A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameswaram, India—died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist and politician who played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. He was president of India from 2002 to 2007.
Kalam presided over the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, SLV III, which was used for launching the Rohini satellite into the Earth’s orbit. This feat marked India’s entry into the Space club. After working for two decades in ISRO, Kalam took up the responsibility of developing indigenous guided missiles at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of Agni and Prithvi missiles, which made him popular as the ‘Missile Man of India’.
Kalam engineered the Pokhran-II nuclear tests which catapulted India into the club of Nuclear Powers, which were till then only exclusive to five countries—USA, China, UK, France and Russia. The 2018 movie “Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran” featuring John Abraham was inspired by Kalam.
He received honorary doctorates from 48 universities and institutions from India and abroad. Kalam was awarded the coveted civilian awards – Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award of India- Bharat Ratna (1997).
Apart from physics and defence, Kalam also left his fingerprints on efforts to improve healthcare in rural India. Together with cardiologist Soma Raju, he developed a low-costs tent which was there after christened the Kalam-Raju’s tent.
For seven years (1992-1999) Kalam remained the Chief Scientific Adviser to the PM and Secretary of the DRDO. In 2002, he defeated Lakshmi Sahgal to become the 11th President of India. He has been immortalized in the country’s history as the ‘People’s President’.
Here we had collected some of the most Inspirational Quotes by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam you must read, follow and share in your day to day life.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Quotes
To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.
We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.
If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.
Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place – that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realise the great life.
Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me.
Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.
Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it.
You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation.
Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.
If four things are followed – having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance – then anything can be achieved.
If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.
To become ‘unique,’ the challenge is to fight the hardest battle which anyone can imagine until you reach your destination.
Small aim is a crime; have great aim.
Poetry comes from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.
Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.
India should walk on her own shadow – we must have our own development model.
War is never a lasting solution for any problem.
You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear.
Great teachers emanate out of knowledge, passion and compassion.
Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.
If we are not free, no one will respect us.
The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers.
Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended.
Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.
For me, there is no such thing as a negative experience.
No sanction can stand against ignited minds.
Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.
Do we not realize that self respect comes with self reliance?
I was willing to accept what I couldn’t change.
Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.
Economy forced me to become a vegetarian, but I finally starting liking it.
I love the sea.
There has to be a global mission of human progress.
My hair grows and grows; you cannot stop it – that fellow grows, it grows wild.
The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise… Enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.
No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.
Ultimately, education in its real sense is the pursuit of truth. It is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.
In a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation.
God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.
For me, there are two types of people: the young and the experienced.
Smart habitation is an integrated area of villages and a city working in harmony and where the rural and urban divide has reduced to thin line.
Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around.
I firmly believe that unless one has tasted the bitter pill of failure, one cannot aspire enough for success.
God is everywhere.
Over the years, I had nurtured the hope to be able to fly; to handle a machine as it rose higher and higher in the stratosphere was my dearest dream.
As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me.
It means, people who are in high and responsible positions, if they go against righteousness, righteousness itself will get transformed into a destroyer.
Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level.
We should remember that there are nations which meet more than 30 to 60% of their power requirements through the nuclear power system.
Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is harmony in the house; when there is harmony in the house, there is order in the nation; when there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.
India can live without nuclear weapons. That’s our dream, and it should be the dream of the U.S. also.
One of the very important characteristics of a student is to question. Let the students ask questions.
Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.
Science is global. Einstein’s equation, E=mc2, has to reach everywhere. Science is a beautiful gift to humanity, we should not distort it. Science does not differentiate between multiple races.
One lesson that every nation can learn from China is to focus more on creating village-level enterprises, quality health services and educational facilities.
Nations consist of people. And with their effort, a nation can accomplish all it could ever want.
Science has revealed that the human body is made up of millions and millions of atoms… For example, I am made up of 5.8×10 27 atoms.
India has to be transformed into a developed nation, a prosperous nation and a healthy nation, with a value system.