Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's Success Story

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, India's Missile Man

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, was praised as an Indian scientist who served in the position from 2002 to 2007. He studied aeronautical engineering and physics and spent the final four decades of his life as a science administrator.

Because of his immense effort in missile development, he was also dubbed the "Missile Man of India." Many major awards were bestowed upon him, including the Bharat Ratna.

He received 922,884 electoral votes in the 2002 presidential election, topping Lakshmi Sahgal's 107,366 votes. His term was from July 25, 2002, to July 25, 2007.

Dr. Kalam was known as the People's President throughout his presidency, claiming that signing the "Office of Profit" Bill was the most difficult decision he had made during his time in office.

Early Days

A.P.J Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, to a Tamil Muslim family. He was raised in a low-income household by his father, a boat owner, and mother, a homemaker. After finishing school, he used to distribute newspapers in order to help support his father. He had a strong desire to learn more. He attended Ramanathapuram Schwartz Matriculation School and afterwards Saint Joseph's College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physics. In 1955, he relocated to Madras to further his education.

A Scientist's Career

.P.J Abdul Kalam created a tiny helicopter for the Indian army. When he was sent to ISRO to work on the SLV-III project, he made a significant breakthrough. He acted as the spokesperson of TBRL at the Smiling Buddha nuclear test, which was the first nuclear test ever undertaken. His considerable research and development work in the 1980s earned him many honours and laurels. From July 1992 till the present, he served as the Prime Minister's Chief Scientific Adviser. During the nuclear testing of Pokhran-II, he played a significant technological and political role.

Career as the President of India

In 2002, A.P.J Abdul Kalam was elected President by a landslide of votes. His presidency lasted from July 25, 2002, to July 25, 2007. The National Congress and the Samajwadi Party both backed him. It was an easy victory for him, and he was elected India's 11th President. He was the third person to earn the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He was the first bachelor and the first scientist, occupying the seat of Rashtrapati Bhavan. He did, however, decline to run for President for a second term in 2012.

Fondness for Education and Students

His main aim after resigning as a scientific adviser in 1999 was to contact with as many as 100,000 students. He relished the opportunity to speak with the country's youth, particularly high school pupils. He discovered a technique to enthuse them about India's progress.

Death

On the 27th of July 2015, he was giving a lecture at IIM Shillong when he experienced a huge heart attack at 6:30 p.m. Due to his grave condition, he was rushed to Bethany Hospital, where he died of cardiac arrest.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, an Indian aeronautical scientist who served as India's 11th President from 2002 to 2007, has earned the following accolades and medals.

Honorary Degrees

• Distinguished Fellow – Institute of Directors, India, 1994
• Honorary Fellow – National Academy of Medical Sciences, 1995
• Honorary Doctorate of Science – University of Wolverhampton, UK, 2007
• King Charles II Medal – UK, 2007
• Honorary Doctor of Engineering – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2008
• International von Kármán Wings Award – California Institute of Technology, USA, 2009
• Hoover Medal – American Society of Mechanical Engineers, USA, 2009
• Doctor of Engineering – University of Waterloo, Canada, 2010
• IEEE Honorary Membership – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA, 2011
• Honorary Doctor of Laws – Simon Fraser University, Canada, 2012
• Honorary Doctor of Science – University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 2014

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Awards

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

Dr. Abdul Kalam's Motivational Quotes

• You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
• A dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep.
• You should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.
• I was willing to accept what I couldn’t change.
• All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.
• Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy success.
• Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.
• Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.
• The best brains of the nation may be found on the last benches of the classroom.
• Excellence happens not by accident. It is a process.
• Winners are not those who never fail but those who never quit.
• Two rules for a peaceful life: Depression in failure should never go to heart, and ego in success should never go to the brain.
• Luxury and Lies have huge maintenance costs. But Truth and Simplicity are self-maintained without any cost.
• Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.
• To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.