India remembers its 'Missile Man' president APJ Abdul Kalam on anniversary of his death

The aerospace scientist was an inspirational figure for young people

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was known as the 'Missile Man of India' for his work on ballistic missile technology. Getty Images

India is paying tribute to its 11th president, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, on Thursday, the eighth anniversary of his death.

Dr Kalam was the President of India from 2002 to 2007.

He died at the age of 83 after suffering a cardiac arrest while delivering a speech at a management school in 2015.

Dr Kalam was known as the “Missile Man of India” for his work as an aerospace engineer on the development of ballistic missile technology.

And his humility and simplicity also earned him the affectionate title of the “people’s president”.

“When I am dead, do not declare a holiday; instead, work a day extra,” he once said.

Former minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid paid tribute on Twitter.

Dr Kalam was born in 1931 to a boat owner and a homemaker in Rameswaram, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. As a boy, he sold newspapers to help his family.

He was an exceptional student and took keen interest in mathematics. After graduating in Physics from the University of Madras in 1954, he began to study aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology the following year.

Dr Kalam worked at the government's Defence Research and Development Organisation and then at the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he made significant contributions to the country’s military and space research.

He was a key contributor to the development of India's Agni and Prithvi ballistic missiles and of the SLV-III, the country's first experimental satellite launch vehicle.

. In 1997 he received India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, for his contribution to science and missile technology.

An inspirational figure for many young people, Dr Kalam advocated for education, innovation, and national development.