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A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM
BY : REJAUL HOQUE SARKAR
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INTRODUCTION
Avul
Pakir Jainulabdeen "A. P. J." Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July
2015) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. A career scientist
turned politician, Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and
studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a
scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was
intimately involved in India's civilian space program and military missile
development efforts. 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. He also played a pivotal
organizational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran
II
nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in
1974. Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support
of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then opposition Indian
National Congress. Widely referred to as the "People's President," he returned to his
civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. He
was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna,
India's highest civilian honour. While delivering a lecture at the Indian
Institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent
cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83. Thousands including national level
dignitaries attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram,
where he was buried with full state honours.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Avul Pakir
Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 to a Tamil Muslim family
in the pilgrimage centre of Rameswaram on Pamban Island, then in the Madras
Presidency and now in the State of Tamil Nadu. His father Jainulabudeen was a
boat owner and imam of a local mosque; His
mother Ashiamma was a housewife. His
father owned a ferry that took Hindu pilgrims back and forth between Rameswaram
and the now uninhabited Dhanushkodi. Kalam
was the youngest of four brothers and one sister in his family. His ancestors had been wealthy traders
and landowners, with numerous properties and large tracts of land. Their
business had involved trading groceries between the mainland and the island and
to and from Sri Lanka, as well as ferrying pilgrims between the mainland and
Pamban. As a result, the family acquired the title of "Mara Kalam
iyakkivar" (wooden boat steerers), which over the years became shortened
to "Marakier." With the opening of the Pamban Bridge to the mainland
in 1914, however, the businesses failed and the family fortune and properties
were lost over time, apart from the ancestral home. By his early childhood, Kalam's family
had become poor; at an early age, he sold newspapers to supplement his family's
income.
In his
school years, Kalam had average grades but was described as a bright and
hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn. He spent hours on his
studies, especially mathematics. After
completing his education at the Schwartz Higher Secondary School,
Ramanathapuram, Kalam went on to attend Saint Joseph's College,
Tiruchirappalli, then affiliated with the University of Madras, from where he
graduated in physics in 1954. He
moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering in Madras Institute of
Technology. While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean was
dissatisfied with his lack of progress and threatened to revoke his scholarship
unless the project was finished within the next three days. Kalam met the
deadline, impressing the Dean, who later said to him, "I was putting you under
stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline". He narrowly missed achieving his dream
of becoming a fighter pilot, as he placed ninth in qualifiers, and only eight
positions were available in the IAF.
CAREER AS SCIENTIST
1960, Kalam
joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist. He started his career by designing
a small hovercraft, but remained unconvinced by his choice of a job at DRDO. Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR
committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist. In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where he was the project director of
India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLVIII) which successfully deployed the
Rohini
satellite in
nearearth orbit in July 1980; Kalam had first started work on an expandable
rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. In 1969, Kalam received the
government's approval and expanded the programme to include more engineers.
In 1963 to
1964, he visited NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and Wallops Flight Facility. Between the 1970s and 1990s, Kalam
made an effort to develop the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and SLVIII
projects, both of which proved to be successful.
Kalam was
invited by Raja Ramanna to witness the country's first nuclear test Smiling
Buddha as the representative of TBRL, even though he had not participated in
its development. In the 1970s, Kalam also directed two projects, Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought to develop ballistic
missiles from the technology of the successful SLV programme. Despite the disapproval of the Union
Cabinet, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi allotted secret funds for these aerospace
projects through her discretionary powers under Kalam's directorship. Kalam played an integral role
convincing the Union Cabinet to conceal the true nature of these classified
aerospace projects.
His research and educational
leadership brought him great laurels and prestige in the 1980s, which prompted
the government to initiate an advanced missile programme under his
directorship.
