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A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: He was born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, a small municipality in the Ramanathapuram district on the island of Pamban in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the son of Jainulapteen and Ashiyamma. He belongs to an Islamic family.
Abdul Kalam started his schooling at an elementary school in Rameshwaram. But because his family was poor, he went to work for his family at a young age. He also distributed newspapers at other times to go to school. During his school days he grew up to be an average student.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Biography, History, Books, Thoughts
After completing his schooling, he studied physics at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli. In 1954, he received a bachelor’s degree in physics. However, he realized that he was not interested in the field of physics and started his “study in space trap” in 1955 at MIT in Chennai. He later received his master’s degree from the same college.
Abdul Kalam, who began his research career as a scientist in the Aeronautical Development Division (DRDO) in 1960, designed a small helicopter for the Indian Army. Later, he continued his research work at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and played a key role in the launch of the Satellite Launch Team (SLV). In 1980, he successfully launched the Rohini-I satellite using the SLV-III rocket.
This was an achievement not only for him but for India itself. In recognition of this remarkable achievement, the Central Government honored him with the Padma Bhushan, India’s highest award in 1981. From 1963 to 1983, he performed extensively at the Indian Space Research Organization, where he played a key role in the 1999 Pokhran nuclear test.
He won the 2002 presidential election and became the 11th President of India on July 25, 2002. Prior to becoming President of the Republic, he was honored by the Central Government with the Bharat Ratna, India’s largest award. He is also the third President of the Republic to receive the Bharat Ratna. He was President of the Republic until 2007 and was affectionately known as the “People’s President”.
- Name: Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam)
- Nick Name: Missile Man
- Nationality: Indian
- Occupation: Engineer, Scientist, Author, Professor, Politician
- Born: 15-Oct -1931
- Place of Birth: Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India
- Died: 27 July 2015
- Died at the age of 83
- Place of Death: Shillong, Meghalaya, India
- Famous as: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam President from 2002 to 2007
- Preceded by: Kocheril Raman Narayanan (President from 1997-2002)
- Succeeded by: Pratibha Patil (President from 2007-2012)
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Final Words
Abdul Kalam fainted on July 27, 2015 while speaking on stage at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong.