डॉ. ए. पी. जे. अब्दुल कलाम Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Books and writing

India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium (1998)

Penguin. Written with Y. S. Rajan. Sector by sector it set targets for India to become a developed nation by 2020. It covered food and agriculture, materials, strategic industries and what citizens must contribute. Krishan Chopra wrote in Scroll that it captivated a nation when India’s rise seemed unlikely. He also judged that it did not “quite achieve all that was projected”.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · Scroll: A look back at India 2020, by Krishan Chopra (30 December 2020)

Wings of Fire: An Autobiography (1999)

Universities Press. Written with Arun Tiwari. It follows a boyhood in Rameswaram to the launch pads of ISRO and DRDO. It credits Vikram Sarabhai, Brahm Prakash and Satish Dhawan with shaping him. It records the failures and first flights of Prithvi and Agni. Sreeram Chaulia called it a book with “a message for young Indians”. He said its author was a “welder of people”.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · Sreeram Chaulia: Review of Wings of Fire · Deccan Herald: Many rocket failures shaped the missile programme

Ignited Minds (2002)

Penguin. Published in 2002 by Penguin. That was the year he became President. Government profiles list it beside Wings of Fire as one of his best-known books.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 9

Target 3 Billion (2011)

Penguin. Written with Srijan Pal Singh. It sets out PURA as a way to bring urban amenities and jobs to India’s villages through physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · Wikipedia: Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas

Turning Points (2012)

HarperCollins. A memoir that carries his story into the presidency. He used it to recount his 2002 visit to riot-hit Gujarat.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · Wikipedia: Presidency of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions (2014)

Rupa Publications. A memoir published in 2014. Its subtitle sums up the message he gave students for two decades.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · IIIT-Delhi: Profile of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2015)

Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji (2015)

HarperCollins. Written with Arun Tiwari and published in the year he died. It records his meetings with Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Through him Kalam came to add faith and spirituality to the five pillars of India 2020.

Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

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