Kalam and Dr V S
Arunachalam, metallurgist and scientific adviser to the Defence Minister,
worked on the suggestion by the then Defence Minister, R. Venkataraman on a
proposal for simultaneous development of a quiver of missiles instead of taking
planned missiles one after another. R
Venkatraman was instrumental in getting the cabinet approval for allocating Rs.
388 crores for the mission, named Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP) and appointed Kalam as the chief executive. Kalam played a major part in
developing many missiles under the mission including Agni, an intermediate
range ballistic missile and Prithvi, the tactical surface to surface missile,
although the projects have been criticised for mismanagement and cost and time
overruns.
Kalam
served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary
of the Defence Research and Development Organisation from July 1992 to December
1999. The Pokhran II
nuclear tests were conducted during this period in which he played an intensive
political and technological role. Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator,
along with Rajagopala Chidambaram, during the testing phase. Media coverage of Kalam during this
period made him the country's best known nuclear scientist. However, the director of the site
test, K Santhanam, said that the thermonuclear bomb had been a
"fizzle" and criticisied Kalam for issuing an incorrect report. Both Kalam and Chidambaram dismissed
the claims.
In 1998,
along with cardiologist Soma Raju, Kalam developed a low cost coronary stent,
named the "Kalam-Raju Stent". In
2012, the duo designed a rugged tablet computer for health care in rural areas,
which was named the "Kalam-Raju Tablet".
PRESIDENCY
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 the
107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal. His term lasted 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 that they would nominate Kalam for the post of President, and both the Samajwadi Party and the
Nationalist Congress Party backed his candidacy. After
the Samajwadi Party announced its support for Kalam, Narayanan chose not to seek a second term in
office, leaving the field clear. Kalam
said of the announcement of his candidature:
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.
On 18 June,
Kalam filed his nomination papers in the Indian Parliament, accompanied by
Vajpayee and his senior Cabinet colleagues.
The polling
for the presidential election began on 15 July 2002 in Parliament and the state
assemblies, with the media claiming that the election was a onesided affair and
Kalam's victory was a foregone conclusion; the count was held on 18 July. Kalam became the 11th
president of the Republic of India in an easy victory, and moved into the Rashtrapati Bhavan
after he was sworn in on 25 July. Kalam
was the third President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna,
India's highest civilian honour, before becoming the President. Dr Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan (1954) and Dr Zakir Hussain (1963) were the earlier recipients of
Bharat Ratna who later became the President of India. He was also the first scientist and
the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.
During his
term as president, he was affectionately known as the People's
President, saying that signing the Office of
Profit Bill was the toughest decision he had taken during his tenure. Kalam was criticised for his inaction
in deciding the fate of 20 out of the 21 mercy petitions submitted to him
during his tenure.
Article 72 of the
Constitution of India empowers the President of India to grant pardons, and
suspend or commute the death sentence of convicts on death row. Kalam acted on only one mercy plea in
his five year tenure as president, rejecting the plea of rapist Dhananjoy
Chatterjee, who was later hanged. Perhaps
the most notable plea was from Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri terrorist who was
convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament
and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India in 2004. While the sentence was scheduled to be
carried out on 20 October 2006, the pending action on his mercy plea resulted
in him remaining on death row. He
also took the controversial decision to impose President's Rule in Bihar in
2005.
In
September 2003, in an interactive session in PGI Chandigarh, Kalam supported
the need of Uniform Civil Code in India, keeping in view the population of the
country.
At the end
of his term, on 20 June 2007, Kalam expressed his willingness to consider a
second term in office provided there was certainty about his victory in the
2007 presidential election. However,
two days later, he decided not to contest the Presidential election again
stating that he wanted to avoid involving Rashtrapati Bhavan from any political
processes.
He did not have the
support of the left parties, Shiv Sena and UPA constituents, to receive a
renewed mandate.
