MISSILE MAN OF INDIA Dr A PJ Abdul Kalam

Dr A PJ Abdul Kalam  | MISSILE MAN OF INDIA

Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, popularly known as ‘Missile Mall’ born in a middle class family, seen and faced problems and hardships of middle class, never daunted and depressed of failures rose to the height of first citizen of India, the President of India, a visionary, a pragmatist, a poet, a good human being, a complete man.

Essay And article On Abdul Kalam | A Site Of Inspiration

Abdul Kalam is the architect of India’s integrated missile development programme, recipient of Bharat Ratna, a rare example in today’s world, where most of the people are engulfed by mediocrity, hypocrisy, corruption, the likes of Dr. Kalam want to conserve’, Born on 15th October, 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering front Madras Institute of Technology.

Abdul 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 all exclusive member of Space Club. Dr. Kalam is religious to a fault and is a rapacious reader of both Bhagwad Gita and the Kural of the great Tamil Saint Tiruvalluvar.

ABDUL KALAM ACHIVEMENTS
He always shares his achievements and success with his teachers and colleagues. When the award of Bharat Ratna was bestowed on Dr. Kalam, for his splendid achievements, he said, “I couldn’t have done it by myself. Behind me there were thousands of scientists, I only shaped the programme.” In a span of 14 years, he lined up Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash, and Nag and finished the long pending Arjun project, pushed forward with an indigenous aircraft engine Kaveri.

He vowed to make India self reliant in military war fare by 2005 AD. An apostle of unparalleled genius, he never took excuses of lack of funds or lack of cooperation etc. in the glorified path of achieving his goal. This dreamer of making India a super power tells his countrymen and colleagues: “Dream, dream, dream and dream, Turn tire dream into thoughts and thoughts win transform into action”. Earnestly proud of his heritage, Dr. Abdul Kalam asks the people of India, to discover the untapped strength. Let the Indians now totally delink from the legacy of the past, hear this inspiring revelation: India made the world’s first rocket, says Dr. Abdul Kalam in annotation to one of his poems.

These rockets are placed in the British War Museum. Small tube with gun powder, tiny nozzle and warhead (a carved sword) which were used in defeating the British army at the battle of Srirangapatnam, by Tipu Sultan. He always exhorted the people, “We must think and act like a nation of a binion people and not like a nation of a minion people”. I After becoming President, Dr. Abdul Kalam has been doing a very pious task of exhorting and encouraging the youth, to rise to the occasion and never felt shy of failures, have faith in Almighty and work hard to achieve whatever you like to achieve in your life. Dr. Kalam has become a source of unending inspiration to the youth of today.

Abdul Kalam is very popular among the children, among the youth and among the matured citizens throughout the country. When the developed countries, the super powers, stuffed with arrogance because of the unmatching might they possess, jeered at country, struggling to arrange basic needs of the people and depending for arms on them, to defend its sovereignty, Dr. kalam, rallied the intelligentsia and scientists together to realize the ambition of Integrated Guided Missile Programme.

Dr. Kalam, like every great man, never feels depressed or distressed with the failures. He always moves forward with full dedication and devotion to the task he enjoined upon. He quotes an example of his life, that when he came out of HAL (Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd) as a graduate for a career in the Indian Air Force. He was called for the interview in Dehradun and stood ninth in the batch of 25, but only eight got selection. Disappointed with the failure, he visited the pilgrim centre of Rishikesh where he met Swami Shivananda and introduced himself to Swamiji. He narrated him his story of disappointment.

Swamiji told him, “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to become an Air Force Pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure as it is essential to lead you along your destined path. Search instead for the true purpose of your life.

Become one with yourself, my son!” Non, not even Dr. Kalam himself could imagine that he was predestined to become the Missile Man of India, recipient of the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ and thereafter the President of the largest democracy of the world. Dr. Kalam is a living ideal personality, an undying inspiration to the young generation, always exhorting them not to be daunted by the failures and work hard with fullest dedication; devotion and sincerity, Success with positively crown your head.

In 1962, while addressing the Rice University in Houston, then President of USA, John. F. Kennedy proclaimed about Dr. Kalam; “If history teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge anti progress, is determined and cannot be deterred”. Dr. Avil Pakir Jalaluddin Abdul Kalam, the present President of India, popularly known as Missile Man of India, is also known for his zest for life and pursuits that might make other scientists astonished.

