Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India's civilian space programme and military missile development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.
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Early life and education

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931, to a Tamil Muslim family in the pilgrimage centre of Rameswaram on Pamban Island, then in the Madras Presidency and now in the State of Tamil Nadu. His father Jainulabdeen Marakayar was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque; his mother Ashiamma was a housewife. His father owned a ferry that took Hindu pilgrims back and forth between Rameswaram and the now uninhabited Dhanushkodi. Kalam was the youngest of four brothers and one sister in his family. His ancestors had been wealthy Marakayar traders and landowners, with numerous properties and large tracts of land. Marakayar are a Muslim ethnic group found in coastal Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka who claim descent from Arab traders and local women. The family business had involved trading groceries between the mainland and the island and to and from Sri Lanka, as well as ferrying pilgrims between the mainland and Pamban. With the opening of the Pamban Bridge to the mainland in 1914, however, the businesses failed and the family fortune and properties were lost by the 1920s, apart from the ancestral home. The family was poverty-stricken by the time Kalam was born. As a young boy he had to sell newspapers to add to the family's meager income.
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Kalam assembling test rocket in thumba
In his school years, Kalam had average grades but was described as a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn. He spent hours on his studies, especially mathematics. After completing his education at the Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram, Kalam went on to attend Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, then affiliated with the University of Madras, from where he graduated in physics in 1954.
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He moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering in Madras Institute of Technology. While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean was dissatisfied with his lack of progress and threatened to revoke his scholarship unless the project was finished within the next three days. Kalam met the deadline, impressing the Dean, who later said to him, "I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline."He narrowly missed achieving his dream of becoming a fighter pilot, as he placed ninth in qualifiers, and only eight positions were available in the IAF.

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 & Development Service (DRDS). He started his career by designing a small hovercraft, but remained unconvinced by his choice of a job at DRDO. Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist. In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980; Kalam had first started work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. In 1969, Kalam received the government's approval and expanded the programme to include more engineers.
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Dr Kalam with Vikram Sarabhai
In 1963 to 1964, he visited NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Goddard Space Flight Center 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.
Kalam was invited by Raja Ramanna to witness the country's first nuclear test Smiling Buddha as the representative of TBRL, even though he had not participated in its development. In the 1970s, Kalam also directed two projects, Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of the successful SLV programme. Despite the disapproval of the Union Cabinet, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi allotted secret funds for these aerospace projects through her discretionary powers under Kalam's directorship. Kalam played an integral role 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 programme under his directorship. Kalam and Dr V S Arunachalam, metallurgist and scientific adviser to the Defence Minister, worked on the suggestion by the then Defence Minister, R. Venkataraman on a proposal for simultaneous development of a quiver of missiles instead of taking planned missiles one after another. R Venkatraman was instrumental in getting the cabinet approval for allocating ₹ 3.88 billion for the mission, named Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) and appointed Kalam as the chief executive. Kalam played a major part in developing many missiles under the mission including Agni, an intermediate range ballistic missile and Prithvi, the tactical surface-to-surface missile, although the projects have been criticised for mismanagement and cost and time overruns.
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SLV – III Review meeting, with presence of Sathish Dhawan
Kalam served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary of the Defence Research and Development Organisation from July 1992 to December 1999. The Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period in which he played an intensive political and technological role. Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator, along with Rajagopala Chidambaram, during the testing phase. Media coverage of Kalam during this period made him the country's best known nuclear scientist. However, the director of the site test, K Santhanam, said that the thermonuclear bomb had been a "fizzle" and criticised Kalam for issuing an incorrect report. Both Kalam and Chidambaram dismissed the claims.
In 1998, along with cardiologist Soma Raju, Kalam developed a low cost coronary stent, named the "Kalam-Raju Stent". In 2012, the duo designed a rugged tablet computer for health care in rural areas, which was named the "Kalam-Raju Tablet".

