A BRIEF REPORT

ON

"Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM NATIONAL MEMORIAL"

AT
RAMESWARAM, RAMANATHAPURAM (Dist), TAMIL NADU
(A Popular Place Among the MOST VISITED MEMORIALS in India by Young Indians)

Compiled
By

ESTATE MANAGEMENT UNIT (R&D)

CHENNAI

01 JAN 2019
 A BRIEF REPORT
ON

"Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM NATIONAL MEMORIAL"

AT
RAMESWARAM, RAMANATHAPURAM DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU
(A Popular Place Among the MOST VISITED MEMORIALS in India by Young Indians)

INTRODUCTION

About Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam:

11th President of India  : (July 25, 2002 – July 25, 2007)

Date of Birth : October 15, 1931
Place of Birth : Rameswaram, Ramnad District, then
Madras Presidency, British India
Parents : Shri Jainulabdeen (Father)
Smt Ashiamma (Mother)
Spouse : Remained Unmarried
Education : St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli
Madras Institute of Technology
Profession :  Professor, Author, Scientist
Died : July 27, 2015
Place of Death :  Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Awards : Bharat Ratna (1997)
Padma Vibhushan (1990)
Padma Bhushan (1981)

1. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, was born as Avul Pakir
Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam on 15 October 1931 into a Muslim family in Rameswaram,
then in the Madras Presidency in British India, and now in the state of Tamil Nadu. His
father Jainulabudeen was a boat owner while his mother Ashiamma was a housewife.
Kalam had four elder siblings. Even though his ancestors had been wealthy traders, the

family had lost most of its fortunes by the 1920s and was poverty-stricken by the time
Kalam was born. As a young boy he had to sell newspapers in order to add to the
family’s meager income. Even though the family was not financially well-off, the children
were raised in an atmosphere filled with love. He was a good student and always
curious to learn more about how things happened. When he was ten years old, one of
his teachers, Siva Subramania Iyer, took the students to the seashore and asked them
to observe the birds in flight. Then the teacher gave the children a theoretical
explanation, which coupled with the live practical example, cast a deep influence on
young Kalam’s mind. After completing his studies at Schwartz Higher Secondary
School, he enrolled at Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, graduating in science in
1954. Pursuing his childhood dream, he travelled to Madras to study Aerospace
Engineering in Madras Institute of Technology. During his third year, he was assigned a
project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with a few other students. The
project was a difficult one and on top of it, their guide gave them a very tight deadline.
The young men toiled together, working under immense pressure, and finally managed
to achieve the target within the stipulated deadline. The guide was thoroughly
impressed by Kalam’s dedication. At this juncture, Kalam aspired to become a fighter
pilot. However he could not realize this dream .

