APJ Abdul Kalam 86th birth anniversary Things you should know about Missile Man of India

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, was among the personalities in our country who won admiration from every section of the society. He was born on October 15, 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Kalam was one of the most loved presidents who was known for his immense dedication, humility and perseverance. Dr. APJ Kalam who had a soft spot for the children and students always believed that they are the future of the country. He was indeed an inspiration for the people of India. It was his believe that science should be put to use for serving the mankind rather than for commercial sense. As the nation celebrates his 86th birth anniversary, he will look at some of the unknown facts about Missile Man of India.

Dr. Abdul Kalam was known as the father of Indian Missile Technology, as he played a crucial role in our 1998 nuclear weapons tests and launch vehicle technology.

Not many know that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam received India's highest civilian award in the year 1997, before he became the eleventh president of the country. Only three former presidents including Kalam have received the award before they claimed the presidential post. The other two being Dr. Zakir Husain and Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

Before Dr. Kalam held the post of the president of India, he was an aeronautical engineer with DRDO and ISRO. It was at DRDO where he designed a small helicopter for our Indian army.

It was in 1969 when Dr. Kalam was transferred to ISRO where he was made the project director for country's first 'Satellite Launch Vehicle' (SLV-III) . The project turned out to be successful, and it was under his leadership that India was able to deploy the Rohini satellite series into Earth’s orbit.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a recipient of honorary doctorates from 40 universities. He was a prolific writer and wrote about 15 books on different subjects. Some of his best sellers include  like Wings of Fire, India 2020 and Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India.

Missile Man of India's life became an inspiration for the movie 'I Am Kalam', which was released in 2011. The Nila Madhab Panda directorial portrayed the journey of a poor boy in Rajasthan, who is inspired by Kalam.

Dr. Kalam became the first ever Asian to be honoured with the 'Hoover Medal' in 2009. The medal is America's highest engineering prize.