1. APJ Kalam was born on October 15, 1931, into a poor family. His father had only one boat to support his family.
2. Kalam was a hardworking boy right from the beginning. At the tender age of five, he started selling newspapers to help his father support the family. He did this job in the evenings after school. He also spent a great deal of time on his studies.
3. Kalam was fascinated by physics and mathematics.
4. Kalam completed his graduation from Saint Joseph’s College, Trichurapally in 1954. In 1955, he enrolled at the Madras Institute of Technology.
5. Kalam missed an opportunity to become a fighter pilot for the Indian Air force. He was on the ninth spot on the list, and there were only eight openings. The first eight shortlisted candidates were recruited.
6. In 1960, Kalam became involved with DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment.
7. In 1969, Kalam was made the project director for Satellite Launch Vehicles and was shifted to ISRO. The project became successful, and India, under the directorship of Kalam, was able to launch the Rohini satellite series into Earth’s orbit.
8. Kalam was known as the ‘Missile Man’ of India due to his continued, successful work with ballistic missiles and launch vehicle technology.
9. Kalam also made significant contributions to the nuclear capabilities of India. The Pokhran -2 nuclear tests (in 1998) were successful thanks to his organizational and technical support.
10. Kalam was honored with many awards, including the highest civilian award in the country, the Bharat Ratna (1997). His other awards include Padma Bhushan (1981) andPadma Vibhushan (1990).
11. Interestingly, he was also honored with doctorates from 40 universities.
12. Inspired by his life, a Bollywood movie was also produced with the title, I Am Kalam.
13. Kalam is a source of inspiration for millions of people in India and around the world.
14. Kalam became the President of the largest democracy of the world –India – on July 25, 2002. He was known as “the People’s President” because of his simple and down-to-earth attitude.
15. Prez Kalam also had a soft spot for students and children. He inspired millions of young children, answering their questions and meeting with them during his tours across the country until the day of his sad demise. He believed that the children are the future of any nation.
16. Kalam was frisked twice at JFK Airport in New York. He was checked for explosives by the airport staff. This incident was protested by India on the international level.
17. He was once asked by a journalist how would he like to be remembered: as a scientist, a president or a teacher. And he replied smilingly – “I want to be remembered as a teacher first and then as any other person.”
18. After the term of his presidency, he became busier as a visiting professor at various institutes of management and leadership including those located at Ahmadabad, Indore, and Shillong.
19. Kalam’s visit to Switzerland is commemorated as Science Day in the country. This declaration in his honor was made by the Swiss government after the sad demise of this great personality.
20. Kalam wrote a great deal of poetry in Tamil, and was very fond of playing a musical instrument known as the Veena.
21. A fun fact about APJ Abdul Kalam is that although he was a Muslim, he was also a strict vegetarian.
22. During his presidency, Kalam was so beloved that people requested that he take the office again after Pratibha Patil’s term as President. However, he politely refused.
23. Kalam is the first unmarried president and scientist in India.
24. Kalam is among only three presidents of India who were conferred the Bharat Ratna before they were elected President.
25. Kalam followed only one cricketer on his Twitter account – VVS Laxman. Kalam followed a total of 38 people on this social media account.
26. Kalam would get up at 4:00 am to take his mathematics lessons. He would also take a bath before going to class, which was a condition imposed on all the students by the teacher.
27. Kalam valued Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as his mentor. He turned to this other great scientist of Indian origin for advice and support.
28. Kalam’s first major project, SLV-3, failed, and he was shattered.
29. He was awarded the MTV Youth Icon award twice, in 2003 and 2006.
30. On his last day, he was delivering a lecture at IIM, Shillong. He was standing at the podium delivering his speech to hundreds of students when he suffered a cardiac arrest that made him fall to the floor. He always had a passion for teaching and working hard. And at the time when death captured him, he was doing what he loved.
31. Kalam also acted as a scientific advisor to the government of India.
32. He donated his presidential salary to charity. He formed a trust named PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas), and donated his salaries to this trust when he became aware that the government takes care of its presidents.
33. He also refused to sit on special chairs during events because he was a humble man and always promoted equality.
34. Kalam was a great communicator. Once Kalam used Yahoo Answers to ask a question about terrorism. He asked, “What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?” He received more than 30,000 responses.
35. Kalam’s wish was to power the Rashtrapati Bhawan completely with solar power. However, this could not be implemented during the term of his presidency.
36. Kalam started his career as a boy selling newspapers and became the president of the world’s largest democracy. He also pursued and envisioned many things during the course of his life, transforming and inspiring millions of people both locally and globally.
37. Kalam would take the sole blame for losses and setbacks, but gave all credit to his team when they achieved anything under his leadership. Such were the qualities of the “Missile Man.”
38. He also published his autobiography, Wings of Fire, which was co-authored with Arun Tiwari. It gives a detailed account of his childhood, his personal life and career; it has been translated into 13 languages including French and Chinese.
39. And he was an avid reader and writer. He authored no less than 15 books on various topics, including nuclear physics and spiritual experiences.
He was a beloved president, mentor, visionary, scientist and, above all, a very humble human being.
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