An reader, a lover of classical music and a poet of Tamil, a great scientist, a religiously theist personality and what not, he can be termed as an ideal person, enviable by all. A leading columnist wrote about Dr. Kalam that “India needs a Kalam in every Institution”. It was the devotion and dedication of Dr. Kalam, that within a span of two decades, he slung the country into the cadres of so called mighty nations like USA, U.K. France, Russia and China in the arena of modern warfare all blissfully with total indigenous technologies, directing and guiding a team of 7000 briniant, dedicated scientists and researchers at 50 laboratories of the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization).


In his literary pursuit four of Dr. Kalam’s books-”Wings of Fire”, “India 2020-A Vision for the New Minennium”, “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. India is indebted to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and proud of such a briniant and complete man.So this was an essay on Abdul Kalam.

Son of the soil

Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at Dhanushkodi in the Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu. He was neither educated abroad, nor was his family financially very strong to support his academic pursuits. His father, Jainulabiddin Marakayar, had to rent boats out to fishermen to pay for his school fees. His father possessed great innate wisdom, true generosity of spirit and was a spiritual person.


Kalam received secondary education at the Schwartz School, a missionary institute in Ramanathapuram, and later joined the St Joseph's College at Tiruchirrapalli, where he graduated with a Bachelor in Science. Abdul Kalam went on to study Aeronautical Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology.



He was the first graduate in the family. His brothers did not even finish their school studies. He distributed newspapers at a young age to help with household expenses.



An Indian to the core, the only brief overseas exposure that he got during his formative years was in 1963-64 when he was invited by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to spend four months in the United States at the Wallops Island Rocketry Centre and the Langley Research Centre.


A vegetarian, a teetotaller and a confirmed bachelor, Abdul Kalam recites the Quran and the Bhagvad Gita with equal ease.



`Flying’ dreams and disillusionment



After completing his third year at MIT, Kalam joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore as a trainee. When he came out of HAL as a graduate of aeronautical engineering in 1958, he was eager to join Indian Air Force as a pilot. The other alternative was to seek a job at Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTD&P) of the Ministry of Defence. He applied for both and attended interviews. He stood ninth in the batch of 25 in IAF, and only eight officers were selected to be commissioned in the Air Force. He felt the long cherished dream slipping away from his hands.


Disillusioned, Kalam visited Hrishikesh, bathed in the Ganga and met Swami Sivananda whom he later remembered as “a man who looked like Buddha". According to his own personal accounts, Sivananda asked Kalam about the reason for his sorrow. Kalam told him about his unsuccessful attempt to join the IAF and his long-cherished desire to fly. Sivananda guided him saying: "Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God." Back from Hrishikesh, Kalam received appointment letter from DTD&T and joined the organisation as a senior scientific assistant. There he led a small team that developed a prototype hovercraft.



Tryst with space science



In 1962, Kalam moved out of DRDO and joined Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he succeeded in putting the 35-kg Rohini-I satellite on a low-earth orbit with help of the SLV-III (Satellite Launch Vehicle). After spending 19 fruitful years in ISRO, he returned to DRDO in 1982 to head the country's Integrated Missile Development Programme, which culminated in the successful launch of the Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag missiles.



Dr. Kalam was Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister & Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. He was Chief Scientific Advisor to the Govt of India till he demitted office in November 2001.



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.



People’s President



Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002, with a focus to transform India into a developed nation by 2020.

During his term as President of the national, Abdul Kalam earned the respect and love of people and was often referred to as the People’s President. Throughout his Presidential term, Kalam made it a point to inspire the young minds and prompt the young generations to dream big to achieve bigger goals for the nation.


Kalam visualised a glorious profile of India to emerge by the year 2020. Its details are as follows:

1. A nation where the rural and urban divide is reduced to the minimum.

2. A nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.

3. A nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.

4. A nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.

5. A nation which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors.

6. A nation where the best of health care is available to all.

7. A nation where the governance is responsive and transparent.

8. A nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.

9. A nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy and continues in a sustainable growth path.

10. A nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.


When he was interacting with a group of journalists, just before he stepped down as the President, he said he was proud of his three achievements as the President of India. One was to make Rashtrapati Bhavan a ``People's Bhavan'' by throwing open its majestic doors to people from all walks of life. The second was to spread and popularise his PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) concept. And the third was to get acceptability for his Vision 2020 for India.