
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, nuclear scientist and former president of India, has died - Andromeda101
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/apj-abdul-kalam-dies/article7470722.ece
======
foolinaround
Many know of him as an alpha technologist and as India's Missile Man.

Less known is the fact that he helped design a coronary stent at a much lower
cost, utilizing techniques and lightweight materials from the missile R&D
labs. He also designed lightweight artificial limb production processes.

In this way, he had a deep concern for the social benefits of the common man,
and distinguished himself from other scientists who lived in a world of their
own.

RIP Sir.

May your memory be eternal!

------
avinoth
I once met Sir Abdul Kalam at a scholarship event for only school students. I
was 14 at that time and after he had given his speech he walked through the
auditorium and asked "what they wanted to become?" to random kids.

I still remember to my heart when he came to me and when I replied I wanted to
become a software engineer he smiled and replied "And when you become, become
a good one".

Really a great loss for India.

------
kartikkumar
Incredibly sad day. I had the privilege of seeing Dr. Kalam speak to a packed
auditorium at the IAC [1][2] in 2007 in Hyderabad, India. Not only were a
large number of conference participants present but there were about 300
school children there too. There must have been almost 1000 people in that
room and there was absolute pin-drop silence. The way Dr. Kalam was able to
capture the attention of young and old is something that I feel truly
privileged to have witnessed.

During the Q&A, a girl stood up and took the mic, she can't have been over 10
years old, and she asked him in plain English why he wasn't going to stand for
President again when he was loved by every single person in the country. She
asked the question that was on the minds of every Indian in the room. His
response was measured, balanced and most of all inspirational. He commented
that he wanted to return to his passion. That he was a scientist at heart, and
that the country was in good hands.

My family WhatsApp group is flooded with messages over the last few hours of
the various encounters they've had with Dr. Kalam. Even his last breathe was
taken at IIM Shillong doing what he does best; inspiring a nation. A friend of
mine in Bangalore had the honor of meeting him recently. He has been working
on a space startup in India for the last three years and commented how special
it was to have the occasion to speak to Dr. Kalam about the future of the
Indian space sector.

He was an incredible scientist, a visionary, a leader and in someways that is
outdone by the single fact that he united a single country: with all the
religious tension between Hindus and Muslims, no one I have ever met back in
India has considered him to be anything else than ours.

The 27th of July should be a national day of recognition for his genius.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Astronautical_Co...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Astronautical_Congress)

[2]
[http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/sep/27slide1.htm](http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/sep/27slide1.htm)

 _EDIT: Minor corrections_

~~~
ubersync
> The 27th of July should be a national day of recognition for his genius.

Slightly off-topic, but there are already too many "national holidays" in
India. Added with the "state holidays", there are barely any workdays left.

~~~
ninja_to_be
He mentioned recognizing it as a national day and not necessarily a 'holiday'.
There are numerous days when students pay their respect to a great personality
and continue with their regular activities. This could be one such day.

Moreover I read somewhere that Dr. Kalam himself wanted people to work harder
on his death day and not take a holiday. Not sure if that is misattributed to
him, but I'm sure his thoughts would have been similar.

~~~
kartikkumar
Exactly. That's why I worded it the way that I did. I am aware of Dr. Kalam's
quote, requesting that there be no holiday in his recognition, but rather an
extra day of work. So my point is absolutely as you put it, to pay respects to
a genius.

------
chdir
Adieu to a great man,
[https://twitter.com/APJAbdulKalam](https://twitter.com/APJAbdulKalam)

"Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not
let you sleep." ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Wings of Fire: An Autobiography

Some of his books : [http://www.amazon.com/A.-P.-J.-Abdul-
Kalam/e/B001H9RNS0/](http://www.amazon.com/A.-P.-J.-Abdul-Kalam/e/B001H9RNS0/)

Brief from Wikipedia : _He spent the next four decades as a scientist and
science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was
intimately involved in India 's civilian space program and military missile
development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for
his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle
technology. He also played a pivotal organizational, technical and political
role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original
nuclear test by India in 1974._

------
hashgowda
Where there is righteousness in the heart there is beauty in the character,
when there is beauty in the character there is harmony in the home, when there
is harmony in the home there is order in the nation, when there is order in
the nation, there is peace in the world. - Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam

~~~
stcredzero
That is something we in the US should harken to. Especially: "when there is
order in the nation, there is peace in the world." So much instability in the
world is due to or exacerbated by imbalances involving the 1st world economies
affecting the rest of the world. (Chief among these would be environmental
problems, but they are not limited to only those.)