Nearing the
expiry of the term of the 12th President Pratibha Patil on 24 July 2012, media
reports in April claimed that Kalam was likely to be nominated for his second
term. After the reports, social networking
sites witnessed a number of people supporting his candidature. The BJP potentially backed his
nomination, saying that the party would lend their support if the Trinamool
Congress, Samajwadi Party and Indian National Congress proposed him for the
2012 presidential election. A
month ahead of the election, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee also
expressed their support for Kalam. Days
afterwards, Mulayam Singh Yadav backed out, leaving Mamata Banerjee as the
solitary supporter.
On 18 June 2012, Kalam declined
to contest the 2012 presidential poll. He said of his decision not to do so:
Many,
many citizens have also expressed the same wish. It only reflects their love
and affection for me and the aspiration of the people. I am really overwhelmed
by this support. This being their wish, I respect it. I want to thank them for
the trust they have in me.
POST-PRESIDENCY
After
leaving office, Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of
Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the
Indian Institute of Management Indore; an honorary fellow of Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore;
chancellor of the Indian
Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram; professor of
Aerospace Engineering at Anna University; and an adjunct at many other academic
and research institutions across India. He taught information technology at the
International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and technology at
Banaras Hindu University and Anna University.
In May
2012, Kalam launched a programme for the youth of India called the What Can I Give
Movement, with a
central theme of defeating corruption.
In 2011,
Kalam was criticised by civil groups over his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear
Power Plant; he supported the establishment of the nuclear power plant and was
accused of not speaking with the local people. The
protesters were hostile to his visit as they perceived to him to be a
pronuclear scientist and were unimpressed by the assurances provided by him
regarding the safety features of the plant.
DEATH
On 27 July
2015, Kalam travelled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on "Creating a
Livable Planet Earth" at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong.
While climbing a flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort, but was able
to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At
around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. He was rushed to the nearby Bethany
Hospital in a critical condition; upon arrival, he lacked a pulse or any other signs
of life. Despite being placed in the intensive
care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m IST. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal
Singh, were reportedly: "Funny guy!Are you doing well?"
Following
his death, Kalam's body was airlifted in an Indian Air Force helicopter from
Shillong to Guwahati, from where it was flown to New Delhi on the morning of 28
July in an air force C130J Hercules. The flight landed at Palam Air Base that
afternoon and was received by the President, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister
of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, and the three service chiefs of the Indian Armed
Forces, who laid wreaths on Kalam's body. His
body was then placed on a gun carriage draped with the Indian flag and taken to
his Delhi residence at 10 Rajaji Marg; there, the public and numerous
dignitaries paid homage, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh,
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, and Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
On the morning
of 29 July, Kalam's body, wrapped in the Indian flag, was taken to Palam Air
Base and flown to Madurai in an air force C130J aircraft, arriving at Madurai
Airport that afternoon. His body was received at the airport by the three
service chiefs and national and state dignitaries, including cabinet ministers
Manohar Parrikar, Venkaiah Naidu, Pon Radhakrishnan and the governors of Tamil
Nadu and Meghalaya, K Rosaiah and V. Shanmuganathan. After a brief ceremony,
Kalam's body was flown by air force helicopter to the town of Mandapam, from
where it was taken in an army truck to his hometown of Rameswaram. Upon
arriving at Rameswaram, his body was displayed in an open area in front of the
local bus station to allow the public to pay their final respects until 8 p.m.
that evening.
On 30 July
2015, the former President was laid to rest at Rameswaram's Pei Karumbu Ground
with full state honours. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites, including
the Prime Minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the chief ministers of
Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
REACTION
India
reacted to Kalam's death with an outpouring of grief; numerous tributes were
paid to the former President across the nation and on social media. The
Government of India declared a seven day state mourning period as a mark of
respect. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh, and other leaders condoled the former President's demise. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said "[Dr. Kalam's] death is a great loss to the
scientific community. He took India to great heights. He showed the way."
Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who had served as prime minister
under Kalam, said, "our country has lost a great human being who made
phenomenal contributions to the promotion of self reliance in defence
technologies. I worked very closely with Dr. Kalam as prime minister and I
greatly benefited from his advice as president of our country. His life and
work will be remembered for generations to come." ISRO chairman A. S.
Kiran Kumar called his former colleague "a great personality and a
gentleman", while former chairman G. Madhavan Nair described Kalam as
"a global leader" for whom "the downtrodden and poor people were
his priority. He always had a passion to convey what is in his mind to the
young generation", adding that his death left a vacuum which none could
fill.
South Asian
leaders expressed condolences and lauded the late statesman. The Bhutanese
government ordered the country's flags to fly at half staff to mourn Kalam's
death, and lit 1000 butter lamps in homage. Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering
Tobgay expressed deep sadness, saying Kalam "was a leader greatly admired
by all people, especially the youth of India who have referred to him as the
people's President". Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described
Kalam as "a rare combination of a great statesman, acclaimed scientist,
and a source of inspiration to the young generation of South Asia" and
termed his death an "irreparable loss to India and beyond".
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia said "as a nuclear
scientist, he engaged himself in the welfare of the people". Ashraf Ghani,
the President of Afghanistan, called Kalam "an inspirational figure to
millions of people," noting that "we have a lot to learn from his
life". Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala recalled Kalam's scientific
contributions to India: "Nepal has lost a good friend and I have lost an
honoured and ideal personality." The President of Pakistan, Mamnoon
Hussain, and Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif also expressed their grief
and condolences on his death. The President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena,
also expressed his condolences. "Dr. Kalam was a man of firm conviction
and indomitable spirit, and I saw him as an outstanding statesman of the world.
His death is an irreparable loss not only to India but to the entire
world." Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen and Vice President Ahmed Adheeb
condoled Kalam's death, with Yameen naming him as a close friend of the
Maldives who would continue to be an inspiration to Indians and generations of
South Asians. Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had made an official
visit to India during Kalam's presidency, termed his demise as a great loss to
all of humankind. The Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, Senior
General Min Aung Hlaing, expressed condolences on behalf of the Myanmar
government. The Dalai Lama expressed his sadness and offered condolences and
prayers, calling Kalam's death "an irreparable loss".
Kathleen
Wynne, the Premier of Ontario, which Kalam had visited on numerous occasions,
expressed "deepest condolences ... as a respected scientist, he played a
critical role in the development of the Indian space program. As a committed
educator, he inspired millions of young people to achieve their very best. And
as a devoted leader, he gained support both at home and abroad, becoming known
as 'the people's President'. I join our Indo– Canadian families, friends, and
neighbours in mourning the passing of this respected leader." United
States President Barack Obama extended "deepest condolences to the people
of India on the passing of former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam",
and highlighted his achievements as a scientist and as a statesman, notably his
role in strengthening US–India relations and increasing space cooperation
between the two nations. "Suitably named 'the People's President', Dr.
Kalam's humility and dedication to public service served as an inspiration to
millions of Indians and admirers around the world." Russian President
Vladimir Putin expressed sincere condolences and conveyed his sympathy and
support "to the near and dear ones of the deceased leader, to the
government, and entire people of India". He remarked on Kalam's outstanding
"personal contribution to the social, economic, scientific, and technical
progress of India and in ensuring its national security," adding that Dr.
Kalam would be remembered as a "consistent exponent of closer friendly
relations between our nations, who has done a lot for cementing mutually
beneficial Russian–Indian cooperation." Other international
leaders—including former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and
Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum—also paid tribute to Kalam. In a special
gesture, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Kimoon visited the
Permanent Mission of India to the UN and signed a condolence book. "The
outpouring of grief around the world is a testament of the respect and
inspiration he has garnered during and after his presidency. The UN joins the
people of India in sending our deepest condolences for this great statesman.
May he rest in peace and eternity", Ban wrote in his message.
PERSONAL LIFE
Kalam was
the youngest of five siblings, the eldest of whom was a sister, Asim Zohra (d.
