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One Hundred Tamils
of the 20th Century
Abdul Kalam
[see also
Abdul Kalam.Com ;
A P J Abdul Kalam;
Indians of 20th Century - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
and *Wings
of Fire: An Autobiography of A.P. J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari]
Dr Avil Pakir Jalaluddin Abdul Kalam, pioneer of India's
missile programme, was awarded the country's highest civilian award,
Bharat Ratna, in 1997, for his immense and valuable contribution to the
scientific research and modernisation of defence technology. Kalam was born
on October 15, 1931 in the temple town of
Rameswaram
in Tamil Nadu.
Kalam went to the Schwartz High School, Ramanathapuram. A graduate of
St. Joseph College, Tiruchi, Kalam specialised in aero engineering at
the Madras Institute of Technology, his only stint abroad was a four-month
visit to NASA in the United States. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was born on October
15, 1931.Kalam was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1990.
Excerpts from *Wings
of Fire: An Autobiography of A.P. J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari: (*denotes
link to Amazon.com bookshop)
"I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life
can be a role model for anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure
place, in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the
way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate
themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and
hopelessness?.."
 "On
Republic Day 1990, the nation celebrated the success of its
missile programme. I was conferred the Padma Vibhushan along with Dr
Arunachalam. Two of my other colleagues, J.C. Bhattacharya and R.N. Agarwal,
were also decorated with the Padma Shree awards. It was the first time in the
history of free India that so many scientists affiliated to the same
organisation found their names in the awards list. Memories of the Padma Bhushan
award given a decade ago came alive.
I still lived more or less as I had lived then , in a room ten feet wide and
twelve feet long, furnished mainly with books, papers and a few pieces of hired
furniture. At that time, my room was in Trivandrum
and now it was in Hyderabad. The mess bearer brought my breakfast of idlis and
buttermilk and smiled in silent congratulations for the award.
I was touched by the recognition bestowed on me by my countrymen. A large number
of scientists and engineers leave this country at their first opportunity to
earn money abroad. It is true that they definitely get greater monetary
benefits, but could anything compensate for this love and respect from your own
countrymen?
I sat alone for quite some time in silent contemplation. The sand and shells of
Rameswaram; the care of Iyadurai Solomon in Ramanathapuram; the guidance of Rev.
Father Sequeira in Trichi and Prof. Pandalai in Madras, the encouragement of Dr
Mediratta in Bangalore; the hovercraft ride with Prof. Menon, the pre-dawn visit
to the Tilpat Range with Prof. Sarabhai; the healing touch of Dr Brahm Prakash
on the day of the SLV-3 failure; the national jubilation on the SLV-3 launch;
Madam Gandhi's appreciative smile, the post-SLV-3 simmering at VSSC, Dr
Ramanna's faith in inviting me to DRDO; the IGMDP, the creation of RCI, Prithvi,
Agni... a gust of memories swept over me. Where were all these men now? My
father, Prof. Sarabhai, Dr Brahm Prakash? Could I meet them and share my joy
with them?
In a state of trance, I acquired my double status, as a child of heaven and of
earth. The paternal forces of heaven and the maternal and cosmic forces of
nature embraced me as parents hug their long-lost child. I scribbled in my
diary:
Away! fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more!
Work claimed my wakeful nights, my busy days
Albeit brought memories of Rameswaram shore
Yet haunt my dreaming gaze!
I went to Madurai Kamaraj University the same month to deliver their
convocation address. When I reached Madurai, I enquired about my high school
teacher Iyadurai Solomon, by now a Reverend and 80 years old. I was told that he
lived in a suburb of Madurai. I took a taxi and searched for his house. Rev.
Solomon knew that I was going to give the convocation address that day. He,
however, had no way of getting there. There was an emotional reunion between
teacher and pupil. Dr. PC Alexander, the Governor of Tamil Nadu, who was
presiding over the function, was deeply moved on seeing the elderly teacher who
had not forgotten his pupil of long ago, and requested him to share the dais.
"Every convocation day of every University is like opening the floodgates
of energy which, once harnessed by institutions, organisations and industry,
aids in nation-building," I told the young graduates. Somehow I felt I was
echoing Rev. Solomon's words, spoken about half a century ago. After my
lecture, I bowed down before my teacher. "Great dreams of great dreamers are
always transcended," I told Rev. Solomon. "You have not only reached my
goals, Kalam! You have eclipsed them", he told me in a voice choking with
emotion......