Presidency

Kalam served as the 11th president of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan. He won the 2002 presidential election with an electoral vote of 922,884, surpassing the 107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal. His term lasted from 25 July 2002, to 25 July 2007.
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Dr. Kalam sworn as president
On 10 June 2002, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was in power at the time, expressed that they would nominate Kalam for the post of President, and both the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party backed his candidacy. After the Samajwadi Party announced its support for Kalam, Narayanan chose not to seek a second term in office, leaving the field clear. Kalam said of the announcement of his candidature:
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I am really overwhelmed. Everywhere both in Internet and in other media, I have been asked for a message. I was thinking what message I can give to the people of the country at this juncture.

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On 18 June, Kalam filed his nomination papers in the Indian Parliament, accompanied by Vajpayee and his senior Cabinet colleagues. The polling for the presidential election began on 15 July 2002, in Parliament and the state assemblies, with the media claiming that the election was a one-sided affair and Kalam's victory was a foregone conclusion; the count was held on 18 July. Kalam became the 11th president of the Republic of India in an easy victory, and moved into the Rashtrapati Bhavan after he was sworn in on 25 July. Kalam was the third President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, before becoming the President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1954) and Zakir Hussain (1963) were the earlier recipients of Bharat Ratna who later became the President of India. He was also the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.
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During his term as president, he was affectionately known as the People's President, saying that signing the Office of Profit Bill was the toughest decision he had taken during his tenure. Kalam was criticised for his inaction in deciding the fate of 20 out of the 21 mercy petitions submitted to him during his tenure. Article 72 of the Constitution of India empowers the President of India to grant pardons, and suspend or commute the death sentence of convicts on death row. Kalam acted on only one mercy plea in his five-year tenure as president, rejecting the plea of rapist Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who was later hanged. Perhaps the most notable plea was from Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri terrorist who was convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India in 2004. While the sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006, the pending action on his mercy plea resulted in him remaining on death row. He also took the controversial decision to impose President's Rule in Bihar in 2005.

Post-presidency

After leaving office, Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the Indian Institute of Management Indore; an honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram; professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University; and an adjunct at many other academic and research institutions across India. He taught information technology at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and technology at Banaras Hindu University and Anna University.
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In 2011, Kalam was criticised by civil groups over his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant; he supported the establishment of the nuclear power plant and was accused of not speaking with the local people. The protesters were hostile to his visit as they saw him as a pro-nuclear scientist and were unimpressed by the assurances he provided regarding the safety features of the plant. In May 2012, Kalam launched a programme for the youth of India called the What Can I Give Movement, with a central theme of defeating corruption.

Death

On 27 July 2015, Kalam travelled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on "Creating a Livable Planet Earth" at the Indian 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. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. He was rushed to the nearby Bethany Hospital in a critical condition; upon arrival, he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life. 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?"
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Front view of APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial in Rameshwaram
Following his death, Kalam's body was airlifted in an Indian Air Force helicopter from Shillong to Guwahati, from where it was flown to New Delhi on the morning of 28 July in an air force C-130J Hercules.

Achievements

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• India’s first indigenous hovercraft

As a young scientist in DRDO, Kalam was assigned his first project to design and develop a hovercraft for the country’s defense applications. After several days of hard-work, he and his team were successful in developing India’s first indigenous hovercraft which was named Nandi, the impressive white bull who acts as the vehicle of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva.
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• India’s First Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV)

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Dr Kalam put in over 10-year-long hard work as the project director for the development of the indigenous SLV at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the ISRO where he was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980, making India a member of the exclusive space club. 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. In the 1970s he also directed two projects which developed the ballistic missiles from the technology of the SLV programme.
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• INCOSPAR committee

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Kalam was part of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist. The committee took over the responsibilities of the Department of Atomic Energy in space science and research. INCOSPAR took the decision to set up Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) at Thumba on the southern tip of India. Missile Man Kalam re-joined the DRDO as director in 1982. There he implemented the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. Due to this missile program, he earned the nickname “Missile Man.”
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Ballistic missiles project After 1983, DRDO developed several missiles under the leadership of Dr Kalam. The projects Devil and Valiant headed by Kalam aimed at developing ballistic missiles using the technology behind the successful SLV program. Under the Kalam Mission, he successfully led the development of Agni and Prithvi, the indigenous guided missiles.
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• Chief scientific adviser In 1992, he was appointed as the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. With the rank of a cabinet minister, in 1999, he was appointed as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. He served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and as the Chief Project Coordinator of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests.

