A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

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This article is about the former President of India. For the freedom fighter, see Abul Kalam Azad.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Abdul Kalam at the 12th Wharton India Economic Forum, 2008.
President of India
In office
25 July 2002 – 24 July 2007
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Manmohan Singh
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Preceded by Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Succeeded by Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Personal details
Born 15 October 1931 (1931-10-15) (age 80)
Rameswaram, British India (now Tamil Nadu, India)
Political party Independent
Alma mater St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli
Madras Institute of Technology
Occupation Professor (Aerospace engineering)
nuclear scientist
rocket scientist
author
academic
Profession Aerospace engineer
Religion Islam
Website http://www.abdulkalam.com[1]

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (About this sound pronunciation (help·info); born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a renowned aerospace engineer, professor (of Aerospace engineering), and first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram (IIST), who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.[2][3] During his term as President, he was popularly known as the People's President.[4][5] He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour in 1997.[6][7]

Before his term as the President of India, he worked as an aerospace engineer with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology.[8] Kalam played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Kalam has even been circled with various controversies as many scientific experts called him a man with no authority over "nuclear physics" and a man who just carried the works of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.[9]

He is currently a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Indore, and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

In May 2011, Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the What Can I Give Movement with a central theme to defeat the evil of corruption.[10][11] Kalam better known as a scientist, also has special interest in the field of arts like writing Tamil poems, and also playing the music instrument Veenai.[12]

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

Born on 15th October, 1931, at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu,[3] Kalam spent most of his childhood running into financial problems and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income.[13] Kalam was brought up in a multi-religious, tolerant society, with Kalam strictly following his religious routine. Kalam, as a child, had a tough routine – he would start his day by getting up at 4:00 am; study and review his homework before going to school to attend the mathematics class as his first class of the day.[14] After completing school, Kalam along with his cousin Samsuddin Kalam distributed papers in order to financially contribute to his father's income.[13] In his school years, Kalam was described as a mediocre student who had average grades in his class, but a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn.[14] Kalam spent hours on his studies, especially in mathematics, and his teachers always regarded him as a student who made an effort in his studies.[14]

After completing his school education, Kalam went on to attend the Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli where he graduated in Physics[13] in 1954 but towards the end he was not enthusiastic about seeing himself as a physicist.[14] Kalam soon discovered Aerospace Engineering at Madras, and he regretted the loss of the four years spent in physics.[3][14] In 1955, Kalam moved to Madras and began taking courses on Aerospace engineering.[14] While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean of the Engineering came by to see Kalam's progress.[14] The Dean was dissatisfied with Kalam's progress and said that his scholarship would be revoked if the project wasn't finished within the next two days.[14] Kalam worked tirelessly on his project, and met the deadline. His tireless effort impressed the Dean who said, "It was a test, and under extreme stress, Kalam met a difficult deadline to complete the project".[14]

[edit] Career as scientist

This was my first stage, in which I learnt leadership from three great teachers—Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and Dr. Brahm Prakash. This was the time of learning and acquisition of knowledge for me.

“
”
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam[15]

After graduation from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT – Chennai) in 1960, Kalam joined Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO as a chief scientist. There, Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army, but remained unconvinced with the choice of his job.[14] Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Vikram Sarabhai.[3] In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project-director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980. Joining ISRO was one of Kalam's biggest achievements in life and he is said to have found himself when he started to work on the SLV project. However, Kalam first started work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965.[citation needed] In 1969, Kalam received the government's approval and expanded the program to many engineers.[15]

In 1963-94 he went to Nasa's Langley Research Center in Poquoson, Virginia for training then to Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and finally got back to Wallops Flight Facility situated at Eastern Shore of Virginia.[16][17]

