APJ ABDUL KALAM

       

      India celebrates the 86th birth anniversary of India’s 11^th President, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. Name as the ‘Missile Man’ for his contribution towards the development of India’s missile Projects.

          He often spoke to children and the country’s youth- inspiring them to think big in life; he

also penned a number of books. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes, Kalam was elected as the 11^th president of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the the nopposition  Indian National Congress. Widely referred to as the “People’s president, he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

         While delivering a lecture at the Indian institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, Aged 83. Thousands including national- level dignitaries attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram, where he was buried with full state honours.

CAREER AS A SCIENTIST: 

      After graduating from the Madras Institute of Technology in 1960, Kalam joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation by Press Information Bureau, Government of India as a scientist after becoming a member of the Defence Research and development Service. He started his career by designing a small hovercraft, but remained unconvinced by his choice of job at( DRDO).

    In 1963 to 1964, he visited NASA’S Langley Research Centre in Hampton, Virginia; Goddard Space Flight in Greenbelt, Maryland and Wallops Flight Facility, Between the 1970s and 1990s, Kalam made an effort to develop the Polar satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) and SLV-III projects, both of which proved to be successful.

Death:

     On 27 July 2015, Kalam travelled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on  “Creating a Livable Planet Earth” at India Institute of Management Shillong. While climbing a Flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort, but was able to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At around 6:35 p.m. I.S.T, Only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden Cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. IST. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were reportedly. “Funny guy! Are you doing well.

     On 30 July 2015, the former president was laid to rest at Rameshwaram’s Pei Karumbu Ground with full state Honour. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites, including the Prime minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the chief minister of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.