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The nation fondly remembered the invaluable contribution of the late former President APJ Abdul Kalam on his 83rd birth anniversary . He was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to pay their glowing tributes and hail his contributions.
In remarkable career, Kalam was an inspiration for many , He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India’s civilian space programme and military missile development efforts.
He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.
He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.
Widely referred to as the “People’s President”, he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in fitting tribute tweeted on Kalam’s Jayanti
डॉ. एपीजे अब्दुल कलाम जी को उनकी जयंती पर विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि। उन्होंने 21वीं सदी के सक्षम और समर्थ भारत का सपना देखा और इस दिशा में अपना विशिष्ट योगदान दिया। उनका आदर्श जीवन देशवासियों को सदैव प्रेरित करता रहेगा।
India salutes Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Ji on his Jayanti. pic.twitter.com/PPgPrkqQRG
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 15, 2019
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too fondly recalled the late President APJ Abdul Kalam in a tweet
Remembering former President of India and a phenomenal scientist, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary. He was a people’s president who would continue to live in the hearts and minds of the people of India. I bow to him on his jayanti.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 15, 2019
