was the project director of SLV-III which successfully deployed the ‘Rohini’ satellite in July 1980.
Kalam played pivotal roles in developing several missiles in several missions including the well-known Agni missile which is an intermediate range ballistic missile and Prithvi, a tactical surface-to-surface missile.
Kalam’s great contributions to the world of missile missions gained him massive fame and popularity along with the title ‘The Missile Man of India’. With this, there was nothing stopping Kalam from being one of the most respected and liked scientists in India.
Later, Kalam acted as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary of the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) from July 1992 to December 1999. Under Kalam’s guidance, the incredibly famous and controversial Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted. These tests were one of the most important milestones for our country in proving themselves powerful enough and independent of any foreign forces. The massive media coverage of this entire nuclear test series added more to Kalam’s popularity and made him one of the most respected nuclear scientists he is today.
Kalam’s popularity was not just limited to the nuclear and missile world. His popularity was equally good when it came down to politics and when Kalam officially won the presidential elections in a lopsided win with 9,22,884 votes as compared to his counterpart Laxmi Sehgal who secured 1,07,366 votes.
Post his presidency, Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management Shillong and the Indian Institute of Management Indore. He also became an honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore along with being the chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram and a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University. He was an Information Technology (IT) professor at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad and technology professor at Banaras Hindu University and Anna University as well.
He essentially contributed to the society and the upcoming generations by spreading knowledge and motivating students wherever he went and was not limited to a particular aspect of education. He remained committed to building and transforming India into a well-developed society and country with the help of science, morals, values and ethics, innovations and knowledge.
On 27th July 2015, Kalam visited Indian Institute of Management, Shillong to deliver a lecture on the topic ‘Creating a Liveable Planet Earth’. However, Kalam collapsed in the middle of the lecture and rushed to the ICU in Bethany Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The entire country was in a shock on the announcement with several political leaders showing their remorse over the loss of a great leader and exceptionally hardworking and devoted scientist. The entire country paid their tribute to a great person like Kalam who selflessly devoted his life for the betterment of this country and who believed in one day changing the country for good.
Kalam often spoke about this ideology in several of his books including India 2020 (1998), Wings of Fire (1999) and Ignited Minds (2002).
Even though, Kalam has left us and this world, his legacy lives on as ‘The Missile Man of India’ and he truly is the Epitome of Inspiration for all of us!
By Shruti Sarda
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