His Life as a Scientist

2. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam earned his degree from Madras Institute of Technology in
1957 and joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist in 1958. In the early 1960s, he
worked with the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) under the
renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. He also designed a small hovercraft at
DRDO. He visited NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and Wallops Flight Facility in 1963-64.
Inspired by this visit, he began working on an expandable rocket project independently
at DRDO in 1965. However, he was not much satisfied with his work at DRDO and was
happy to be transferred to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.
There he served as the project director of the SLV-III, India’s first indigenously designed
and produced satellite launch vehicle. In the 1970s, he began making efforts to develop
the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Developed to allow India to launch its Indian
Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into Sun- synchronous orbits, the nation’s PSLV project
was an eventual success; it was first launched on 20 September 1993. A.P.J. Kalam
also directed several other projects, including Project Devil, in the 1970s. Project Devil
was an early liquid-fueled missile project aimed at producing a short-range surface-to-
air missile. The project was not a success in the long-term and was discontinued in the
1980s. However it led to the later development of the Prithvi missile in the 1980s. He
was also involved with the Project Valiant which aimed at the development of
intercontinental ballistic missile. Similar to Project Devil, this project too was not a
success in itself but played a role in the development of the Prithvi missile later on. In
the early 1980s, the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), an
Indian Ministry of Defence programme managed by the DRDO in partnership with other
government organizations was launched. Kalam was asked to lead the project and thus
he returned to DRDO as the Chief Executive of the IGMDP in 1983. The programme,
which received tremendous political support, aimed at the concurrent development of
four projects: Short range surface-to-surface missile (code-named Prithvi), Short range
low-level surface-to-air missile (code-named Trishul), Medium range surface-to-air
missile (code-named Akash) and Third-generation anti-tank missile (code-named Nag).
The IGMDP, under the able leadership of Kalam proved to be a resounding success
and produced a number of successful missiles including the first Prithvi missile in 1988,
and the Agni missile in 1989. Due to his achievements as the director of the IGMDP, Dr
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam earned the nickname of “Missile Man.” His increasing involvement
with governmental agencies led to his appointment as the Scientific Adviser to the
Defense Minister in 1992. In 1999, he was appointed as the Principal Scientific Adviser
to the Government of India with the rank of cabinet minister. In the late 1990s, he
played a major role in conducting the Pokhran-II, a series of five nuclear bomb test
explosions at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998. Following the
success of these tests which elevated Kalam to the status of a National Hero, the then-
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a full-fledged nuclear state. In
addition to being a brilliant scientist, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was also a visionary. In 1998,
he proposed a countrywide plan called Technology Vision 2020 to serve as an action
plan to make India a developed nation by the year 2020. He put forward several
suggestions, including nuclear empowerment, technological innovations, and improved
agricultural productivity to achieve the same.

His Life as The President of India

3. In 2002, Dr. Kalam was chosen as the Presidential nominee and he was elected
as President of India. He became the 11 th President of India on July 25, 2002 and
served the position till July 25, 2007. He was the first scientist and the first bachelor to
occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan. Over the course of his five year term, he remained
committed to his vision of transforming India into a developed nation and thus spent a
lot of time conducting one-on-one meetings with young people to inspire them to
achieve their best.

4. He proved to be very popular with the citizens of the country and became known
as the “Peoples’ President.’

5. Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam ventured into the academic field after leaving office. He
became a visiting professor at several reputed institutions including the Indian Institute
of Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the
Indian Institute of Management Indore. Interacting with bright young minds was what he
loved the most and he devoted the later years of his career to this passion.

6. The post presidency years also saw him teaching information technology at the
International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and technology at
Banaras Hindu University and Anna University. He also served as the chancellor of the
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram. In 2012, he
launched a programme called 'What Can I Give Movement’ to develop a “giving” attitude
in the youth and to encourage them to contribute towards nation building by taking small
but positive steps.

7. A short synopsis of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

 Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam grew up in poverty and distributed newspapers as a

young boy to contribute to his father’s meager income.

 He was a protégé of the great Indian scientist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai who guided
him and gave him valuable advice.

 He always faced the press following failed tests at ISRO and accepted
responsibility for his mistakes but never claimed the credit for any of the massive
successes achieved at the organization.

 He was the first bachelor to become the president and occupy Rashtrapati
Bhawan.

 Kalam was the third President of India to have been honored with a "Bharat
Ratna" before being elected to the office of President.

 He was known to write his own thank you cards with personalized messages in
his own handwriting.

 He was a scholar of Thirukkural (a classic of couplets or Kurals) and was known

to quote at least one couplet in most of his speeches.

 He had a keen interest in literature and wrote poems in his native Tamil.

 A practicing Muslim, he was also well versed with Hindu traditions and read the
Bhagavad Gita.