1997), followed by three elder brothers: Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraikayar
(b. 1916; aged 99), Mustafa Kamal (d. 1999) and Kasim Mohammed (d. 1995). He was extremely close to his elder
siblings and their extended families throughout his life, and would regularly
send small sums of money to his older relations, himself remaining a lifelong
bachelor.
Kalam was
noted for his integrity and his simple lifestyle. He
never owned a television, and was in the habit of rising at 6:30 or 7 a.m and sleeping
by 2 a.m.
His few personal
possessions included his books, his veena, some articles of clothing, a CD
player and a laptop; at his death, he left no will, and his possessions went to
his eldest brother, who survived him.
In the 2011
Hindi film I Am Kalam, Kalam
is portrayed as a positive influence on a poor but bright Rajasthani boy named
Chhotu, who renames himself, Kalam in honour of his idol.
RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL VIWES
Religion
and spirituality were very important to Kalam throughout his life. In fact, he made his own spiritual
journey the subject of his final book, Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh
Swamiji.
ISLAM
A
proud and practising Muslim, daily namāz and fasting during Ramadan were
integral to Kalam's life.
His father, the imam of a
mosque in his hometown of Rameswaram, had strictly instilled these Islamic
customs in his children.[9]
His father had also
impressed upon the young Kalam the value of interfaith respect and dialogue. As
Kalam recalled: "Every evening, my father A.P. Jainulabdeen, an imam,
Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, the head priest of the Ramanathaswamy Hindu temple,
and a church priest used to sit with hot tea and discuss the issues concerning
the island."
Such early exposure
convinced Kalam that the answers to India's multitudinous issues lay in
"dialogue and cooperation" among the country's religious, social, and
political leaders.
Moreover, since Kalam
believed that "respect for other faiths" was one of the key
cornerstones of Islam, he was fond of saying: "For great men, religion is
a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool."
SYNCRETISM
One
component of Kalam's widespread popularity among diverse groups in India, and
an enduring aspect of his legacy, is the syncretism he embodied in appreciating
various elements of the many spiritual and cultural traditions of India. In addition to his faith in the Koran
and Islamic practice, Kalam was well-versed in Hindu traditions; he learnt
Sanskrit,
read the Bhagavad Gita and he was a vegetarian. Kalam also
enjoyed writing Tamil poetry, playing the veena (a South Indian string
instrument),
and listening to Carnatic
devotional music every day. In
2002, in one of his early speeches to Parliament after becoming President, he
reiterated his desire for a more united India, stating that "during the
last one year I met a number of spiritual leaders of all religions ... [and] I
would like to endeavour to work for bringing about unity of minds among the
divergent traditions of our country". Describing
Kalam as a unifier of diverse traditions, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor
stated, "Kalam was a complete Indian, an embodiment of the eclecticism of
India's heritage of diversity". BJP
leader L. K. Advani concurred that Kalam was "the best exemplar of the
Idea of India, one who embodied the best of all the cultural and spiritual
traditions that signify India's unity in immense diversity. This was most
strikingly evident in the secondtolast book he published, presciently titled Transcendence: My
Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swami.
PRAMUKH
SWAMI AS GURU
Kalam's
desire to meet spiritual leaders to help create a more prosperous, spiritual,
and unified India was what initially led him to meet Pramukh Swami, the Hindu
guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampradaya, who Kalam would come to consider his
ultimate spiritual teacher and guru. The
first of eight meetings between Kalam and Pramukh Swami over a fourteen year
period took place on 30 June 2001 in New Delhi, during which Kalam described
being immediately drawn to Pramukh Swami's simplicity and spiritual purity. Kalam stated that he was inspired by
Pramukh Swami throughout their numerous interactions. One such incident
occurred the day following the terrorist attack on BAPS' Akshardham,
Gandhinagar complex in September 2002; Pramukh Swami prayed for, and sprinkled
holy water upon, the sites of all of the deceased, including the terrorists,
demonstrating the view that all human life is sacred. Kalam recalled being
moved by Pramukh Swami's equanimity and compassion, citing this incident as one
of his motivations for writing Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh
Swamiji. Summarizing the effect that Pramukh
Swami had on him, Kalam stated that "[Pramukh Swami] has indeed
transformed me. He is the ultimate stage of the spiritual ascent in my life ...