....The year 1991 started on a very ominous note. On the night of 15 January
1991, the Gulf War broke out between Iraq and the Allied Forces led by the USA.
In one stroke, thanks to satellite television invading Indian skies by that
time, rockets and missiles captured the imagination of the entire nation. People
started discussing Scuds and Patriots in coffee houses and tea shops. Children
began flying paper kites shaped like missiles, and playing war games on the
lines of what they heard on American television networks.
The successful test firing of Prithvi and Trishul during the course of the Gulf
War was sufficient to make an anxious nation relax. The newspaper reports of the
programmable trajectory capability of the Prithvi and Trishul guidance system,
using microwave frequencies in virtually unjammable bands, created widespread
awareness. The nation was quick to draw parallels between the missiles
operational in the Gulf War and our own warhead carriers. A common query I
encountered was whether Prithvi was superior to a Scud, whether Akash could
perform like a Patriot, and so on. Hearing a "Yes" or a "Why not?" from me,
people's faces would light up with pride and satisfaction.
The Allied Forces had a marked technological edge, as they were fielding systems
built using the technologies of the eighties and nineties. Iraq was fighting
with the by-and-large vintage weapon systems of the sixties and seventies.
Now, this is where the key to the modern world order lies, superiority through
technology. Deprive the opponent, known and potential, of the latest technology
and then dictate your terms in an unequal contest.....
After the Gulf War concluded with the victory of the technologically superior
Allied Forces, over 500 scientists of DRDL and RCI gathered to discuss issues
that had emerged. I posed a question before the assembly: was technology or
weapon symmetry with other nations feasible, and if yes, should it be attempted?
The discussion led to many more serious questions, such as, how to establish
effective electronic warfare support? How to make missile development proceed
apace with the development of equally necessary systems like the LCA; and what
were the key areas where a push would bring progress?
At the end of a lively discussion spread over three hours, the consensus emerged
that there was no way to redress asymmetry in military capability except to have
the same capability in specific areas as your potential opponent. The scientists
vowed to achieve a reduced CEP in the accuracy of Prithvi's delivery, perfecting
the Ka band guidance system for Trishul and realising all carbon-carbon re-entry
control surfaces for Agni by the end of the year. The vow was later fulfilled.
The year also saw tube-launched Nag flights, and the manoeuvre of Trishul at
seven metres above sea level at speeds which exceeded three times the speed of
sound. The latter was a breakthrough in the development of an indigenous
ship-launched anti-sea-skimmer missile.
The same year, I received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the IIT,
Bombay. In the citation read by Prof. B. Nag on the occasion, I was described as
"an inspiration behind the creation of a solid technological base from which
India's future aerospace programmes can be launched to meet the challenges of
the twenty-first century". Well, perhaps Prof. Nag was only being polite, but I
do believe that India will enter the next century with its own satellite in
geo-stationary orbit 36,000 km away in space, positioned by its own launch
vehicle. India will also become a missile power...Even though the world may not
be seeing its full potential or feeling its full power, no one dare ignore it
any more.....
....On 15 October, I turned sixty. I looked forward to superannuating and
planned to open a school for less privileged, but talented children. My friend,
Prof. P. Rama Rao, who was heading the Department of Science and Technology in
the Government of India, even struck a partnership with me to establish what he
called a Rao-Kalam school. We were unanimous in our opinion that carrying out
certain missions and reaching certain milestones, however important they may be
or however impressive they might appear to be, cannot be the final sum of human
life. But we had to postpone our plan as neither of us was relieved by the
Government of India. It was during this period that I decided to put down my
memories and express my observations and opinions on certain issues.
The biggest problem Indian youth faced, I felt, was a lack of clarity of vision,
a lack of direction. It was then that I decided to write about the circumstances
and people who made me what I am today; the idea was not merely to pay tribute
to some individuals or highlight certain aspects of my life. What I wanted to
say was that no one, however poor, underprivileged or small, need feel
disheartened about life. Problems are a part of life. Suffering is the essence
of success. As someone said :
God has not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our life through;
God has not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for
anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure place, in an underprivileged
social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped.
It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of
their illusory backwardness and hopelessness?..."
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