Sunday 16 December 2012

ABOUT Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam





Abdul Kalam:
                              Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India. 
Born:                      October 15, 1931 (age 81), Dhanushkodi
Full name:              Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Presidential termJuly 25, 2002 – July 25, 2007
Education:             Madras Institute of Technology(1955–1960)
Awards:                  Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Padma   
                               Vibhushan.
 WEBSITE:

               www.abdulkalam.com

Books


The luminous sparks
The luminous sparks  

                              Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ; born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, studied physics at the St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai.

                               Before his term as President, he worked as an aerospace engineer with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).Kalam is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Some scientific experts have however called Kalam a man with no authority over nuclear physics but who just carried on the works of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai. 

                               Kalam was elected the President of India in 2002, defeating Lakshmi Sahgal and was supported by both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the major political parties of India. He is currently a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Management Indore, Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore) and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.
Kalam advocated plans to develop India into a developed nation by 2020 in his book India 2020. Books authored by him have received considerable demands in South Korea for the translated versions He has received several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. Kalam is known for his motivational speeches and interaction with the student community in India. He launched his mission for the youth of the nation in 2011 called the What Can I Give Movement with a central theme to defeat corruption in India. Kalam was also criticized for inaction as a president on the pending mercy plea petitions, that delayed prosecution of the convicts.


Future India: 2020

  

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam delivering a speech
                              In his book India 2020, Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.
It was reported that, there was a considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.

                             Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology. He has proposed a research program for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open Source over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of free software on a large scale will bring the benefits of information technology to more people.


                              Kalam set a target of interacting with 100,000 students during the two years after his resignation from the post of scientific adviser in 1999. In his own words, "I feel comfortable in the company of young people, particularly high school students. Henceforth, I intend to share with them experiences, helping them to ignite their imagination and preparing them to work for a developed India for which the road map is already available. He continued to interact with students during his term as a President and also during his post-presidency period as a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Management Indore, Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram,a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore),and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

Popular culture

                               In May 2011, Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the What Can I Give Movement with a central theme to defeat corruption. He also has interests in writing Tamil poetry and in playing veenai, a South Indian string instrument.
                             
                               He was nominated for the MTV Youth Icon of the Year award in 2003] and in 2006. In the 2011 Hindi film I Am Kalam, Kalam is portrayed as an extremely positive influence to a poor but bright Rajasthani boy named Chhotu, who renames himself Kalam in honour of his idol.

Awards and honours

                               A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's 79th birthday was recognised as World Students' Day by United Nations. He has also received honorary doctorates from 40 universities.The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his work with ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the Government. In 1997, Kalam received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his immense and valuable contribution to the scientific research and modernisation of defence technology in India.


Year of award or honour Name of award or honour Awarding organisation
2012 Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) Simon Fraser University[90]
2011 IEEE Honorary Membership IEEE[91]
2010 Doctor of Engineering University of Waterloo[92]
2009 Hoover Medal ASME Foundation, USA[93]
2009 International von Kármán Wings Award California Institute of Technology, U.S.A[94]
2008 Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore[95]
2007 King Charles II Medal Royal Society, U.K[96][97][98]
2007 Honorary Doctorate of Science University of Wolverhampton, U.K[99]
2000 Ramanujan Award Alwars Research Centre, Chennai[100]
1998 Veer Savarkar Award Government of India[9]
1997 Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Government of India[9][100]
1997 Bharat Ratna Government of India[100][101]
1990 Padma Vibhushan Government of India[100][102]
1981 Padma Bhushan Government of India[100][102]

 

Books and documentaries

Kalam's writings
  • Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences, 1988[103]
  • India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Y. S. Rajan; New York, 1998.[104]
  • Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; Universities Press, 1999.[7]
  • Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Viking, 2002.[105]
  • The Luminous Sparks by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2004.[106]
  • Mission India by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books, 2005[107]
  • Inspiring Thoughts by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Rajpal & Sons, 2007[108]
  • Indomitable Spirit by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,Rajpal And Sons Publishing[109]
  • Envisioning an Empowered Nation by APJ 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.[110]
  • Turning Points: A journey through challenges by A. P. J Abdul Kalam; Harper Collins India, 2012.[111]
Biographies
  • Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr. Kalam by S. Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.[112]
  • President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam by R. K. Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.[113]
  • A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A.P.H. Pub. Corp, 2002.[114]
  • A Little Dream (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.[115]
  • The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President by P.M. Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.[116]
  • My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam by Fr.A.K. George; Novel Corporation, 2009.[117]

 
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Abdul Kalam at the 12th Wharton India Economic Forum, 2008
11th President of India
In office
25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Manmohan Singh
Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Preceded by K. R. Narayanan
Succeeded by Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Personal details
Born 15 October 1931 (age 81)
Rameswaram, British India (present day Tamil Nadu, India)
Alma mater St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli
Madras Institute of Technology
Profession Professor, Author, scientist
Aerospace engineer
Religion Muslim
Website abdulkalam.com  

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