From 1970s and 1990s, Kalam made an effort to develop the Polar SLV and SLV-III project which proved to be successful. In 1974, Kalam was shifted to the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), a subsidiary of DRDO. Kalam was invited to witness the country's first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha as the representative of TBRL, even though he had not participated in developing or even taken part in the test site preparations or weapon designing. Kalam arrived at the test site on the invitation of Raja Ramanna. In 1970s, a landmark was passed when ISRO first launched into space the locally built Rohini-1, using the SLV rocket.[18] In the 1970s, Kalam also directed the Project Devil and Project Valiant to developed the ballistic missiles from the technology of Kalam's successful SLV programme.[18] Despite the disapproval of Union Cabinet, Premier Indira Gandhi allotted secret funds for these aerospace projects through her discretionary powers under Kalam's directorship.[18] Kalam played an integral role convincing the Union Cabinet to conceal the true nature of these classified aerospace projects.[18]

His research and educational leadership brought him great laurels and prestige in 1980s, which prompted the government to initiate an advanced missile program under his directorship.[18] As Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P), he played a major part in developing many missiles in India including Agni and Prithvi although the entire project has been criticised for being overrun and mismanaged.[19] He was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation from July 1992 to December 1999. The Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period where he played an intensive political and technological role. Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator, along with R. Chidambaram during the testing phase. Photos and snapshots of him taken by the Media elevated Kalam as the country's top nuclear scientist although Kalam was not directly involved with the nuclear program at the time.

[edit] Presidency

“ We expect support from all political parties for Kalam's candidature ”

—NDA convener George Fernandes[20]

Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of the Republic of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan. He won the 2002 presidential election with an electoral vote of 922,884, surpassing 107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal.

On 10 June 2002, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had expressed to the leader of opposition Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi that they would propose Kalam for the post of President.[20] The Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party on 11 June, backed the NDA's decision to propose the name of Kalam for the post of President.[21][22] On the same day, the then president K. R. Narayanan had chosen not to seek a second term in office after the Samajwadi Party announcing its support for Kalam and hence leaving the field clear for NDA's candidate to become the twelfth President of the country.[23]

I am really overwhelmed. Everywhere both in Internet and in other media, I have been asked for a message. I was thinking what message I can give to the people of the country at this juncture.
—Kalam post the announcement of his candidature by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee[24]

A total of nine people had filed their nomination papers for the presidential election, however the papers of five was rejected as they did not fulfil the criteria required for contesting the election, including a security deposit of Rs 15,000 and a certified copy of the electoral roll.[25] On 18 June, Kalam filed his nomination papers in Parliament of India, accompanied by Vajpayee and his senior Cabinet colleagues.[26]

The polling for the presidential election began on 15 July in the Parliament and state assemblies with media claiming that the election was a one-sided affair and Kalam's victory is a foregone conclusion. The counting was held on 18 July.[27] Kalam won the presidential election with 9,22,884 votes against Laxmi Sehgal's votes accounting for 1,07,366 votes and hence in a highly one-sided contest. He became the 11th president of the Republic of India.[28] Kalam moved into the Rashtrapati Bhavan after he was sworn in on 25 July.[29]

Kalam was the first President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He was also the first scientist and first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.[30]

[edit] Criticisms and controversy

Main article: Pokhran-II

The controversy that surrounds Kalam's role as a nuclear scientist, is the lack of reliable and factual reporting of the yield of Pokhran-II tests. The director of the site test, K. Santhanam, publicly admitted that the thermonuclear bomb was a "fizzle" test, criticising Kalam for issuing the wrong report. However, Kalam dismissed the claims, and R. Chidambaram, a key associated with Pokhran-II, had also described these claims as incorrect.[31] In spite of his leading role in the development of Indian nuclear programme, Kalam has received rogue criticism from many of his leading nuclear peers who claimed that Kalam had "no authority" over nuclear science.[32] Homi Sethna, a chemical engineer criticised Kalam when Sethna claimed that Kalam had no background in publishing articles in nuclear science, even in nuclear physics. Sethna maintained that Kalam received his doctorate in Aerospace engineering which is a completely different discipline from Nuclear engineering, and what various universities awarded him for his achievements had nothing to do with nuclear physics. Sethna, in his last interview, maintained that in 1950s Kalam had failed advanced physics courses during his college life, and quoted "What does he know (about [nuclear] physics)....?", on national television.[33] Others felt that Kalam had never worked in any of the Indian nuclear power plants and had no role in developing the nuclear weapon which was completed under Raja Ramanna.[34] Kalam worked as an aerospace engineer in a SLV project in 1970s and 1980s onwards as a project director before he was shifted to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Sethna concluded.[33]