(BORN ON 15 OCTOBER 1931 HE ATTAINED SALVATION ON 27 JUL 2015)

 THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL

8. HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE PLACE

Rameswaram is a town and in the Ramanathapuram district in the South Indian state

of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban
channel and is about 40 kilometers from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It is in the Gulf of
Mannar" at the tip of the Indian peninsula. Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram
Island, is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge. Rameswaram is the
terminus of the railway line from Chennai and Madurai. Together with Varanasi, it is
considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus, and part of the
Char_Dham It is said the Hindu god Rama built a bridge from here across the sea
to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from her abductor Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy
Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is at the centre of the town and is closely
associated with Rama. The temple and the town are considered a holy pilgrimage site
for Shaivas and Vaishnavas.

9. THE AFFINITY : (Dr Kalam's family and Ramanathaswamy Temple)

This Island prominently figures in the epic, ‘Ramayana’’. It is belived the Kshathriya
King Rama offered prayers in the Shiva temple here to get ‘moksha’’ from ‘brahmahatya
dhosham” which he committed on account of eliminating King Ravana, born to an
‘asura” lady in Vichravasu Maharshi. To date, the temple attracts lots of pilgrims.

Kalam’s family had the exclusive right to make a decorated barge to take this temple’s
deity on a procession to Dhanushkodi during the Thaipoosam festival for over two
centuries. Here in the island the fragrance of humanity and religious harmony,
untouched Healthy Hindu-Muslim affinity and it still continues. One can learn a valuable
lesson from Dr Abdul Kalam’s hailing from Rameshwaram Island. Dr Kalam had a wish
to get his last rites be performed at this island after his death.

Honouring the last wish of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the "Peoples’ President", A national
memorial was built in Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), as sanctioned by Government of
India vide letter No PC DCWE/11/34504/1570/RM/APJ Kalam dated 17 Aug 2016. (Rs
16.15 Crore) and amendment sanction dated 06 Mar 2018 for Rs 21.47 Crore. The
Land (2.25 Acres) was allotted by Tamil Nadu Government vide GO No MS) No 296
dated 08 Dec 2016 in Rameswaram, the birth place of the Late President.

The National Memorial was constructed by CCE (R&D) Central, New Delhi. The
work commenced on 07 Oct 2016 and completed on 25 Jul 2017 and was inaugurated
on 27 Jul 2017 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the presence of
several Cabinet Ministers, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and sever dignitaries including
Chairman DRDO, Chief Executive (Civil Works & Estates), CCE (R&D) Central, CCE
(R&D) Estates, several VIPS and distinguished dignitaries.

The memorial is visited by a number of VIPS and citizens from all walks of life
and the census indicates that 49,28,534 visitors have visited the memorial to mark their
reverence to the Late President as on 31 Dec 2018. This memorial has become very
popular among the most visited memorials in India within a short span of time.
This is also famously known for most youngsters visiting memorial.

10. THE ARCHITECTURE

The memorial has close resemblance of Mughal and Indian Architecture and with
congenial modern architecture of elegance. Its main entrance resembles Delhi's India
gate. The dome reflects the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The main door is a replica of the
entrance of the Brihadiswara Temple in Tanjavur. The infrastructure is made up of
Yellow stones brought from border closer to Pakistan and several special components,
Sand, Water brought from different parts of India. It's a symbol of National Integrity.

The interiors of the memorial reflect the various facets of Dr Kalam's life,
including the Pokhran nuclear test. There's even a missile model celebrating his
contribution to space science .
 It comprises 1430 Sq Mtr. built up Area, Boundary Wall (490 RMs), Rest Rooms
(470 SM), Water Softening Plant (64 SM), Sewage Treatment Plant (108.5 SM) and UG
Water Sump & Pump House (83 Sq M).

The design and workmanship with which the memorial has been built in real
terms indicates the dedication of the engineers and the workmen who have put in their
hard works beyond the usual working hours to complete the construction work in the
shortest possible time-frame. The intrinsic part of the project is the enthusiasm of the
workmen who seemed to do their best all through the extended hours of the day such
that they seemed paying their respect to the Former President every moment of their
association with the project works.

