Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam

Bharat Ratna Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, generally known as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was the 11th President of India (2002-2007). He was elected against Lakshmi Sehgal in 2002 and had support from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, the two leading political parties of India. By profession, he was a scientist and an administrator in India. He worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as an aerospace engineer before becoming the President of India.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born in a necessitous and little educated Tamil family on 15 October 1931, at Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Jainulabdeen, was a boat owner, and his mother, Ashiamma, was a homemaker. He started working at a young age to support his father. He received average grades in school but was seen as a hardworking and bright student with a strong desire to learn things. He used to study for hours, especially mathematics. He completed his schooling from Rameswaram Elementary School. In 1954, he graduated in Physics from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli, which was then affiliated to the University of Madras.

International von Kármán Wings Award, California Institute of Technology1, USA in 2009
Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2008
King Charles II Medal Royal Society, UK in 2007
Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Wolverhampton, UK in 2007
Ramanujan Award, Alwars Research Centre, Chennai in 2000
Veer Savarkar Award, Government of India in 1998
Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, Government of India in 1997
Bharat Ratna, Government of India in 1997
Padma Vibhushan, Government of India in 1990
Padma Bhushan, Government of India in 1981.

Dr. Kalam succeeded K.R. Narayanan as the 11th President of India.
He was the third President of India to have received the prestigious Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour. It was earlier given to Dr. Sarvapali Radhakrishnan in 1954 and Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963.
He was the first bachelor and scientist to reside in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Dr. Kalam was affectionately called the People's President.
According to him, the toughest decision taken by him as President was signing the Bill of Office of Profit.

India's 11th President APJ Abdul Kalam died on Monday evening at a hospital in Meghalaya, where he had gone to deliver a lecture. He was 83.

Top Quotes of Abdul Kalam