“A dream is not that which you see while sleeping,
it is something that does not let you sleep,”
These beautiful lines are said by Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a boat-owner in a small village Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unmatched career as a scientist in DRDO, culminating in the highest civilian award of India i.e. the Bharat Ratna.
The 11th president of our country was 83 when he passed away. According to reports, Kalam suffered a massive cardiac arrest during the lecture at IIM, Shillong. He died while he was interacting with IIM students which have always been his favorite thing in the world.
His body may have left but his 'Wings of Fire' has no death. They'll always ignite and inspire us.
The Centre has declared a national mourning of seven days and our home minister Rajnath Singh said, “Dr. Kalam was a man of impeccable character, indomitable spirit, profound knowledge and firm conviction. His death is an irreparable loss to this nation. He has left a big void hard to fill,”
Let’s salute the pure soul by remembering his invaluable contribution to the nation and society.
Contributions of Dr. Abdul Kalam as a scientist:
Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army
. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit and made India an exclusive member of Space Club.
He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies
He led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon State.
He also gave thrust to self-reliance in defence systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.
Contributions of Dr. Abdul Kalam to Politics: A career scientist turned reluctant politician. It happened in July 2002 India’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) put forward Kalam to succeed outgoing President K.R. Narayanan.
Kalam was nominated by the Hindu nationalist NDA even though he was Muslim, but his stature and popular appeal were such that even the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, also proposed his candidacy.
So,Kalam easily won the election and was sworn in as India’s 11th president. He remained committed to using science and technology to transform India into a developed country.
Contributions of Dr. Abdul Kalam as a writer: Besides being a scientist of high caliber, Dr. Abdul Kalam was also a poet, writer and a lover of music. He was also fond of playing on Veena. In his literary pursuit followings books have become household names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. These books have been translated in many Indian languages.
- India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium
- Wings of fire: An Autobiography
- The Luminous Sparks
- Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India
- Turning points: A Journey through challenges
- Envisioning An Empowered Nation
Dr. Abdul Kalam’s contribution towards Healthcare: In 1998, along with cardiologist Soma Raju, Kalamji developed a low cost coronary stent (A coronary stent is a tube-shaped device placed in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, to keep the arteries open in the treatment of coronary heart disease. It is used in a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Stents reduce chest pain and have been shown to improve survivability in the event of an acute myocardial infarction), named the "Kalam-Raju Stent".
In 2012, the duo designed a rugged tablet computer for health care in rural areas, which was named the "Kalam-Raju Tablet"
Dr. Abdul Kalam’s contribution towards Education: Not only this, Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country.
Dr. Abdul Kalam’s contribution towards Nation Vision 2020: He led the country with the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India from the present developing status to a developed nation
The Hi Impact Family pays tribute to one of the greatest presidents our country has witnessed. May his soul Rest in Peace.
Though he was known by many titles like ‘People’s president’, ‘Missile Man’, ‘The man behind Vision 2020’; He will not only be remembered for the immeasurably remarkable achievements and the marks he left behind, but as a great human being, for his love towards humanity, for his determined character, for his knowledge, for his writings, teachings, philosophies, for his patriotism, and for his every contribution towards the society and nation.
He may not be amongst us anymore but he will always remain immortal in our hearts and memories for generations to come.
Here are some quotes from him
"Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.”
“All Birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds.”
“Failure will never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough”.
“Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.”
“If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.”
“It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone” .
"All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”
“Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness."
"Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life."
“Without your involvement you can't succeed. With your involvement you can't fail. "
In this depressing scenario, e-Health (e-health is the transfer of health resources and health care by electronic means) can play a vital role and bridge the gaps in healthcare access that is prevalent in the Indian society because conventional healthcare has failed to reach the large sections of underserved population.