DR A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM
- By Abhishek Kumar
- Batch(2k19), Deptt. of Chemical Engg.
- BIT Sindri, Dhanbad
“A dream is not what you see when you are asleep,
it is something which does not let you sleep.”
These lines are equally popular as is its author.
Yes, this eloquently expressed encouraging lines were said by none other than
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The name, Kalam, itself serves as a source of
inspiration and motive to millions, and does not need an introduction.
And why shouldn’t his life inspire anyone? Who
would have even thought that a little boy coming from a poor family, having access
to no resources, would one day end up being the most successful rocket and nuclear
scientist of the Indian era?
This blogpost beholds the story of that small child whose journey began from selling newspapers and rose to become a well-renowned scientist and ultimately the most loved President of India. Let’s witness this elite journey in the next ten minutes.
EARLY LIFE:
Born to Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma, Kalam took
birth in a lower-middle-class family on October 15, 1931. They lived in Dhanushkodi,
the pilgrimage centre of Rameswaram on Pamban Island, which then used to be a
part of Madras Presidency and is now located in the state of Tamil Nadu. His
father owned a boat and used it to earn their living. His father was also the
imam of a local mosque and his mother was a housewife.
Kalam had four siblings in the form of one sister and three brothers and among them, he was the youngest. Coming from a poor family, he started selling newspapers at a very young age to help his family earn their living. He was close to his family and always thought of helping them in every possible way, though he remained a bachelor whole life.
EDUCATION & CAREER:
In his early school days, he was considered to be
an average but a hardworking and dedicated student who always had a desire to
learn. Mathematics was his main interest.
He completed his primary schooling from Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram.
After this, he graduated in physics from Saint Joseph College, Tiruchirappalli.
He then opted to study aerospace engineering from Madras Institute of
Technology. He completed his engineering in 1957 and by the year 1958 he
started working as a scientist in the Aeronautical Development Establishment of
the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO).
Though he wanted to become a fighter pilot but he missed captivating his dream by a very marginal difference. He got 9th position in the qualifiers list but as of then only eight positions were available in the IAF.
EARNING THE TITLE OF MISSILE MAN:
Kalam started his career at DRDO with the
development of a small hovercraft. After
11 years of his service in DRDO, he was transferred to ISRO in 1969. There he
got the opportunity to serve as the project director of SLV-III which
successfully deployed the satellite Rohini in near-earth orbit in July 1980. It
was the first satellite launch vehicle designed and produced indigenously by
India. Using the technology of the successful SLV programme , Kalam started
working over two projects namely, Project Devil and Project Valiant, with an
aim to develop ballistic missiles, though neither of the two projects was
successful.
The cabinet, in the year 1980, gave approval for
the mission named Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme(IGMDP) and
allocated a fund of 3.8 billion. Kalam was handed the responsibility to lead
the project. This led to his return to DRDO as chief Executive of IGDMP in
1983.
This very project, under the leadership of Kalam,
proved to be a great success and manufactured missiles like the Prithvi missile
in 1988 and then the Agni missile in 1989. This contribution of Kalam made him
earn the title “The Missile Man of India”.
He held the post of Secretary of the DRDO during
the period of July 1992 to December 1999. He also served as the Chief
Scientific Adviser to the then Prime Minister during this period.
Kalam played a key role, both politically and technologically, in the conduct of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests which were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosion.
RISE TO THE PRESIDENCY:
Kalam had
already won awards such as Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in
1997. His healthy media coverage during the Pokhran-II nuclear tests had
already made him a national hero. Taking the aid of the situation, he was made
to contest an election against Lakshmi Sahgal in the year 2002 and he won the
presidential election with a huge margin. On the 10th of June 2002,
he was nominated for the post of the president by the then ruling National
Democratic Alliance (NDA).
He was
sworn in as president on the 25th of July and thus became the 11th
president of India.
POST PRESIDENCY:
His works as president earned him the title of the
People’s President. But he also had to face criticism for undemocratically
imposing President’s Rule in Bihar in the year 2005. Keeping all these in mind
he chose not to contest the Presidential election again and thus with the end
of his tenure he stepped down as president on the 25th of July,
2007.
After leaving the office, he delivered assistance as a professor at many of the prestigious Indian Institutes like IIM Indore, IIM Shillong, IIM Ahmedabad, and many others.
DEATH:
He travelled to Shillong on 27 July 2015, to
deliver a lecture at IIM Shillong. It was during this lecture that he felt some
discomfort and collapsed. He was rushed to the nearby hospital immediately, but
could not be saved and was declared dead of a sudden cardiac arrest. On the 30th
of July 2015, he was laid to rest at Rameswaram with full state honours.
Though his body might have left us but his
immortal soul, indestructible thoughts and unmatched opinions will continue to
guide us throughout our life.
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