Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam better known as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, was the eleventh President of India from 2002 to 2007. A career scientist turned statesman, Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. Here Knowledge Glow provides complete biography of DR. APJ Abdul Kalam | History, Books, Thoughts, Awards, Fact & many more.
Early Life and Education
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu on 15 October 1931 to a family of boatmen. He had his early education in the Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu where he studied at a local school before completing his matriculation examination with first division marks in 1940 (the highest possible score) and graduating as an electrical engineer from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT).
The Second World War interrupted Kalam’s studies and he joined the Indian Military Academy as an officer cadet on 9 March 1948.He then spent two years at the National Defence College before being posted back to India where he served as Secretary General of Defense Production Council until 1955.
In 1956, Kalam headed another committee which examined issues relating to defence production including use of latest technology such as jet planes by Indian armed forces.
Books Written by APJ Abdul Kalam
- India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium
- Wings of Fire
- Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India
- Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji
- A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020
Honorary Degrees of APJ Abdul Kalam
| Honours | Year of Award |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Distinguished Fellow – Institute of Directors, India |
| 1995 | Honorary Fellow – National Academy of Medical Sciences |
| 2007 | Honorary Doctorate of Science – University of Wolverhampton UK |
| 2007 | King Charles II Medal – UK |
| 2008 | Honorary Doctor of Engineering – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
| 2009 | International von Kármán Wings Award – California Institute of Technology, USA |
| 2009 | Hoover Medal – American Society of Mechanical Engineers, USA |
| 2010 | Doctor of Engineering – University of Waterloo, Canada |
| 2011 | IEEE Honorary Membership – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA |
| 2012 | Honorary Doctor of Laws – Simon Fraser University, Canada |
| 2014 | Honorary Doctor of Science – University of Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Awards of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
- 1981: Padma Bhushan – Government of India
- 1990: Padma Vibhushan – Government of India
- 1997: Bharat Ratna – Government of India
- 1997: Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration – Government of India
- 1998: Veer Savarkar Award – Government of India
- 2000: SASTRA Ramanujan Prize – Shanmugha Arts,Science,Technology & Research Academy, India
- 2013: Von Braun Award – National Space Society
Career as a Scientist
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu on 15 October 1931. He studied physics and aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai, earning a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
After completing his studies at MIT, Kalam joined Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) as an Assistant Director in 1956 where he worked on supersonic aircrafts for fighter jets before moving to head its Research Centre in 1961 where he led efforts towards developing lightweight materials for aircrafts including fighter planes such as MiG-21s and Sukhoi Su-7s that were expected to be introduced within five years time frame with civil applications being explored later on when technology matured further; these projects had been funded by ADA with government funding later becoming available after 1962 Indo-China war broke out due Kalam left ADA earlier than expected due poor financial condition caused by low demand during recession period (- 1960s).
Political Career of APJ Abdul Kalam
Kalam was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, from 1991 to 2002. He served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007 and joined politics in 1971 when he became General Secretary of Students’ Federation of Andhra Pradesh. He was appointed National Security Advisor by Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao on November 26, 1998 and held that office till August 31, 1999 when he resigned over differences with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy decisions on Kashmir. He also served as Chief Scientific Adviser to DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) during this period until June 2001 when he was appointed Chairman Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Kalam has been awarded various awards including Padma Bhushan (1999), Padma Vibhushan (2001) and Bharat Ratna Award presented by Government Of India (2002).
President of India : APJ Abdul Kalam
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the 11th President of India and was a scientist, academician and statesman who served as a professor in aerospace engineering at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) before his appointment as president in 2002. He was born on 15 October 1931 to an illiterate family in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu state; he has two brothers named Ramanathan and Ramamoorthy who were also engineers but did not become presidents like him. He went on to complete his PhD from Madras University after which he joined Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), as an assistant director responsible for missile development programme which led him towards becoming Defence Minister during P V Narasimha Rao’s tenure at Centre
Death and Legacy
APJ Abdul Kalam died on 27 July 2015 at 00:15 IST at Shri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India. He was 76 years old and had been suffering from respiratory complications since 2012.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Suja Vaidya; his daughter; son-in-law Ramesh Chandra Prasad (a US citizen); grandchildren Rahul & Prarthana; great grandson Kunal & grandson Akshat Prasad.
Personal Life of APJ. Abdul Kalam
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in Tamil Nadu, India as the second child to an Indian Muslim family. He had two siblings and both of them were born before him: his elder sister Smt. Kamala Kaul (1927—) who was also an educationist and a politician; and his younger brother Moulana Ashraf Ali (1935—). Both of his parents died when he was young which caused him to become very close with his relatives who lived nearby; however, this would later lead him into leading a life where he could not stay long due to lack of money after completing school studies at Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati Vidya Mandir School in Chandigarh till class 10th standard then moving out to live alone until college days came when he met Anjali Prasad Mishra who eventually became his wife in 1957 following which they had three children together: Arun Kumar Mishra (1960), Rama Misra (1962), Amitabha Misra
Religious and Spiritual Views
- Religious and spiritual views
- He was a Muslim and a faithful devotee of Islam. He believed in the oneness of God, the finality of Prophet Muhammad and that Allah is the only God.
- He also believed that Allah had sent down his last messenger (Muhammad) to bring peace, justice and equity to mankind through him.
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Conclusion
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was born on the 15th of October 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He is an Indian scientist who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007, and as a scientific advisor to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) until 2009. He is also known for his contributions to India’s missile program, which culminated in the country developing its first nuclear weapons test in 1998; he has spoken out repeatedly against nuclear weapons proliferation since then . He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan (1990), Padma Vibhushan (1997) and Bharat Ratna (2015) awards.