Pramukh Swamiji has put me in a God synchronous orbit. No manoeuvres are
required any more, as I am placed in my final position in eternity."[124][138] Following Kalam's death a month after
his final book was released, co-author Arun Tiwari pointed to this passage as
potentially prophetic and premonitory of Kalam's death.
WRITINGS
In his book
India
2020, Kalam strongly
advocated an action plan to develop India into a "knowledge
superpower" and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regarded his work
on India's nuclear weapons programme as a way to assert India's place as a
future superpower.
I have
identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action:
(1) agriculture and food processing; (2) education and healthcare; (3)
information and communication technology; (4) infrastructure, reliable and
quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of
the country; and (5) self reliance in critical technologies. These five areas
are closely interrelated and if advanced in a coordinated way, will lead to
food, economic and national security.
Kalam
describes a "transformative moment" in his life when he asked Pramukh
Swami, the guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampradaya, how India might realise
this five pronged vision of development. Pramukh Swami's answer—to add a sixth
area developing faith in God and spirituality to overcome the current climate
of crime and corruption—became the spiritual vision for the next 15 years
Kalam's life, which he describes in his final book, Transcendence: My
Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji, published just a month before his death.
It was
reported that there was considerable demand in South Korea for translated
versions of books authored by him.
Kalam took
an active interest in other developments in the field of science and
technology, including a research programme for developing biomedical implants.
He also supported open source technology over proprietary software, predicting
that the use of free software on a large scale would bring the benefits of
information technology to more people.
Kalam set a
target of interacting with 100,000 students during the two years after his
resignation from the post of scientific adviser in 1999. He explained, "I feel comfortable
in the company of young people, particularly high school students. Henceforth,
I intend to share with them experiences, helping them to ignite their
imagination and preparing them to work for a developed India for which the road
map is already available." His dream is to let every student to light up
the sky with victory using their latent fire in the heart.
AWARDS
AND HONOURS
Kalam
received 7 honorary doctorates from 40 universities. The Government of India 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 contribution to the
scientific research and modernisation of defence technology in India. In 2013, he was the recipient of the
Von Braun Award from the National Space Society "to recognize excellence
in the management and leadership of a spacerelated project".
Following
his death, Kalam received numerous tributes. The Tamil Nadu state government
announced that his birthday, 15 October, would be observed across the state as
"Youth Renaissance Day;" the state government further instituted the
"Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award," constituting an 8gram gold medal, a
certificate and Rs.500,000 (US$7,400). The award will be awarded annually on
Independence Day, beginning in 2015, to residents of the state with
achievements in promoting scientific growth, the humanities or the welfare of
students.
On occasion
of his birth day (2015), CBSE has given the topics on his name in the CBSE
expression series.
The Prime
Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi released the commemorative postal stamps on the
former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on his 84th birth
anniversary celebrations, at DRDO Bhawan, in New Delhi on October 15, 2015.
EDUCATIONAL
AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS
Several
educational and scientific institutions and other locations were renamed or
named in honour of Kalam following his death.
·
An
agricultural college at Kishanganj, Bihar, was renamed the "Dr. Kalam
Agricultural College,
Kishanganj"
by the Bihar state government on the day of Kalam's funeral. The state
government
also
announced it would name a proposed science city after Kalam.
·
Uttar
Pradesh Technical University (UPTU) was renamed "A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Technical University" by the Uttar Pradesh state government.