In 2008, Indian media questioned his claims over his inventions such as missiles, while working in a classified missile programme.[33] Kalam took the credit of inventing the Agni, Prithvi, and Aakash missile system.[33] All of these were developed, researched and designed by other scientists whereas Kalam was involved in getting the funds and other logistic tasks.[33] As a director of DRDO, Kalam named all these missiles and got all the fame. R. N. Agarwal, former director, Advanced System Laboratory and former Program Director of Agni missile was considered to be the real architect behind the successful design of Agni Missile.[33]. However it is apparent that it was the Media Propaganda which portrayed Kalam as the developer of India's most potent ballistic missile "Agni", in his own Biography Dr.Kalam has given the credit of "Agni" development to Dr Ram Narayan Agarwal. Dr Agarwal was an alumnus of MIT and Dr Kalam in his book gave the credit of Agni development to Dr Agarwal. For the Prithvi Missile project he has named Col VJ Sundaram as the brain behind this project, for Trishul Missile he gave the credit to Cmdr SR Mohan.[17] In 2006, senior media correspondent Praful Bidwai, in the The Daily Star, wrote that two aerospace projects, Project Valiant and Project Devil, which were authorised by former Premier Indira Gandhi under the directorship of Abdul Kalam, resulted in "total failure"; in 1980s, these projects were ultimately cancelled by the government under pressure by the Indian Army.[35]

Kalam was also criticised by civil groups over his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, where he supported setting up of the nuclear power plant and never spoke with the local people.[36]

Issues with American security authorities

Abdul Kalam was frisked at New York's JFK Airport, while boarding a plane in New York on 29 September 2011 as a part of "private screening" as he does not come under the category of dignitaries exempt from security screening procedures under stringent American guidelines. However, he was frisked again after boarding the Air India aircraft with U.S. security officials came and asked for his jacket and shoes, claiming that these items were not checked according to prescribed procedure during the "private screening".[37] He was separated from his jacket and shoes for a while. The incident was not reported until 13 November that year.[38] India threatened retaliatory action as there was a "general sense of outrage" around the country.[39]

Kalam was previously frisked by the ground staff of the Continental Airlines at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi in July 2009 and was treated like an ordinary passenger, despite the fact that he is on the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security's list of people exempted from security screening in India.[40]

[edit] Issues held

[edit] Future India: 2020

In his book India 2020, Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.

It has been reported that there is a considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.[41]

Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology. He has proposed a research program for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open Source over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of free software on a large scale will bring the benefits of information technology to more people.[42]

[edit] Awards and honours

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's 79th birthday was recognized as World Students' Day by United Nations.[43] He also has received Honorary doctorates from 40 universities.[44]

Year of Award or Honor Name of Award or Honor Awarding Organization
2011 Doctor of Science (microbiology) S.Gujarati University[citation needed]
2011 IEEE Honorary Membership IEEE[45]
2009 Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Anna University of Technology[citation needed]
2009 Hoover Medal ASME Foundation, USA[46]
2009 International von Kármán Wings Award California Institute of Technology, U.S.A[47]
2008 Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore[48]
2007 King Charles II Medal Royal Society, U.K[49][50]
2007 Honorary Doctorate of Science University of Wolverhampton, U.K[51]
2000 Ramanujan Award Alwars Research Centre, Chennai[52]
1998 Veer Savarkar Award Government of India [3]
1997 Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Government of India [3][52]
1997 Bharat Ratna Government of India[7][52]
1990 Padma Vibhushan Government of India [53][52]
1981 Padma Bhushan Government of India [53][52]