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• Nuclear Tests in Pokhran As Secretary of the DRDO from July 1992 to December 1999, Kalam played a major role in heading the Pokhran-II nuclear testing, leading to him being known as the best nuclear scientist of the country at that time. The nuclear testing under his supervision made India a nuclear-armed state. The Pokhran-II tests, a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions, were conducted at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in May 1998. Kalam played an intensive political and technological role in their success.

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• Kalam-Raju Stent (Universal Healthcare Plan) Kalam made huge contributions to the healthcare sector. Working jointly with cardiologist Soma Raju, the late President developed a cost-effective coronary stent 'Kalam-Raju Stent' which helped in making healthcare accessible to all.

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• Kalam-Raju Tablet

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The duo of Kalam and Soma Raju in 2012 designed a rugged tablet computer for better health care administration in the rural and less reachable areas. They termed it the 'Kalam-Raju tablet.' While the Kalam-Raju stent created waves for its affordability, the Kalam-Raju tablet was aimed at arming healthcare workers at the primary level like doctors, Anganwadi workers, ‘aayas' and first responders to an emergency with a ‘rugged' tablet capable of performing a host of medical processes at the rural level.
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Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam's writings
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• Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A P J Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences, 1988
• India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A P J Abdul Kalam, Y. S. Rajan; New York, 1998.
• Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A P J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; Universities Press, 1999.
• Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A P J Abdul Kalam; Viking, 2002.
• The Luminous Sparks by A P J Abdul Kalam, by; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd., 2004.
• Mission India by A P J Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books, 2005
• Inspiring Thoughts by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal & Sons, 2007
• Indomitable Spirit by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal & Sons Publishing
• Envisioning an Empowered Nation by A P J Abdul Kalam with A Sivathanu Pillai; Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi
• You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond by A P J Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2011.
• Turning Points: A journey through challenges by A P J Abdul Kalam; HarperCollins India, 2012.
• Target 3 Billion by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; December 2011 (Publisher: Penguin Books).
• My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions by A P J Abdul Kalam; 2014 by the Rupa Publication.
• A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020 by A P J Abdul Kalam and V Ponraj; July 2014 by HarperCollins.
• Forge your Future: Candid, Forthright, Inspiring by A P J Abdul Kalam; by Rajpal & Sons, 29 October 2014.
• Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; by Penguin India, 14 May 2015.
• Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji by A P J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari; HarperCollins Publishers, June 2015
• Advantage India: From Challenge to Opportunity by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; HarperCollins Publishers,15 October 2015.

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Awards & Honors

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Source : Wiki
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Few more pics:
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Kalam with Indira Gandhi
Kalam during nuclear missile test in Pokharan
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Kalam's historic Pic with PM Vajpayee and George Fernandes after at Pokharan on May 1998
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Kalam receiving Padma Bhushan
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References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._P._J._Abdul_Kalam
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Kalams-unrealised-Nag-missile-dream-to-become-reality-next-yeaarticleshow/48267342.cms
3. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_President,_Dr._A.P.J._Abdul_Kalam_administering_the_oath_as_Minister_of_State_to_Shri_M.H._Ambareesh_at_a_Swearing-in_Ceremony_at_Rashtrapati_Bhawan_in_New_Delhi_on_October_24,_2006.jpg
4. https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/rare-pics-of-apj-abdul-kalam-former-president-of-india-53101.html
5. "India's 'Mr. Missile': A man of the people". 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015
6. "APJ Abdul Kalam speaks to Editorial Director M.J. Akbar about presidential elections 2012 : INTERVIEW – India Today". indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015.
7. "APJ Abdul Kalam, the unconventional President who learnt the art of the political". Archived from the original on 29 July 2015.