“My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently. Courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path. Courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are the great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people once” said by missile man of India. Here are most interesting and unknown facts about Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Interesting facts about Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
1. The former President of India, an aerospace scientist is one of the most respected politicians in India. He was a complete package and served the nation as a teacher, motivator, visionary, writer, engineer, politician and scientist. His principle of ‘Honesty and Simplicity’ is followed by the nation till date. He dedicated his whole for the growth of the nation and the people. Here are some amazing facts about this remarkable man-
2. Kalam’s go to Switzerland is venerated as Science Day in the country. Switzerland celebrates May 26th as Science Day to give a tribute to President APJ Abdul Kalam. Switzerland was extremely amazed by his contribution and vast expertise in science and technology. Dr Kalam is and will always remain an inspiration for many scientists as his passion and hard work for science is distinguished. He found the Swiss innovation impressive. He visited CERN ( the world’s largest particle physics laboratory) in Geneva and institution of technology in Zurich. He, the Missile Man of India was taken in high-esteem by the Government of Switzerland.
3. Dr Kalam was hold in great respect and was honoured doctorate degree from more than 40 national and international universities. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan by The Government of India for his excellency in ISRO and DRDO. He played a role of an advisor of science to the government. He made significant contributions to India’s Pokhran nuclear tests.
4. Being a humble and generous man, Dr Kalam is known to write his own thank you cards. The thank you card includes his own signature and a short handwritten personalised message. This can be stated through an example- Once a Quora user drew a sketch of Dr. Kalam and sent it to the President. To his surprise, the President sent him a thank you card. Talking about his generosity, he wouldn’t mind going to an event a little late for the sake of letting his fans take pictures with him.
5. President Kalam invited a road side cobbler and the owner of a very small hotel as the “Presidential Guests” to Kerela’s Raj Bhavan during his first visit to Kerela after becoming the President.
6. As the President, Dr. Kalam was entitled to invite anyone as the “Presidential Guests” to the Raj Bhavan of Kerela during his first visit to Trivandrum. Dr. Kalam had spent a significant time as a scientist in Trivandrum and he invited a road-side cobbler – who was quite close to Dr. Kalam during his time in Kerala; and so was the owner of the small hotel where Dr. Kalam would often have his meals.
7. Dr Abdul Kalam was passionate for birds and animals. Once, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam rejected the suggestion that broken glass be placed on the side walls of a building. He thought that broken glass could harm birds coming to perch there. This is an incident at the DRDO when he and other scientists were thinking about the options to secure the perimeter of a building.
8. Kalam, the youth icon, Dr Kalam would draw a large crowd of students wherever he went. Students were inspired and would cheer his nationalistic pledges. His valuable lessons and contributions made him popular amongst the youth and teenagers. Dr Kalam would meet the students in his personal chamber at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He would devote his time to the students and appreciate them for their ideas and views. UN on 15th October in 2010 declared the day as the World Student’s Day .
9. Dr. Kalam is an incredible writer and has written many inspirational books. They are-Wings of fire ( his autobiography), 2020- A Vision for the New Millennium, Envisioning an Empowered Nation, Ignited Minds, My Journey, Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology, The Luminous Sparks, The Life Tree, Mission India, Children Ask Kalam, Guiding Souls, Indomitable Spirit and Inspiring Thoughts. These books are treasure for every Indians. Abdul Kalam in his writings tells one to fight the problems, humility, accept failure, to have a vision and dream, creativity etc. These books are a source of inspiration for each and every one.
10. Dr Kalam was the first Indian President to:
- Fly a Sukhoi fighter jet.
- Who sailed in Submarine.
- Visited high-altitude Siachen besides LoC.
- To address the Indian Science Congress in 90 years.
- To write multiple (17) number books. His main source of income was the royalty from the books he authored and pension.
- ‘Wings of fire’ has been translated to 13 languages.
- Owned no TV, AC or a car but 2500 books, a veena, few clothes and two pairs of shoes.
- He was a Veena player and was interested in Carnatic music.
- He never got married because he thought marriage would make him selfish.
- He was a vegetarian all his life.
11. Dr Kalam founded the trust named PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas) and started giving all his life’s salaries and savings to it when he came to know that the government takes care of its Presidents. He didn’t marry as he wanted to devote his life for the nation and the people of nation. That’s why he is also called by the phrase “ People’s President”.
12. Dr Kalam believed in equality and none to be discriminated on the basis of sex, colour etc. He disliked the special treatment given to him. This instance is of the convocation at the IIT Varanasi where Dr Kalam was Chief Guest. He refused to sit on a chair which was little bigger in size than the others.
13. There is a huge respect for Dr Kalam in the hearts of people as he was the man who completely dedicated his life for the nation. He proved to be the hallmark of loyalty. He was the gem of a person whose love for the people is unconditional.
Your Turn!
Do you know any other interesting fact about Dr. abdul Kalam? Let us know in the comments section!
