Case Study on Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Introduction

The full name of “Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam” was “Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam“. He is known as the “Missile Man and People’s President“.

He was a person who dreamed about India being a developed country. For which he has quoted that “You have to dream before your dreams can come true”. He was the great scientist, author, and teacher, India ever had.

Details	Late Sir. A.P.J Abdul Kalam
Full Name	Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Born	15 October 1931, Rameswaram, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day- Tamil Nadu)
Died	27 July 2015 (age 83) Shillong, Meghalaya
Nationality	Indian
Alma-Meter	St. Joesph college Tiruchirappali (B.Eng) Madras Institute of Technology (M.Eng)
Profession	Former President of India, Aerospace Scientist, and Author
Books	Wings of Fire, India 2020 A Vision For The New Millennium, Turning Points: A Journey Through Challenges, Target 3 billion, My journey-Transforming Dreams into Actions, Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India, Development in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology, The Luminous Sparks, Mission India, Inspiring Thoughts, Indomitable Spirit, Forge Your Fitire: Candid, Forthright, Inspiring

Personal Life

APJ Abdul Kalam was born on the 15th of October in 1931 in Tamil Nadu. His father’s name was Jainulabdeen who was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque; his mother’s name was Ashiamma who was a housewife. His father owned a ferry that took Hindu pilgrims back and forth between Rameswaram and the now uninhabited Dhanushkodi. Kalam had three brothers and one sister. He was the youngest among them.

His ancestors were wealthy traders and landlords but the family had lost most of its fortune by the 1920s and was poverty-stricken when Kalam was born. As a young boy, he had to sell newspapers to support his family. His life was full of obstacles but he never discontinued his education.

He was an average student and spent most of his time studying mathematics. He completed his school education at Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram. He completed his graduation in Science from St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchirappalli and his immense interest in flight made him able to fulfill his dream of being an Aeronautical Engineering. He got a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology in 1954.

He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and was intimately involved in India’s civilian space programs and military missile development efforts.

He remains a bachelor throughout his life. He was asked in an interview why he never got married, Kalam replied that marriage and children would lead to selfishness in life and he didn’t want to be selfish at any cost when he wanted to dedicate his life to serving the nation. In his book, he mentioned that he was never ready for a relationship. For him, human relationships were more complicated than rocket science.

Career

A.P.J Abdul Kalam as a scientist

After completing his engineering in 1960, Kalam joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defense Research and Development Organization as a scientist and started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army, but remained unconvinced by it.

He was also part of the INCOSPAR committee in which he works under Vikram Sarabhai, the space scientist. 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) and effectively carried out the satellite Rohini in July 1980.

Kalam’s biggest achievement in life was joining ISRO and he said he have found himself when he started to work on the SLV project. Kalam first started work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. In 1969, Kalam received the government’s approval and expanded the program to include more engineers.

In 1963-64, he visited Nasa’s Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Wallops Flight Facility situated at the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Kalam made an effort to develop the Polar SLV and SLV-III projects, during the period between the 1970s and 1990s, and both of them is successful. He also directed two projects, named Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of the successful SLV program in 1970. At that time the Union Cabinet disapproved of these projects but Prime Minister Indira Gandhi allotted secret funds for these aerospace projects, through the discretionary powers which are given to Indira Gandhi as a prime minister.

Kalam played an integral role in convincing the Union Cabinet to conceal the true nature of these classified aerospace projects. His research and educational leadership brought him great laurels and prestige in the 1980s, which prompted the government to initiate an advanced missile program under his directorship.

Kalam and Dr. V. S. Arunachalam, metallurgist and scientific adviser to the Defense Minister, worked on the suggestion by the then Defense Minister, R. Venkataraman on a proposal for simultaneous development of a quiver of missiles instead of taking planned missiles one by one.

R Venkatraman got the cabinet approval for allocating 388 crore rupees for the mission, named Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (1. G.M.D.P), and appointed Kalam as the Chief Executive. Kalam played a major part in developing many missiles under the mission including Agni which is an intermediate-range ballistic missile and Prithvi which is the tactical surface-to-surface missile, although the projects have been criticized for mismanagement and cost.

Kalam 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-Il nuclear tests were conducted during this period where he played a major political and technological role. Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator, along with R Chidambaram during the testing phase and this test made Kalam the country’s top nuclear scientist or we can proudly say “THE MISSILE MAN OF INDIA”.

In 1998, along with cardiologist Dr. Soma Raju, he developed a low-cost coronary stent. It was named “Kalam- Raju Stent“. In 2012, they both again designed a rugged tablet PC for health care in rural areas, which was named “Kalam-Raju Tablet“.

A.P.J Abdul Kalam as a President

His name was suggested by Mulayam Singh to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. After that Vajpayee made a call to him and asked whether he wanted to be the President after taking his confirmation, the government came out in the open with his name.

At that time many of the states were under the control of the Congress and in the Rajya Sabha also they were holding more seats in comparison to the present government of that time which was the BJP. Congress leader was making pressure to announce the presidential candidate. So his name was announced and he was not the first choice of any national party, but definitely both the parties agree on his name and then he became the 11th president of the country.

Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam was a notable scientist and an engineer who also served the country as 11th President from 2002 to 2007. He was a man of vision and full of ideas. As a president, he taught simplicity, honesty, and truthfulness to entire India. He was a Paramacharya by all means.