Also something to apply to one's personal life.

------
geektips
[http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Abdul-Kalam-widely-loved-and-
res...](http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Abdul-Kalam-widely-loved-and-respected-by-
everyone)

[http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-lesser-known-things-
about...](http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-lesser-known-things-about-Dr-APJ-
Abdul-Kalam)

------
binoyxj
One of my favorite quotes of all time! "The dream is not what you see in
sleep, it's something that does not let you sleep" ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

------
devnonymous
Of interest to the HN crowd -- When APJ Kalam was president he advocated for
the use of Open Source Software[1]. He was one the very few intellectual
leaders India has seen.

[1] [http://www.cnet.com/news/india-leader-advocates-open-
source/](http://www.cnet.com/news/india-leader-advocates-open-source/)

------
trequartista
Dr. Kalam once used Yahoo! Answers to crowdsource solutions to combat
terrorism -
[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200701121355...](https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070112135510AAD7SB8)

RIP.

------
sk2code
APJ once said, "the best leader when failed, take the complete responsibility
of failure, and when succeed give the credit to his team - this is the best
management principle i have learn for the first time"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZkT0tcqEG0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZkT0tcqEG0)

------
binoyxj
I've a problem with this ad-ridden source, for such a significant news. Can
someone change it?

~~~
binoyxj
He deserves much more than this IMHO, hence! #NoOffence

------
rajathagasthya
A visionary, gentleman and brilliant scientist who saw youth as an important
part of the country's future. Dr. Kalam was an inspiration. It is a great
loss.

Edit: It is only fitting that he spent his last minutes with students.

------
amnigos
"I can do it, we can do it, India will do it" ~ Dr. A.P.J Kalam

------
rajeshmr
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was a true symbol of "The Indian Dream". Born to a boatman,
walking miles to school, born before the convenience of computing and the
internet - his journey to becoming the President of India is truly remarkable
and inspiring at the same time.

I saw the picture of him falling just before his death, and i am disturbed.
This man made the country stand on its feet technologically and here he falls
amidst his students as he wished his death to be.

He is the most loved by all, he kept inspiring people to dream bigger. He
never relented to retiring. He tirelessly spread his message going to schools
and colleges. He is symbolic of an aspiring nation. A nation waiting to
unleash its potential - he always asked his countrymen to earn respect through
strength since strength respects strength.

His journey will be talked for decades to come, and he truly has become
immortal. He has inspired a generation and will inspire more generations
through his books and speeches. A saint at heart and a pure soul that worried
about humanity and world peace - this man is the best citizen any country
would die to have. A role model who transcends caste, creed , languages and
religion in a country like India that is so diverse. A binding force in our
country.

I am proud to have lived to see him. I am proud to be an Indian.

Every once in a while a great person descends to earth, he is one of them. A
saint, a gentleman, a scientist, an orator, a poet, a writer , the greatest
teacher, The President of India - various though your roles, you were focused
and dedicated. Your soul is so pure, your voice will echo through this nation
for decades ahead.

The nation skipped a heartbeat at the news of your death. You have lit a fire,
we will spread the wings of this fire that you have lit.

Salutes, to you sir! We will love you now and forever.

Return If Possible sir. :'(

------
rakesh-singh
Had a chance to see him in person long time back.. Very down to earth.. Simple
man with very high and clear thoughts. He always liked to remain close with
students.. Always going to different universities.. Guiding .. Inspiring
them..

I think it was a dream death for him. Till last breath he was contributing to
the nation.. Salute sir

------
Halienja
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. ~ Dr. A.P.J
Kalam

~~~
rajeshmr
Please do not misquote! That was said by Nelson Mandela.

