A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
This article is about the former President of India. For the Indian freedom fighter, see Abul Kalam Azad.
In this Indian name, the name Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Abdul Kalam.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam better known as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (/ˈæbdʊl kəˈlɑːm/ (About this sound listen); 15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015), was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. A career scientist turned statesman, Kalam 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.[1] 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.[2][3][4] 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.[5]
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in 2008.jpg
Kalam in 2008
11th President of India
In office
25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Manmohan Singh
Vice President Krishan Kant
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Preceded by K. R. Narayanan
Succeeded by Pratibha Patil
Personal details
Born Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
15 October 1931
Rameswaram, Ramnad District, Madras Presidency, British India
(now in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, India
Died 27 July 2015 (aged 83)
Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Cause of death Cardiac arrest (Stroke)
Nationality Indian
Alma mater St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli
Madras Institute of Technology
Profession Professor
Author
Aerospace scientist
Awards Bharat Ratna 1997
Padma Vibhushan 1990
Padma Bhushan 1981
Signature
Website abdulkalam.com
Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress. Widely referred to as the "People's President,"[6] 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.[7] Thousands including national-level dignitaries attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram, where he was buried with full state honours.[8]
