A. P. J Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in a Tamil Muslim family to
Jainulabudeen, a boat owner and Ashiamma, a housewife, at Rameswaram,
Ramanathapuram District, located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He came
from a poor background whose financial conditions weren’t sound enough. As a
means to support his family’s meagre income, Kalam took up odd jobs in his
childhood but never gave up on his education.His full name is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen
Abdul Kalam.He is an Indian scientist who served as the 11th
President of India from 2002 to 2007. After completing school, Kalam
distributed newspapers to financially contribute to his father's income. In
his school years, he had average grades, but was described as a bright and
hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn and spend hours on his
studies, especially mathematics. He was just a simple man with a great
fierceful heart in his childhood.
He graduated from Saint Joseph's College,
Tiruchirappalli in 1954 but not satisfied with his degree, he left for Madras
later next year to study aerospace engineering. He enrolled at the Madras
Institute of Technology (MIT). After graduating from MIT, Kalam took up the
position of chief scientist at the Aeronautical Development Establishment of
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). However, the profile
didn’t appeal Kalam much who shifted to the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first indigenous Satellite
Launch Vehicle.
In 2002, Kalam was elected the President of India
in 2002 with the support of the both the ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party and the
opposition Indian National Congress. After
serving a term of 5 years, he returned to civilian life of education, writing,
and public service. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's
highest civilian honor.
Kalam served as the
11th President of India, succeeding K R Narayanan. He
won the 2002
presidential election with an electoral
vote of 922,884, surpassing 107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal.
He served from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007.
On 10 June 2002, the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was in power at the
time, expressed to the leader of opposition, Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhithat they would propose
Kalam for the post of President. The Samajwadi Party and
the Nationalist Congress
Party backed his candidacy. After the Samajwadi Party
announced its support for him, Narayanan chose not to seek a second term in
office, leaving the field clear for Kalam.
I am really
overwhelmed. Everywhere both in Internet and in other media, I have been asked
for a message. I was thinking what message I can give to the people of the
country at this juncture.
—Kalam responding to the announcement of his candidature
by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
On 18 June, Kalam filed
his nomination papers in the Parliament of India,
accompanied by Vajpayee and his senior Cabinet colleagues.
During his term as
President, he was affectionately known as the People's President. He
is currently a visiting professor at Indian
Institute of Management Shillong, Indian
Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian
Institute of Management Indore, honorary fellow of Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore,[57] Chancellor of
the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace
Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore) and
an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions
across India.
A P J Abdul Kalam's
79th birthday was recognised as World Student's Day by United
Nations. He has also received honorary doctorates from
40 universities. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in
1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his work with
ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the Government. In
1997, Kalam received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his immense and
valuable contribution to the scientific research and modernisation of defence
technology in India. In 2005, Switzerland declared 26 May as science day
to commemorate Kalam's visit in the country. In 2013, he was the recipient of
the Von Braun Award from
the National Space Society "to
recognize excellence in management of and leadership for a space-related
project."
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