Dr Kalam

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15th October 1931. Today is his 89th birth anniversary. He served as president of India from 2002 to 2007. He was one of India's most outstanding scientists, being trained in physics and aerospace engineering. Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army. Kalam worked in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near earth’s orbit in July 1980. He was also an administrator at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Kalam was intimately involved in India's civilian space programme and military missile development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. Kalam was an avid author, and has written many books, such as Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, India 2020, and many more. In one of his books he advocated the 'Garland Canal System' to link the rivers of north and south India. This, he said, would solve India's chronic problem of droughts and floods. Sadly, the scheme was never implemented, as various politicana cited administrative and economic hurdles. The birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is observed as World Students' Day around the globe. Dr Kalam loved students. He was a dedicated teacher and identified himself foremost in that role before anything else. He said: "Students are the future. Students are the people and the minds that are going to take our country forward."