PERSONALITY FOR INSPIRATION AND NATION BUILDING

CREATIVITY LEADS TO THINKING, THINKING PROVIDES YOU KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE MAKES YOU GREAT

By: Dr. A.P.J. Kalam

Abdul Kalam, is a renowned aerospace engineer, professor (of Aerospace engineering), and first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram(IIST), who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. During his term as President, he was popularly known as the People's President. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour in 1997.

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Before his term as India's president, he worked as an aerospace engineer with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO). He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology.

 Kalam played a pivotal organizational, technical

and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Kalam has even been circled with various controversies as many scientific experts called him a man with no authority over "nuclear physics" and a man who just carried the works of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.

He is currently a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Chancellor ofIndian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Indore, and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

In May 2011, Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the What Can I Give Movement.

Kalam better known as a scientist, also has special interest in the field of arts like writing Tamil poems, and also playing the music instrument Veenai.

What is the biggest challenge facing India today and what should we do to contribute positively towards this challenge?

The youth needs to develop an attitude : I can do it! We can do it !! India will do it!!!