Source :
[http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand101682....](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand101682.html)

------
linux_devil
Not only his speech were inspirational but his writings were motivating. Books
like ignited minds and India 2020 written by him were visionary and always
inspired me . Rest in peace sir

------
hindupuravinash
I remember the moment when Kalam Sir came to our graduation ceremony and asked
in his speech "What would you like to be remembered for? Evolve and shape your
life in that way".

He will remain an inspiration.

Here is the full speech:
[http://www.iitg.ac.in/pro/sites/default/files/14thConvo_Chie...](http://www.iitg.ac.in/pro/sites/default/files/14thConvo_ChiefGuest.pdf)

------
gamekathu
I was fortunate enough to witness his speech live when he came to our school
in 2007. It was held in our school grounds, which was full with about a 1000
people, with students, teachers & parents, all listening to his speech with
rapt attention. During the Q&A session a young boy stood up and asked him,
"Why does all the politicians are so old?" After a general murmur of laughter,
he asked, "Well students, let me ask you what you want to be in your
life?"..Lots of hands shot up, shouts of "Engineer", "Doctor", "Scientist"
echoed through the ground. After the clamor died down, he simply said : "See,
that is why. I see many engineers, scientists, doctors among you. But none of
you want to be a politician. Which is good, as the nation needs its youth to
carry them forward, while we old people manage the politics of this country."
\- Such simple & humble answer from a great man. He did a lot for this
country, and more over, he inspired many generations to follow their dreams.
He will continue to live in our minds as the perfect role model of modern
India.

------
swatkat
RIP sir! Alpha geek, father of SLV satellite launch vehicle family, father of
Indian ballistic missile program, and an inspiration for millions of Indians.
He'll always be present in Indians' hearts and minds.

Read "Wings of Fire"[0] if you haven't already!

[0][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_of_Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_of_Fire)

------
alphakappa
A sad day for Indians. Dr. Kalam was a huge inspiration and role model for
many.

------
ninja_to_be
I'm deeply saddened by the demise of Dr. Kalam. He inspired me a lot when I
was a kid back in school. His books "Ignited Minds" and "Wings of Fire" are
highly inspiring and are filled with hope for India.

His passion was to inspire and ignite young minds and encourage them to propel
India on a global scale. His numerous interactions with school children,
political leaders, industrialists and scholars have a common theme - India can
do it.

On small example of how he always tries to look out for the benefit of
everybody: "A school in Madurai had organized an event and invited Dr. Kalam
as the chief guest. He initially declined the invitation saying that it would
benefit only private school students. Then the school had to modify their
plans and invited over 500 students from various other government schools in
the vicinity to attend the event too. Only then did he agree to be the chief
guest of the event. "

------
sigmaml
I met him once at a conference in Bengaluru. He was President then.

When it was his turn to speak, he said: ``My staff has written a wonderful
script for me to read aloud. You can read it on my Website tomorrow. But now,
I shall talk about good R&D, or the lack of it, in India." And he went on to
deliver a very inspiring speech.

Great man!

------
selvakn
Better source: [http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/former-president-apj-abdul-
ka...](http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/former-president-apj-abdul-kalam-
admitted-to-icu-in-shillong-sources-1201111)

edit: @mods: Can you please update the url

------
allpratik
A very very admirable person. Always inspired Kids, Always motivated them to
dream, And he died also while motivating them. A true marvelous brilliance and
down to earth guy. And that's the reason, Billion+ people are now mourning.

------
deepuj
"Don't declare a holiday on my death, instead work and extra day, if you love
me..."\- DR. APJ Abdul Kalam

------
boulevard
He'll be missed by billions. The Ace scientist, the missile man and above all
a great human being. RIP Kalam Sir.

