#memory
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
15 October is the birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abul Kalam (1931-2015), India’s most loved President.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abul Kalam was born in a poor family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He never went abroad for higher education, and worked for four decades as scientist and administratior.
Dr Kalam was known as the Missile Man of India. Mentored by the great Vikram Sarabhai, Kalam played a pivotal role in India’s achievements in Space, Military and Nuclear technologies.
The people of Kerala have a special affection for this great man and considered him as a fellow Malayalee.
I was a young PWD engineer in Thiruvananthapuram in the early 1980s. People would remember the simple small lodge room where Kalam lived during his days with VSSC in the 1970s and 80s. He was a bachelor and a vegetarian.
His books like ‘India 2020’, ‘Ignited Minds’, ‘Inspiring Thoughts’, and the autobiography, ‘Wings of Fire’ are among the most popular and widely read books in the country.
The nation honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Bharat Ratna (1997).
Dr Abul Kalam will remain an inspiration for generations of youth in the country for years to come.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