[edit] Books and documentaries

Kalam's writings
  • Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A. P. J. Pub. Corp, 2002.
  • Scientist to President by Abdul A. P. J. Kalam; Gyan Publishing House, 2003.
  • Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Penguin Books, 2003.
  • India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Y.S. Rajan; Penguin Books India, 2003.[3]
  • India-my-dream by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Excel Books, 2004.
  • Envisioning an Empowered Nation: Technology for Societal Transformation by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; TATA McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 2004.
  • Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun K Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2005.
  • The Life Tree : Poems by A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books India, 2005
  • Children Ask Kalam by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Pearson Education, ISBN 81-7758-245-3
  • Indomitable Spirit by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 2006
  • The Scientific Indian: A Twenty-first Century Guide to the World around Us by APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan
  • My Journey by APJ Abdul Kalam, Published By: V Suryanarayana Murthy[3]
  • Target 3 Billion PURA: Innovative Solutions towards Sustainable Development by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh ISBN 978-0-143-41730-9
  • Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences 1988[54]
  • The Luminous Sparks by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd.[55]
  • Mission India by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books 2005 [56]
  • Inspiring Thoughts by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam[57]
Biographies
  • Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr. Kalam by S. Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.
  • President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam by R. K. Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.
  • A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A.P.H. Pub. Corp, 2002.
  • A Little Dream (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.[58]
  • The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President by P.M. Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.
  • My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam by Fr.A.K. George; ISBN No:978-8190452953; Publisher: Novel Corporation, 2009.[59]

[edit] References

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  48. ^ "Dr Abdul Kalam, former President of India, receives NTU Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering". Nanyang Technological University. 26 August 2008 (2008-08-26). http://news.ntu.edu.sg/pages/newsdetail.aspx?URL=http://news.ntu.edu.sg/news/Pages/NR2008_Aug26.aspx&Guid=3728913b-4ced-4d53-b9c3-f17ed2bdaa78&Category=&MonthGroup=808. Retrieved 28 August 2011 (2011-08-28). 
  49. ^ "King Charles II Medal for President". The Hindu. 12 July 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/12/stories/2007071253391300.htm. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  50. ^ "King Charles II Medal for Kalam". The Economic Times. 11 July 2007. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-07-11/news/27675690_1_president-kalam-p-j-abdul-kalam-road-map. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  51. ^ "Kalam conferred Honorary Doctorate of Science". The Economic Times. 23 October 2007. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-10-23/uk/27960584_1_p-j-abdul-kalam-wolverhampton-creative-leadership. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  52. ^ a b c d e "Dr. Abdul Kalam's Diverse Interests: Prizes/Awards". Indian Institute of Technology Madras. http://www.techmotivator.iitm.ac.in/TGTech%20APJ.htm#1. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  53. ^ a b "Bharat Ratna conferred on Dr Abdul Kalam". Rediff.com. 26 November 1997. http://www.rediff.com/news/nov/26kal.htm. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  54. ^ "Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology". National Informatics Centre. http://www.abdulkalam.nic.in/fluid.html. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 
  55. ^ Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul (2004). The luminous sparks : a biography in verse and colours. Bangalore: Punya Pub.. ISBN 978-81-901897-8-1. 
  56. ^ Rajan, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Y.S. (2005). Mission India : a vision for Indian youth. New Delhi, India: Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-333499-6. 
  57. ^ Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul (2007). Inspiring thoughts. Delhi: Rajpal & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7028-684-4. 
  58. ^ "Documentary on Kalam released". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 12 January 2008. http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/25/stories/2008012550520200.htm. Retrieved 27 March 2009. 
  59. ^ My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam, ISBN 978-8190452953 Retrieved 1 July 2010

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K. R. Narayanan		 President of India
2002–2007		 Succeeded by
Pratibha Patil

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