Born on 15th
October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen
Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras
Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution
as Project Director to develop India’s first indigenous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected
the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and
made India an exclusive member of Space Club. He was responsible
for the evolution of ISRO’s launch vehicle programme, particularly
the PSLV configuration. After working for two decades in ISRO
and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the
responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defence
Research and Development Organisation as the Chief Executive of
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He was
responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI
and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in
critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions.
He was the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary,
Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992
to December 1999. During this period he led to the weaponisation
of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests
in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made
India a nuclear weapon State. He also gave thrust to self-reliance
in defence systems by progressing multiple development tasks and
mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.
As Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting
and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and as an eminent scientist, he
led the country with the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology
Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India from the
present developing status to a developed nation. Dr. Kalam has
served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of
India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to
November 2001 and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies
and missions for many development applications. Dr. Kalam was
also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee
to the Cabinet (SAC-C) and piloted India Millennium Mission 2020.
Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor,
Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai
from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks.
Above all he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national
development by meeting high school students across the country.
In his literary pursuit four of Dr. Kalam’s
books - "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision
for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited
Minds - Unleashing the power within India" have become household
names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. These books
have been translated in many Indian languages.
Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists
of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates
from 30 universities and institutions. He has been awarded the
coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan
(1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). He
is a recipient of several other awards and Fellow of many professional
institutions.
Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India
on 25th July 2002. His focus is on transforming India into a developed
nation by 2020.
