Abul Pakir Jainulabideen Abdul Kalam (Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam) served as the 11th President of India from  the year 2002 to 2007. Apart from being a professor of aerospace engineering, he is also famous for his contribution to missile technology for India, pertaining to which he has been honoured Bharat Ratna award, India’s highest civilian honour, in the year 1997. Prior to that, he has also received Padma Bhusan award  in the year 1981 and then again the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his great achivements in missiles researches. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain – to have received the Bharat Ratna before being appointed to the highest office in India. Dr. Kalam has devoted his life to building up India’s missile defense technology to be on a par with other developed countries. It was Dr.Kalam’s hard work and perseverance that India has successful tested missiles like Agni and Prithvi which have put China and Pakistan within the reach of India’s missile range. The Nation is proud to have such a great president who energize us and upholds the cause for the exceptional work of advancement of science and public service of the highest order. He has brought fame to nation in missile power and challenging researches and is therefore popularly known as the Missile man. Dr. Kalam is basically a man of peace, a true nationalist with a burning desire to see his country at the lust of success, fame and glory.

APJ Abdul Kalam is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country. He firmly believes that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India’s nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India’s place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took keen interest in the spheres of India’s science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio-implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of information technology in India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that he was popularly called the People’s President.

He was born in an ordinary family of fisherman at Rameshwaram town in Tamilnadu on 15th October 1931. He had primary education in the Rameswaram Elementary School.At the age of 15 he joined the Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram. He graduated from St. Joseph college of Tiruchirapalli formerly known as Trichnapall at the age of 19. He later specialized in aero-engineering from Madras Institute of Technology.Thereafter, he received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally.

An outstanding Scholar, Dr. Kalam is a patriot of an idealistic class but he hides his qualities of head and heart by his simplicity and humility. The nation shall always remember him not only as president but also as a  great scientist, a precious jewel of the Nation who made the missiles for the country thereby making India,a member of the exclusive club of nuclear powers in the world.