Biographies

Biographies

Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr Kalam by S Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.

President A P J Abdul Kalam by R K Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.

A P J Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India by K Bhushan, G Katyal; A P H Pub Corp, 2002.

A Little Dream (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.

The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President by P M Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.

My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam by Fr A K George; Novel Corporation, 2009.

Books and documentaries

Books and documentaries

Kalam's writings

[proposed to be deleted: this "book" is a commemorative collection of papers with Kalam and Narasimha as editors. Given URL clearly mentions this]Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology by A P J Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences, 1988

India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A P J Abdul Kalam, Y. S. Rajan; New York, 1998.

Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A P J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; Universities Press, 1999.

Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A P J Abdul Kalam; Viking, 2002.

The Luminous Sparks by A P J Abdul Kalam, by; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd., 2004.

Mission India by A P J Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books, 2005

Inspiring Thoughts by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal & Sons, 2007

Indomitable Spirit by A P J Abdul Kalam; Rajpal and Sons Publishing

Envisioning an Empowered Nation by A P J Abdul Kalam with A Sivathanu Pillai; Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi

You Are Born To Blossom: Take My Journey Beyond by A P J Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2011.

Turning Points: A journey through challenges by A P J Abdul Kalam; Harper Collins India, 2012.

Target 3 Billion by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; December 2011 | Publisher Penguin Books.

My Journey: (titled எனது பயணம் - Tamil) Transforming Dreams into Actions by A P J Abdul Kalam; August 2013 by the Rupa Publication.

A Manifesto for Change: A Sequel to India 2020 by A P J Abdul Kalam and V Ponraj; July 2014 by Harper Collins.

Forge your Future: Candid, Forthright, Inspiring by A P J Abdul Kalam; by Rajpal and Sons, 29 October 2014.

Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; by Penguin India, 14 May 2015.

Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji by A P J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari; HarperCollins Publishers, June 2015

Advantage India: From Challenge to Opportunity by A P J Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh; HarperCollins Publishers,15 Oct 2015.

Educational and scientific institutions

Educational and scientific institutions

Several educational and scientific institutions and other locations were renamed or named in honour of Kalam following his death.
An agricultural college at Kishanganj, Bihar, was renamed the "Dr. Kalam Agricultural College, Kishanganj" by the Bihar state government on the day of Kalam's funeral. The state government also announced it would name a proposed science city after Kalam.
Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU) was renamed "A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University" by the Uttar Pradesh state government.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Memorial Travancore Institute of Digestive Diseases, a new research institute in Kollam city, Kerala attached to the Travancore Medical College Hospital.
A new academic complex at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala.
A new science centre and planetarium in Lawspet, Puducherry.
India and the US have launched the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship In September 2014. The first call for applicants was announced on Friday 12 March 2016, for the fellowship which will enable up to 6 Indian PhD students and post-doctoral researchers to work with US host institutions for a period of 6–12 months. The fellowship will be operated by the binational US-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) under the Fulbright programme.
Kerala Technological University, headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram where Kalam lived for years, was renamed to A P J Abdul Kalam Technological Universityafter his death.

Awards and honours

Awards and honours

Kalam received 7 honorary doctorates from 40 universities. The Government of India honoured him 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. In 1997, Kalam received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to the scientific research and modernisation of defence technology in India. In 2013, he was the recipient of the Von Braun Award from the National Space Society "to recognize excellence in the management and leadership of a space-related project".

Following his death, Kalam received numerous tributes. The Tamil Nadu state government announced that his birthday, 15 October, would be observed across the state as "Youth Renaissance Day;" the state government further instituted the "Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award," constituting an 8-gram gold medal, a certificate and₹500,000 (US$7,800). The award will be awarded annually on Independence Day, beginning in 2015, to residents of the state with achievements in promoting scientific growth, the humanities or the welfare of students.

On the anniversary of Kalam's birth in 2015 the CBSE set topics on his name in the CBSE expression series.

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, ceremonially released postage stamps commemorating Kalam at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi on 15 October 2015, the 84th anniversary of Kalam's birth.

Researchers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), had discovered a new bacterium on the filters of the International Space Station (ISS) and named it Solibacillus kalamii to honour the late president Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Writings

Writings

In his book India 2020, Kalam strongly advocated an action plan to develop India into a "knowledge superpower" and adeveloped nation by the year 2020. He regarded his work on India's nuclear weapons programme as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.I have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action: (1) agriculture and food processing; (2) education and healthcare; (3) information and communication technology; (4) infrastructure, reliable and quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country; and (5) self-reliance in critical technologies. These five areas are closely inter-related and if advanced in a coordinated way, will lead to food, economic and national security.

Kalam describes a "transformative moment" in his life when he asked Pramukh Swami, the guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampradaya, how India might realise this five-pronged vision of development.  Pramukh Swami's answer—to add a sixth area developing faith in God and spirituality to overcome the current climate of crime and corruption—became the spiritual vision for the next 15 years Kalam's life, which he describes in his final book, Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji, published just a month before his death.

It was reported that there was considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.Kalam took an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology, including a research programme for developing biomedical implants. He also supported open source technology over proprietary software, predicting that the use of free software on a large scale would bring the benefits of information technology to more people.

Kalam set a target of interacting with 100,000 students during the two years after his resignation from the post of scientific adviser in 1999. He explained, "I feel comfortable in the company of young people, particularly high school students. Henceforth, I intend to share with them experiences, helping them to ignite their imagination and preparing them to work for a developed India for which the road map is already available." His dream is to let every student to light up the sky with victory using their latent fire in the heart. 

Personal life

Personal life

Kalam was the youngest of five siblings, the eldest of whom was a sister, Asim Zohra (d. 1997), followed by three elder brothers: Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraikayar (born 4 November 1916),^[119] Mustafa Kalam (d. 1999) and Kasim Mohammed (d. 1995).  He was extremely close to his elder siblings and their extended families throughout his life, and would regularly send small sums of money to his older relations, himself remaining a lifelong bachelor.

Kalam was noted for his integrity and his simple lifestyle. He never owned a television, and was in the habit of rising at 6:30 or 7 a.m and sleeping by 2 a.m. His few personal possessions included his books, his veena, some articles of clothing, a CD player and a laptop; at his death, he left no will, and his possessions went to his eldest brother, who survived him.

In the 2011 Hindi film I Am Kalam, Kalam is portrayed as a positive influence on a poor but bright Rajasthani boy named Chhotu, who renames himself Kalam in honour of his idol.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Memorial

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Memorial

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Memorial is a memorial in memory of the late President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The memorial is situated at Pei Karumbu, in the island town of Rameswaram, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This Memorial was inaugurated on the 27th July, 2017  by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The memorial was built by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

On display are the replicas of rockets and missiles with which Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had worked with. Acrylic paintings about his life are also displayed along with hundreds of portraits depicting the life of the mass leader.

There is a statue of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in the entrance showing him playing Veena (musical instrument). There are two other smaller statues of the leader in sitting and standing posture.