Here are some point that shows that he was not only a great scientist but also a great and true leader and a good human being-

He uplifted the presidency. Believe it or not, we are taught that the post of President is that of a Rubber Stamp. These man-made all efforts to abolish that.
He toured the nation like no other. Dr. Kalam toured the entire nation, this was to understand the country better and see the work happening at the grassroots. He would meet as many people as humanly possible and listen to them for their ideas and suggestions.
The opening up of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Presidential Palace was repaired and modified during his tenure. Then Dr. Kalam made it a point to open it to the public, after all, he was the People’s President.
Vision 2020 and PURA. Being a Scientist President (not from a political background). He always had plans for the betterment of our country.
Dr. Kalam used to receive costly gifts whenever he went abroad as it is customary for many nations to give gifts to the visiting Heads of State. If he refused those gifts it would become an insult to the nation and an embarrassment for India. So, he received them and on his return, Dr. Kalam asked the gifts to be photographed and then cataloged and handed over to the archives. Afterward, he never looked at them. He did not take even a pencil from the gifts received when he left Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

In 2002, the year Kalam Sir took over the president post, the Ramadan month came in July-August. It was a regular practice for the President to host an iftar party. Dr. Kalam asked Mr. Nair (his secretary) why he should host a party for people who are already well-fed and asked him to find out how much the cost of the iftar party was. Mr. Nair told me it would cost around Rs. 22 lakhs. Dr. Kalam asked him to donate that amount to a few selected orphanages in the form of food, dresses, and blankets. The selection of orphanages was left to a team in Rashtrapathi Bhavan and Dr. Kalam had no role in it.

After the selection was made, Dr. Kalam asked Mr. Nair to come inside his room and gave him a cheque for Rs 1 lakh. He said that he was giving some amount from his personal savings and this should not be informed to anyone. Mr. Nair was so shocked at that time and he said: “Sir, I will go outside and tell everyone. People should know that there is a man who not only donated what he should have spent but he is giving his own money also“. Dr. Kalam was a devout Muslim but he did not have Iftar parties in the years in which he was the President.

Dr. Kalam did not like “Yes Sir” type of people. Once the Chief Justice of India had come and at some point, Dr. Kalam expressed his view and asked Mr. Nair, “Do you agree?” Mr. Nair said, “No Sir, I do not agree with you”. The Chief Justice was shocked and could not believe his ears. It was impossible for a civil servant to disagree with the President and that too so openly. Mr. Nair told him that the President would question him afterward about why he disagreed and if the reason was logical 99% he would change his mind.

Dr. Kalam invited 50 of his relatives to come to Delhi and they all stayed in Rashtrapathi Bhavan. He organized a bus for them to go around the city which was paid for by him. No official car was used. All their stay and food were calculated as per the instructions of Dr. Kalam and the bill came to Rs 2 lakhs which he paid. In the history of this country, no one has done it.
When Kalam Sir was to leave Rashtrapathi Bhavan at the end of his tenure, every staff member went and met him and paid their respects. Mr. Nair went to him alone as his wife had fractured her leg and was confined to bed. Dr. Kalam asked why his wife did not come. He replied that she was in bed due to an accident. The next day, Mr.Nair saw a lot of policemen around his house and asked what had happened. They said that the President of India was coming to visit him in his house. He came and met his wife and chatted for some time. Mr. Nair says that no president of any country would visit a civil servant’s house and that too on such a simple pretext.

Note– These incidents are told by Mr. Nair, Kalam Sir secretary when Kalam sir is no more in this world.

Awards and Honours received by A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Years	Name of award or honor	Awarding organization
1981	Padma Bhushan	Government of India
1990	Padma Vibhushan	Government of India
1994	Distinguished Fellow	Institute of Directors (India)
1995	Honorary Fellow	National Academy of Medical Sciences
1997	Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration	Indian National Congress
1997	Bharat Ratna	President of India
1998	Veer Savarkar Award	Government of India
2000	Ramanujan Award	Alwars Research Centre, Chennai
2007	Honorary Doctorate of Science and Technology	Carnegie Mellon University
2007	King Charles II Medal	Royal Society, UK
2007	Honorary Doctorate of Science	The University of Wolverhampton, UK
2008	Doctor of Science	Universiti Sains Malaysia
2008	Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa)	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2008	Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa)	Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
2009	Honorary Doctorate	Oakland University
2009	Hoover Medal	ASME Foundation, USA
2009	International von Kármán Wings Award	California Institute of Technology, USA
2010	Doctor of Engineering	University of Waterloo
2011	IEEE Honorary Membership	IEEE
2012	Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa)	Simon Fraser University
2013	Von Braun Award	National Space Society
2014	Honorary professor	Beijing University, China
2014	Doctor of Science	Edinburgh University, UK

Writing

Dr. Kalam was also fond of writing books, songs, and poetry.

Books Written by Sir A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Wings of Fire

This book is an autobiography of India’s president Abdul Kalam which has been co-authored with famous Arun Tiwari, who once had worked with Kalam in the field of military defense research. As to the book itself, “this is the story of Kalam who flourished from darkness into the bright sunlight, his personal and professional effort. This is also the narrative of independent India’s struggle for technological self adequacy & sovereignty in defense systems – a story as much regarding politics, as it is regarding science.”