A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Biography

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam BR (/ˈɑːbdəl kəˈlɑːm/ (listen); 15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007. 

He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace engineering.

 He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and was intimately involved in India's civilian space program 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 missiles and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organizational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.

Kalam was elected as the 11th president of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress. Widely referred to as the "People's President", he returned to his civilian life of education, writing, and public service after a single term.

 He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83. 

Thousands, including national-level dignitaries, attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameswaram, where he was buried with full state honors.

Kalam served as the 11th president of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan. He won the 2002 presidential election with an electoral vote of 922,884, surpassing the 107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal. His term lasted from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007.

On 27 July 2015, Kalam traveled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on "Creating a Livable Planet Earth" at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong. 

While climbing a flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort but was able to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. 

He was rushed to the nearby Bethany Hospital in critical condition; upon arrival, he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life. 

Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. IST. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were reportedly: "Funny guy! Are you doing well?"