ENGLISH ESSAY CLASS 10

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is one of the greatest Indian scientist and politician that our country has ever produced. His full name is Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was born on 15th October 1931 in Ramnad district of Madras presidency in British India. Presently this place is located in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.

He was born in a humble Tamil Muslim family. Dr. Kalam was youngest of five siblings and his father's name was Jainulabudeen and his mother's name was Ashiamma.

Early life and education
Dr. Kalam was an average student in his school but he had a keen interest in his studies. He did his schooling from Schwartz Higher Secondary School at Ramanathapuram and pursued his BSc Degree in Physics from Saint Joseph College in Tiruchirappalli. He completed his graduation in the year 1954. After that he pursued aerospace engineering from Madras Institute of Technology.

Work and responsibility
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam aspired to become a fighter pilot. However, he narrowly missed his chance in becoming one. Dr. Kalam excelled as scientist. He played a significant role, as project director, in the development of SLV-3, first satellite launch vehicle in India. He was responsible for the development of launch vehicle programme of ISRO, chiefly the PSLV configuration. After working for almost 20 years in ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, he was assigned the responsibility of developing indigenous guided missiles as the chief executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) at Defence Research and Development Organisation. He played a key role in the development and operationalisation of Agni and Prithvi missiles. He was also responsible for developing home-grown capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions. Dr. Kalam was chosen as the chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC). He guided a number of Technology projects and missions to take India into the 21st century. Dr. Kalam contributed immensely in the development and operation of tactical missiles and building home-grown capability in critical technologies.

Life in politics
In July 25, 2002, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was nominated as the 11th President of India. After his term of 5 years he returned to his civilian life of public service, education and writing. He held several positions under ISRO and DRDO and became Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India holding the position of a Cabinet Minister.

Awards and achievement
Dr. Kalam is the recipient of India's three highest civilian honours - Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997. He was awarded the Indira Gandhi Award in 1997 for National Integration. He received honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions.
Dr. Kalam met several high school students all over the country to encourage them to participate in the development of the nation. His books "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India" and "My journey", greatly ignited the young minds.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam passed away as a result of sudden cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, while delivering a lecture at IIM in Meghalaya. Dr. Kalam, even though dead, is still alive in the hearts of every Indian through his great works and achievements.