M/s Parnika Commercial & Estates (P) Pvt Ltd, Delhi has executed the
construction works and M/s SS Infrastructure, Hyderabad being the Chief Architect of
the Project.

And, now the Memorial is being maintained by the Chief Construction Engineer
(R&D) Estates, Hyderabad through the Estate Manager, EMU (R&D), Chennai with an
Annual Budget of Rs 320.00 lakhs (Appox) by deploying about 89 employees on
Contract basis.

11. VISITING HOURS

The memorial is opened to all visitors on all the days from 0900 Hours to 1800
Hours with a flexibility for extension of closure timings on special occasions or when
there is a huge surge in visitors.

12. ENTRANCE FEE

There is " NO ENTRANCE FEE" Entry is totally FREE for all the visitors.
VISITORS

13. On an average 3 lakh people including VIPs, School Children and Varsity
Students visit the Memorial every month. Max Record of number of Visitors in a Day was
on 11 Aug 2018 (54,863 Visitors)

14. Important landmark dates: (Visitors Count)

10 lakhs Visitors By 19 Nov 2017

20 lakhs Visitors By 12 Feb 2018
30 lakhs Visitors By 21 May 2018
40 lakhs Visitors By 08 Sep 2018
15. LOCATION
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam National Memorial
Adjacent to Flood Relief Building,
Peikarumbu, Rameswaram
Ramnad District – 623 529.

The memorial is situated on NH-49 en-route and 3 KMs short of Rameswaram

Town. It can be reached by Road along NH-49. The nearest Rail Head is Rameswaram
and the nearest Airport is Madurai.

16. OTHER ATTRACTIONS

The other attractions around the National Memorial includes the famous
Ramanatha Swamy Temple, Danushkoti Beach, Pamban Bridge, traces of remains of
Ramar Sethu, etc.

17. ENCLOSURES

(i) No of Visitors, College/School groups visited the memorial as Appendix ‘A’

(ii) List of VIPs visited the memorial as Appendix ‘B’
(iii) The land and project / maintenance costs and Manpower particulars as
Appendix ‘C’
(iii) Photographs of Important Special events / occasion as Appendix ‘D’
 Appendix ‘A

Month VIPs College Schools No of Visitors

Jul-17 6     39900

Aug-17 6     284886

Sep-17 15     251406

Oct-17 7     291538

Nov-17 7     225864

Dec-17 1     429612

Jan-18 2     388503

Feb-18 1 7 103 221705

Mar-18 3 25 268 228646

Apr-18 2 8 155 304201

May-18 2 Nil 2 493644

Jun-18   2 Nil 236862

Jul-18 7 1 5 256164

Aug-18 2 Nil 15 309829

Sep-18 3 13 11 251808

Oct-18 4 12 10 203388

Nov-18 1 12 33 183894

Dec-18 4 10 56 326684
Total 73 90 658 4928534

NO OF VISITORS, COLLEGE/SCHOOL GROUPS VISITED THE MEMORIAL

Appendix ‘B’
Month VIPs
Jul-17 Honourable Priminister Shri Narendra Modi and Cabinet Ministes of TN
Shri Trivedi MP of UP, Justice Kalyana Sundram, Justice Sujatha Karnataka High
Aug-17 court, MP of West Bengal, MP of Maharashtra, 03 MP of Chattisgarh, MP of
Harayana and Her Exellancy Mrs Kiren Bedi

JUSTICE S SURESHKUMAR, CHENNAI HIGH COURT, VOICE ADMIRAL HCS BISHT, PVSM,
AVSM, APC, FLAG OFFICER COMMADING-IN-CHIEF, EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND, IAS
Sep-17
CHANDRA MOHAN, SECRETARY OF REVENUE DEARTMENT, JUDGE Mr. SRIDHAR, JUDGE Mr.
SWAMINATHAN, JUDGE Mrs. NISHA BANU,

Run Vijay singh Judge MP Rajaya Sabha Chattisgarhh, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Family & Anwar
Oct-17
MP

Ex.MP.SHRI.RAJKANNAN., TAMILNADU, JUSTICE.SHRI.AADHI KESAVA VELU WITH

ASSOCIATES, CHENNAI & RALIWAY IG Mr.NIRMAL , KARANATAKA CHIEF SECRETARY SHRI.
Nov-17
SUBASH CHANDRA KUNTAI WITH ASSOICATESSINGH, MINISTER SHRI.Mr.SENGOTTAIYAN,
Mr.O.S.MANIYAN, Mr.K.C.VEERAMANI TAMILNADU

Dec-17 HONORABLE INDIAN PRESIDENT SHRI.RAM NATH KOVIND WITH ASSOCIATES

HIGH COURT JUDGE SHRI.RAJENDRA MAHAJAN (MP), Mr.P.N.RAI WITH ASSOCIATES (DGP
Jan-18
OF BIHAR), HIGH COURT JUDGE SHRI.RAJENDRA MAHAJAN (MP)
JOINT COMMISSIONER MR.NABAFL CUSTOM'S FROM TRICHY, SHRI.SATHIYA NARAYANAN
Mar-18 HIGH COURT JUDGE FROM CHENNAI, DR. PRADAP KUMAR INFORMATION COMMISSONER
TAMILNADU
Apr-18 SHRI.P.MURALIDHRAN HIGH COURT JUDGE MADURAI,
Mr.K.K.SASIDHARAN.HIGH COURT JUDGE FROM MADURAI. ,Mr. HARI BAL VERMA., HIGH
Dec-18
COURT JUDGE FROM PUNJAB

LIST OF VIPS VISITED THE MEMORIAL

Appendix ‘C’
LAND
              
LAND
SL.N TN GO DATE OF SURVE
EXTENT(HECTARES TRANSFERRE REMARKS
O NO GO Y NO
) D TO
FOR
1 324 02.09.2015 149/1 0.55.0 GOI CREATING
MEMORIAL
149/1 0.61.5 FOR
149/3 0.17.0 SETTING UP
2 296 08.12.2016 C.P.W
150/1 0.06.0 GRAND
TOTAL 0.84.5 MUSEUM
FOR CAR
3 149 19.04.2018 370/1 2.42.82 DRDO
PARKING

PROJECT COST
(i) Cost of land = 0.0 Lakhs
(ii) Cost of main civil works = 2198.0 Lakhs
(iii) Arboriculture = 30.00 lakhs
(iv) Electricity Connection = 15.0 Lakhs
(v) Miscellaneous = 15.0 Lakhs
(vi) Area development = 34.0 Lakhs
(vii) Wall hung paintings etc. = 75.0 Lakhs
(viii) Statue etc. (Pahari) = 65.0 Lakhs
(ix) Boundary Wall & RR Works = 80.0 Lakhs
(x) Stage etc. (Inauguration) = 40.0 Lakhs
Total = 2552.0Lakhs

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COST:

(1) Watch & Ward Services = 132 Lakhs / year
(2) Management Services = 120 Lakhs/ year
(3) E&M Services = 50 Lakhs/year
(4) Term Contract (Civil) = 10 Lakhs/ Year
(5) Electrical Tariff = 08 Lakhs/ year
Total = 320.0Lakhs

MANPOWER DEPLOYED

(a) Management Services = 37 Nos

(b) Watch & Ward Services = 39 Nos
(c) Building Maintenance Services = 13 Nos
Total = 89 Nos
Appendix ‘D’

PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA SHRI NARENDRA MODI

PRESIDNT OF INDIA SHRI RAMNATH KOVIND

10 lakhs Visitors By 19 Nov 2017

20 lakhs Visitors By 12 Feb 2018

30 lakhs Visitors By 21 May 2018

40 lakhs Visitors By 04 Sep 2018
DEATH ANNIVERSARY