give information about biography of abdul kalam in 450 words
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Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, a scientist and
India's 11th President, was born on 15 October 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil
Nadu, in a Tamil Muslim family. He came from a humble background and
started working at an early age to support his family. After completing
school, Dr Kalam distributed newspapers to financially contribute to his
father Jainulabudeen, who was a boat owner.
>> He studied physics at the St Joseph's
College, Tiruchirappalli, from where he graduated in 1954 and did
Aerospace Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai in
1960.
>> Dr Kalam joined Defense
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as a scientist and started
his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army. He was
also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Dr Vikram Sarabhai,
the renowned space scientist. In 1969, he was transferred to 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 Rohini satellite near earth's orbit in July 1980.
>> He is popularly known as the 'Missile Man
of India' for his work on the development of ballistic missile and
launch vehicle technology. He played a pivotal role in India's
Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.
>> Dr Kalam was elected the President of India
in 2002. During his term as the President, from 25 July 2002 to 25 July
2007, he was affectionately known as the People's President. Dr Kalam
was the third President to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna,
before becoming the President, the earlier two were Dr Sarvapali
Radhakrishnan (1954) and Dr Zakir Hussain (1963). He was honoured with
the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his work
with ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the
Government.
>> Among the many books written by Dr Kalam,
few of them are: Wings of Fire: An Autobiography in 1999, Ignited Minds:
Unleashing the Power Within in 2002, Target 3 Billion in 2011 and My
Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions in 2013. Dr Kalam advocated
plans to develop India into a developed nation by 2020 in his book India
2020: A Vision for the New Millennium in 1998.
>> Dr Kalam is known for his motivational
speeches and interaction with the student community in India. Some of
the inspiring quotes by him are:
"Thinking is progress. Non-thinking is stagnation of the individual,
organisation and the country. Thinking leads to action. Knowledge
without action is useless and irrelevant. Knowledge with action converts
adversity into prosperity."
"If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of
beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members
who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the
teacher."
"We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a
prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled
with civilisational heritage."
"Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career."