A
200 per cent Indian. That's how colleagues of one of India's best-known scientists
knew him even before his nomination for presidency. Today multi-faceted Avul Pakir
Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam is best known as the father of India's missile programme.
Honoured with numerous awards by the Government including
the Bharat Ratna, Kalam has served in various capacities,
including serving as Principal Scientific Advisor to the
Government of India with the rank of a Union Cabinet Minister
from November 1999 to November 2001.
Abdul Kalam was born in a middle-class
Tamil family at Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu on October
15, 1931. ...more
»
From
remote Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu to Delhi's imposing Rashtrapati
Bhawan is quite a journey. Especially for a boat owner's
son who sold newspapers as a child, the journey is an
epitome of determination and focus.
Kalam's family was not well off, and early in life he
did odd jobs like hawking newspapers. He joined Schwartz
High School in Ramanathapuram, where he was fortunate
to study under some inspiring teachers that he remembers
to this day with gratitude... more
»
Award
Ramanujan
Award by Alwars Research Centre, Chennai (2000)
Padma
Vibhushan (1990)
Veer
Savarkar Award (1998)
Bharat
Ratna (1997)
Indira
Gandhi Award for National Integration (1997)