·
A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam Memorial Travancore Institute of Digestive Diseases, a new research
institute in Kollam city, Kerala attached to the Travancore Medical College
Hospital.
·
A
new academic complex at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala.
·
A
new science centre and planetarium in Lawspet, Puducherry.
·
India
and the US have launched the Fulbright Kalam Climate Fellowship In September
2014. The first call for applicants was announced on Friday March 12, 2016, for
the fellowship which will enable up to 6 Indian PhD students and postdoctoral
researchers to work with US host institutions for a period of 6–12 months. The
fellowship will be operated by the binational US India Educational Foundation
(USIEF) under the Fulbright programme.
·
Kerala
Technological University, headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram where Kalam lived
for years, was renamed to A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University after his
death.
ISLAND
Wheeler
Island, a national missile test site in Odisha, was renamed Abdul Kalam Island
in September 2015.
OTHER
AWARDS AND HONOURS
BOOKS
AND DOCUMENTARIES
KALAM'S
WRITINGS
·
Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A P J Abdul Kalam and Roddam
Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences, 1988v
·
India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A P J Abdul Kalam, Y. S. Rajan; New
York, 1998.
·
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A P J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari;
Universities Press, 1999.
·
Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A P J Abdul Kalam; Viking, 2002.
·
The Luminous Sparks by A P J Abdul Kalam, by; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd.,
2004.
·
Mission India by
A P J Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books, 2005v
·
Inspiring Thoughts by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal & Sons, 2007.
·
Indomitable Spirit by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal and Sons Publishing.
·
Envisioning an Empowered Nation by A P J Abdul Kalam with A Sivathanu
Pillai; Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi
·
You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond by A P J Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari;
Ocean Books, 2011.
·
Turning Points: A journey through challenges by A P J Abdul Kalam; Harper Collins
India, 2012.
·
Target 3 Billion by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; December 2011
| Publisher Penguin Books.
·
My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions by A P J Abdul Kalam; August 2013 by the Rupa
Publication.
·
A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020 by A P J Abdul Kalam and V Ponraj;
July 2014 by
·
Harper
Collins.
·
Forge your Future: Candid, Forthright, Inspiring by A P J Abdul Kalam; by Rajpal and
Sons, 29
·
October
2014.
·
Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal
Singh; by
·
Penguin
India, 14 May 2015.
·
Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh
Swamiji by A P J
Abdul Kalam with Arun
·
Tiwari;
Harper-Collins Publishers, June 2015
·
Advantage India: From Challenge to Opportunity by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal
Singh;
·
HarperCollins
Publishers,15 Oct 2015.
REFERENCES
1. Editor; Ramchandani (2000). Dale
Hoiberg, ed. A to C (Abd Allah ibn alAbbas to Cypress). New Delhi: Encyclopædia Britannica (India). p. 2.
ISBN 9780852297605.
2.
Pruthi,
R. K. (2005). "Ch. 4. Missile Man of India". President A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam. Anmol
Publications. pp. 61–76. ISBN 9788126113446.
3.
"India's
'Mr. Missile': A man of the people". 30 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
4.
"Kalam's
unrealised 'Nag' missile dream to become reality next year". 30 July 2015.
Retrieved 30 July 2015.
5. Sen, Amartya (2003). "India and
the Bomb". In M. V. Ramana; C. Rammanohar Reddy. Prisoners of the
Nuclear Dream. Sangam
Books. pp. 167–188. ISBN 9788125024774.
6.
Amarnath
k Menon (28 July 2015). "Why Abdul Kalam was the 'People's President'
". DailyO.in.
DailyO. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
7.
Rishi
Iyengar (28 July 2015). "India Pays Tribute to 'People's President' A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam". Time Inc. Retrieved
20 August 2015.
8.
Neha
Singh (30 July 2015). " 'People's President' APJ Abdul Kalam Buried with
Full State Honours in Rameswaram". International Business Times. IANS. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
SOURCE
Internet.
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