Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was a man of versatility. Known for the good nature he brought to the office of the President, he was a writer and motivational speaker, a poet in Tamil, an amateur musician, and a polymath. However, above all, he was a scientist with a flair for invention, adaptation, and administration – qualities that propelled him to the front lines of the national imagination, when he spent most of his professional life helping to propel India to the skies. Dedicated to Rocketry for Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Dr. Kalam started his career in DRDO after graduating from the Madras Institute of Technology. He joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defense Research and Development Organization as a scientist after becoming a member of the Defense Research and Development Service (DRDS). Kalam started his career in DRDO by designing a small hovercraft. In 1965, Kalam independently began work on an expandable rocket project at the institute, and in 1969 he received government approval and expanded the program to include more engineers.

During his tenure at DRDO, Kalam directed two projects namely Project Devil and Project Valiant, which aimed to develop ballistic missiles using the technology of the SLV program. Kalam was also instrumental in developing missiles like Agni and Prithvi under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, of which he was the Chief Executive Officer. Kalam is also credited with playing a major role in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, which were carried out during his tenure as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary of the Defense Research and Development Organization from July 1992 to December 1999. . Dr. Kalam was part of the Indian Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which was established by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program. The team of rocket engineers, of which Kalam was a part, set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, which is still used by ISRO to launch sounding rockets today. Kalam was also the Project Director of India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle, which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite into Earth orbit. Kalam has also played an important role in the development of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Kalam had always tried to inspire the younger generation through his powerful speeches. Some of his decisions have also been the result of his youthful passion. For example, his decision to not lead a comfortable life as the President of India and to undertake the very ambitious venture of teaching and imparting his knowledge to the students, the younger generation was a youthful act. Dr. Kalam had the skill to read the holy book Quran and Bhagavad Gita equally. From the individual’s point of view, Dr. Kalam was a peace-loving person. He loved classical music and played the vena with utmost elegance. He used to write Tamil poems which were famous for attracting the reader. As if that was not enough, Dr. Kalam was also an avid reader. He has also authored several books like India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power in India, Transcendence: My Spiritual Experience with Pramukh Swamiji, A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020. He often had a stern expression on his face like that of a schoolteacher. The success of SLV-3 earned him the Padma Bhushan in 1981; Excellence in DRDO, Padma Vibhushan in 1990; And finally Bharat Ratna in 1997.

Kalam believed that young officers entering governance had to set a long-term goal for which they would be remembered. This goal will motivate them all the time during their career and will help them to overcome all their problems. The young bureaucrats of our country must remember that when they undertake difficult missions, problems arise, but we have to defeat the problems and be successful. If the job of a civil servant is to provide good governance to the nation, how can this objective be achieved? According to Kalam, governance is judged by how proactive and responsive it is to the needs of the people. Governance should help people to lead a morally upright, intellectually superior, and high-quality life. This is possible through the acquisition and enrichment of knowledge.

(Priyanka Saurabh, is a Research Scholar in Political Science, Poet, freelance journalist, and columnist. The opinion expressed here is that of the author)