------
awalGarg
I am just a normal student. Never had a chance to meet him. Always wished I
did. To meet him just _once_ and talk to him about how he wants to see the
country, and what a student like me can do to contribute towards it. I am
very, very sad that I won't be able to talk to him, ever in my life. </3

~~~
gautamsomani
Me too.

------
bigbang
Sad day for Indians. He has been a great inspiration for many students and
children. May his soul rest in peace.

------
Juneau
"Hard work, perseverance and kindness are the qualities that define a human
being" that's the lesson I learned from his autobiography "wings of fire",
this was way back in high school. He was an inspiration for me during my
formative years.

RIP Sir.

------
sharmi
I once met Dr. Abdul Kalam. He said, he wanted to become a pilot but couldn't
because of his height/eyesight (not sure which). But he did not become
dejected. He still got into flying, as an aeronautical engineer.

May his soul watch over the world.

------
_navaneethan
Sir Came to my college, when he was being a President, He asked the students a
question,

 _I am standing the 73th orbit of the earth rotating to the sun, then what is
my age?_

Many young scientists replied the correct answer.

Feeling proud of him, truely inspiring leader

------
vishnuks
So sad that the death of Kalam was used for promoting a spam website. Can the
administrators change the link into a better source?

------
ravins
Really a big lose for us :(, He was and always be a true hero for us. RIP sir

------
ragsagar
RIP Missile Man of India.

------
namanaggarwal
We will miss you sir. RIP

------
sriku
Dr. Abdul Kalam was a musician too and played the veena.

------
itsashis4u
He will be dearly missed by one and all.

------
sushilk1991
R.I.P Sir!!!

------
neotrinity
may his soul rest in peace

------
perfectstorm
RIP.

Always enjoyed reading his books.

------
rtx
Good Bye.

------
devish
good bye!!

------
flipmonk
Why was the fact that he was the president removed from the title?

Please update to: "Nuclear scientist and former president of India, Abdul
Kalam, has died"

~~~
jacquesm
The article title right now reads: "Former President APJ Abdul Kalam is no
more with us: Collapses During Speech in Shillong"

~~~
flipmonk
Nope, still says "Indian nuclear scientist Abdul Kalam has died"

~~~
jacquesm
On the original website. HN has an original title policy so I expect a mod to
sync the two at some point.

------
throwaway6497
Don't want to bring politics here. I just could not believe why in the world
why Congress/Sonia wouldn't give him second term and brought in Pratibha Patil
who abused her privilege as a President ( In news for changing her portrait
picture N times because she didn't liked how she looked, Taking her whole
extended family > 30+ to all foreign trips, and making Rashtrapati Bhavan a
guest house/extended vacation place for them). Abdul Kalam inspired the
children and young people of India. He was an icon. She did zilch. How could
they disgrace Adbul Kalam and India like this? What were they thinking?

~~~
mangamadaiyan
> Don't want to bring politics here

Then you shouldn't have; but you chose to.

[Edit] Your comment says nothing about Dr. AK, but instead focuses on other
people and other issues that IMHO have no relevance to this thread.

~~~
jacquesm
> Your comment says nothing about Dr. AK

Actually, it does. It ranks him favorably relative to others that held the
same post.

~~~
newyankee
There is no doubt that S Radhakrishnan and APJ Abdul Kalam were two greatest
Presidents India had who made the most impact out of a ceremonial post (and
not in a political way).

~~~
nmridul
Dont forget KR Narayanan who refused to sign if proper procedures were not
followed showing that President is not just a rubber stamp.

------
iamgopal
Can admin please change source to Wikipedia instead ? It's spam site that's
getting all the click, thanks

~~~
dang
Wikipedia isn't a great source to use for a breaking news story. But if you or
anyone would suggest a more substantive URL, we can change to that.

~~~
Juneau
Try this one.. Its from a reputed Indian newspaper..
[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/apj-abdul-kalam-
dies/a...](http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/apj-abdul-kalam-
dies/article7470722.ece)

* updated the link..

~~~
dang
Ok, url changed to that from [http://www.theindiantalks.com/breaking/former-
president-apj-...](http://www.theindiantalks.com/breaking/former-president-
apj-abdul-kalam-is-no-more-with-us-collapses-during-speech-in-shillong/10744).
Thanks.

