MISSILE MAN – DR.A.P.J.ABDUL KALAM

Abdul Kalam is the Indian aerospace scientist.He was born in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu at 15 October 1931.His full name was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.He studied schooling in manadapam panchayat union middle school and Schwartz higher secondary school.He did college in st. Joseph,Trichy and Madras institute of technology, chennai.He was also the President of India in 2002-2007.

He played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. He called as missile man of india for the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.He lived a simple living and high thinking. He was a true patriot, a man who believed in the empowerment of students and made missiles but talked of peace. He firmly believed that educational opportunities should be provided to all children as that was the only way to remove poverty.

HONORS FOR DR.A.P.J.ABDUL KALAM:-

* 2014- Honorary professor.

* 2014 Honorary professor Beijing University, China.


2014 Doctor of Science Edinburgh University, Uk.


2013 Von Braun Award National Space Society.


2012 Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) Simon Fraser University.


2011 IEEE Honorary Membership IEEE.


2010 Doctor of Engineering University of Waterloo.


2009 Honorary Doctorate Oakland University.


2009 Hoover Medal ASME Foundation, USA.


2009 International von Kármán Wings Award California Institute of Technology, USA.


2008 Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.


2008 Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.


2007 Honorary Doctorate of Science and Technology Carnegie Mellon University.


2007 King Charles II Medal Royal Society, UK.


2007 Honorary Doctorate of Science University of Wolverhampton, UK.


2000 Ramanujan Award Alwars Research Centre, Chennai.


1998 Veer Savarkar Award Government of India.


1997 Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Indian National Congress.


1997 Bharat Ratna Government of India.


1995 Honorary Fellow National Academy of Medical Sciences.


1994 Distinguished Fellow Institute of Directors (India).


1990 Padma Vibhushan Government of India.


1981 Padma Bhushan Government of India.

HIS GOAL:-

* Planting trees.

* Educating students.

” Dream comes in sleep is not a Dream Dream which not let you to sleep is a dream”.

– DR.A.P.J.ABDUL KALAM

The Missile Man

Introduction

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was famously known as the “Missile Man” of India. He was also known for his humility. All the citizens of India are remembering him on his death anniversary on July 27th, when in 2015 he passed away because of a heart attack he suffered in Shillong. He is known to be the people’s President because of his simplicity and humility. He was one of the few Presidents every citizen loved and was fond of. He was the only President of India who did not have a political connection, that is, came from a non-political background. He was the 11th President of India, from 2002 to 2007. This year, July 27th, 2021 is his 6th death anniversary.

About Him

His full name was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was born on 15 October 1931. He was an Indian scientist and politician who played a major role in developing India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. He was born into a Tamil Muslim family in the pilgrimage center of Rameswaram on Pamban Island, which was then in the Madras Presidency, which now is the State of Tamil Nadu. His father was a boat owner and an imam of their local mosque and his mother was a homemaker. He was the youngest of four brothers and one sister in his family. His ancestors were wealthy Marayakar traders and landowners but the family had lost all fortunes during the poverty-stricken time. Marayakar is a Muslim ethnic found in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka who are claimed to be descendants of Arab traders and local women. As a young boy, he sold newspapers to help his family in contributing income.

During his school years, he scored average grades but he was said to be a bright and hardworking student with a desire to learn. He spent a lot of his time studying, especially Mathematics. On completing his education, he went to Saint Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, which was at that time affiliated with the University of Madras. He graduated from there in Physics in 1954. In 1955, he moved to Madras to study aerospace engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Once while he was working on a senior project, the Dean was dissatisfied because of the lack of progress and he threatened Kalam to either finish the project in three days or get his scholarship revoked. To his surprise, Kalam met the deadline and impressed the Dean. His dream was to become a fighter pilot which he missed by one place.

Career as a Scientist

He had joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in 1958 as a senior scientific assistant. Later on, in 1969, he joined the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where his responsibility was as the project director of the SLV-III, which is known as the first satellite launch vehicle.

He then rejoined DRDO in 1982 as the director. This is when he got the name of the “Missile Man” because of the implementation of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He was then appointed as the senior scientific adviser to India’s defense minister in 1992. He also played an eminent role in the Pokhran-II tests in May 1998.

Awards

He won various awards:

  • Padma Bhushan – 1981
  • Padma Vibhushan – 1990
  • Bharat Ratna – 1997
  • Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration – 1997
  • Veer Savakar Award – 1998
  • SASTRA Ramanujan Prize – 2000
  • Von Braun Award – 2013

Conclusion

We should take a look at his inspiring quotes on this death anniversary and follow the great inspiration that he is to all of us. One of the most important one is “We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glow of its goodness.”

References