APJ Abdul Kalam Death Anniversary: Know fascinating facts about India’s 'Missile Man'

The nation on Saturday paid tributes to APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary. The former president is fondly remembered as the ‘Missile Man of India’ and was loved by all. Born on October 15, 1931, Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam served as the India’s 11th president between 2002 and 2007. Kalam had also insipired crores of people through his 'simple living and high thinking' philosophy. Dr Kalam died due to a heart attack while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong on July 27, 2015. Thousands attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram, where he was buried with full state honours.

Fascinating facts about APJ Abdul Kalam:

• Dr Kalam was the backbone behind the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests and was also a crucial figure in India’s space and missile development program. He served his full term as the president of India and after that he did what he loved the most – teaching.
• In 1997, he was honoured with India’s highest civilian honour, ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1997.
• Dr Kalam donated his entire salary to a trust – PURA (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas) – that he had founded. He had stated that the government will take care of him till his last breath as he became the President of India, so what is the harm of donating the salary.
• While in an official visit to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kalam spent some time with his old cobbler – George.
• The young Kalam used to distribute newspapers after his school timings to support his family financially.
• Dr Kalam had attempted to power the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan with solar energy. However, his proposal could not be fulfilled before his term came to an end.