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A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (/ˈɑːbdəl kəˈlɑːm/ ( listen); 15 Oct ober 1931 – 27 July
2015) was an Indian aerospace scient ist and st at esman who served as t he 11t h President of
India from 2002 t o 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and st udied physics
and aerospace engineering. He spent t he next four decades as a scient ist and science
administ rat or, mainly at t he Defence Research and Development Organisat ion (DRDO) and Indian
Space Research Organisat ion (ISRO) and was int imat ely involved in India's civilian space
programme and milit ary missile development effort s.[1] He t hus came t o be known as t he Missile
Man of India for his work on t he development of ballist ic missile and launch vehicle
t echnology.[2][3][4] He also played a pivot al organisat ional, t echnical, and polit ical role in India's
Pokhran-II nuclear t est s in 1998, t he first since t he original nuclear t est by India in 1974.[5]
 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Official portrait, 2002

11th President of India

In office
25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Manmohan Singh

Vice President Krishan Kant

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat

Preceded by K. R. Narayanan

Succeeded by Pratibha Patil

1st Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

In office
November 1999 – November 2001

President K. R. Narayanan

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Preceded by Office established

Succeeded by Rajagopala Chidambaram

Personal details

Born 15 October 1931

 Rameswaram, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died 27 July 2015 (aged 83)
Shillong, Meghalaya, India

Resting place Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Desiya Ninaivagam, Pei

Karumbu, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India

Political party IND[fn 1]

Alma mater St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli (BEng)

Madras Institute of Technology (MEng)

Profession Aerospace scientist • author

Awards Full list

Notable work(s) Wings of Fire

India 2020

Ignited Minds

Indomitable Spirit

Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with

Pramukh Swamiji

Signature

Website Official Website (http://www.abdulkalam.com)

Scientific career

Fields Aerospace engineering

Institutions Defence Research and Development

Organisation

Indian Space Research Organisation

Kalam was elect ed as t he 11t h president of India in 2002 wit h t he support of bot h t he ruling
Bharat iya Janat a Part y and t he t hen-opposit ion Indian Nat ional Congress. Widely referred t o as
t he "People's President",[6] he ret urned t o his civilian life of educat ion, writ ing and public service
aft er a single t erm. He was a recipient of several prest igious awards, including t he Bharat Rat na,
India's highest civilian honour.

While delivering a lect ure at t he Indian Inst it ut e of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and
died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83.[7] Thousands, including nat ional-
level dignit aries, at t ended t he funeral ceremony held in his homet own of Rameswaram, where he
was buried wit h full st at e honours.[8]

Early life and education

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 Oct ober 1931, t o a Tamil Muslim family in
t he pilgrimage cent re of Rameswaram on Pamban Island, t hen in t he Madras Presidency and now
in t he St at e of Tamil Nadu. His fat her Jainulabdeen Marakayar was a boat owner and imam of a
local mosque;[9] his mot her Ashiamma was a housewife.[10][11][12][13] His fat her owned a ferry t hat
t ook Hindu pilgrims back and fort h bet ween Rameswaram and t he now uninhabit ed
Dhanushkodi.[14][15] Kalam was t he youngest of four brot hers and one sist er in his family.[16][17][18]
His ancest ors had been wealt hy Marakayar t raders and landowners, wit h numerous propert ies and
large t ract s of land. Even t hough his ancest ors had been wealt hy Marakayar t raders, t he family
had lost most of it s fort unes by t he 1920s and was povert y-st ricken by t he t ime Kalam was
born. Marakayar are a Muslim et hnic found in coast al Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka who claim
descendance from Arab t raders and local women. Their business had involved t rading groceries
bet ween t he mainland and t he island and t o and from Sri Lanka, as well as ferrying pilgrims
bet ween t he mainland and Pamban. As a young boy he had t o sell newspapers in order t o add t o
t he family's meager income. Wit h t he opening of t he Pamban Bridge t o t he mainland in 1914,
however, t he businesses failed and t he family fort une and propert ies were lost over t ime, apart
from t he ancest ral home.[19][20][21]

In his school years, Kalam had average grades but was described as a bright and hardworking
st udent who had a st rong desire t o learn. He spent hours on his st udies, especially
mat hemat ics.[21] Aft er complet ing his educat ion at t he Schwart z Higher Secondary School,
Ramanat hapuram, Kalam went on t o at t end Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, t hen affiliat ed
wit h t he Universit y of Madras, from where he graduat ed in physics in 1954.[22] He moved t o
Madras in 1955 t o st udy aerospace engineering in Madras Inst it ut e of Technology.[13] While
Kalam was working on a senior class project , t he Dean was dissat isfied wit h his lack of progress
and t hreat ened t o revoke his scholarship unless t he project was finished wit hin t he next t hree
days. Kalam met t he deadline, impressing t he Dean, who lat er said t o him, "I was put t ing you