Kalam connect: what made him the ‘People’s President’?

A lifetime of science

In the years leading up to India’s independence, a boy was born in the south Indian town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on October 15, 1931. That boy was the youngest of five siblings in a once wealthy family that found itself in difficult times. Despite the circumstances in which he was raised, he stuck with his education. When the country gained independence from British rule, one can imagine the teenager dreaming up a future — for himself, and for his country. He surely set out and achieved all of them, and perhaps more, as Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam became one of the most beloved Presidents that the country has ever seen.

With a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology, Dr. Kalam went on to make significant contributions as an Indian scientist. As someone who spent most of his time in the 21st Century meeting and inspiring people, it is easy to forget that Dr. Kalam had spent many decades before that in the 20th Century as a working scientist who put a young independent nation on the world map. Having joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1958, Dr. Kalam switched over to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969, before heading back to DRDO in 1982.

From being the project director of the SLV-III (India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle that was both designed and produced in the country) to planning the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) that produced a number of successful missiles, Dr. Kalam had plenty of successes in his career.

Soaring higher and higher

The decades that followed saw recognition and accolades come in thick and fast. These included some of India’s highest honours: the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharat Ratna.

The first of those, the Padma Bhushan, came in 1981, with an investiture ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on March 28, allowing Dr. Kalam to receive the award from President N. Sanjeev Reddy. After picking up the Padma Vibhushan in 1990, Dr. Kalam then served as the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. During this period, Dr. Kalam claimed the Bharat Ratna — the country’s highest civilian award. From 1999-2001, he served as the principal scientific adviser to the government.

His time as the scientific adviser to the defence minister coincided with India’s growing nuclear capabilities. In collaboration with others, Dr. Kalam led the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, making India a country with nuclear weapons.

One for the masses

The turn of the century saw Dr. Kalam rise to the position of the head of state of the country. Both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition, the Indian National Congress, backed his candidacy, enabling him to become the country’s 11th President on July 25, 2002. In the five years that followed, he not only worked well with the people around him — including Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh — but also made it a point to reach out to the public at large.

At the end of his tenure as the country’s president, it came as no surprise to anyone who knew him that the 75-year-old had made it his life’s objective — or what remained of it — to touch as many lives as he possibly could, especially those of children.

A way with words

He had found strength in words. He had already reached out to many a reader through the written word, with his Wings of Fire (1999), his autobiography, and Ignited Minds (2002) being notable works. He took to the spoken word as well, addressing youngsters and adults alike in institutional gatherings. People in general, and students in particular, thronged him, hoping that a glimpse of their hero would inspire them further.

Dr. Kalam never shied away from reaching out to students, regardless of their backgrounds. He kept at it until the very end, collapsing when delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong on July 27, 2015, before dying of a cardiac arrest.