Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam(
i/ˈæbdÊŠlkəˈlÉ‘Ëm/; born 15 October 1931) usually referred to asDr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indianscientistand administrator who served as the11thPresident of Indiafrom 2002 to 2007. Kalam was born and raised inRameswaram,Tamil Nadu, studied physics at theSt. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, andaerospace engineeringat theMadras Institute of Technology(MIT),Chennai.
Before his term as President, he worked as an aerospace engineer withDefence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) andIndian Space Research Organisation(ISRO).[1]Kalam is popularly known as theMissile Man of Indiafor his work on the development ofballistic missileandlaunch vehicletechnology.[2]He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India'sPokhran-IInuclear tests in 1998, the first since theoriginal nuclear test by Indiain 1974. Some scientific experts have however called Kalam a man with no authority over nuclear physics but who just carried on the works ofHomi J. BhabhaandVikram Sarabhai.[3]
Kalam was elected the President of India in 2002, defeatingLakshmi Sahgaland was supported by both theIndian National Congressand theBharatiya Janata Party, the major political parties ofIndia. He is currently a visiting professor atIndian Institute of Management Shillong,Indian Institute of Management AhmedabadandIndian Institute of Management Indore, honorary fellow ofIndian Institute of Science, Bangalore,[4]Chancellorof theIndian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, aprofessorof Aerospace Engineering atAnna University(Chennai), JSS University (Mysore) and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.
Kalam advocated plans to develop India into a developed nation by 2020 in his bookIndia 2020. Books authored by him have received considerable demands inSouth Koreafor the translated versions.[5]He has received several prestigious awards, including theBharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. Kalam is known for his motivational speeches and interaction with the student community in India.[6]He launched his mission for the youth of the nation in 2011 called theWhat Can I Give Movementwith a central theme to defeatcorruption in India.
