Dr APJ Abdul Kalam: Remembering the 'Missile Man of India'
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the most-cherished president of India, affectionately called the ‘People’s President’, was an inspiration to the youth of the country.
July 27 marks the seventh death anniversary of the brilliant aerospace scientist who contributed his life to DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).
Born on October 15, 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr Kalam specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology in 1957.
APJ Abdul Kalam was responsible for the development and operation of AGNI and PRITHVI missiles, hence came to be known as the ‘Missile Man’ of India.
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APJ Abdul Kalam served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India from 1999 to 2001.
Apart from being a brilliant scientist, Kalam was a well-spoken teacher and taught at Anna University in Chennai for some time.
The legendary scientist had the honour of receiving doctorates from 48 universities in India and abroad.
APJ Abdul Kalam was awarded the Padma Bhushan (in 1981), the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (in 1997).
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He was also awarded King Charles- II Medal for Science and Technology in October 2007.
Dr Kalam served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.
Fond of students and young minds, he often encouraged them with his words.
“Youth should not accept any compromise or lower their sights. A society that makes its youth crawl in conformity and enforces dogmas on their aspirations can never flourish,” he famously said once.
Dr Kalam took his last breath while giving a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong on July 27, 2015.
