Former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam's 7th Death Anniversary

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July 27, 2022 is the seventh death anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam who was the 11th President of India.

Important facts

• He was born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

• He graduated in Science from St Joseph's College, Trichy in 1954 and specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1957.

• He is known as the "Missile Man of India" for his contribution to the country's space programme.

• He played a key role in the Pokhran-II nuclear tests of 1998.

• Dr Kalam had received seven honorary doctorates from 40 universities.

• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his significant work with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

• He was awarded the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1997.

• He made a significant contribution as the Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3), which successfully injected the Rohini satellite into Near-Earth Orbit in July 1980.

• He took the responsibility of developing indigenous guided missiles at DRDO.

• He was the chief executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

• He was sworn in as the 11th President of India in 2002 and completed his term in 2007.

• He died of cardiac arrest on July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong.