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

Ideas

Dream big

His most repeated message to students was to dream and then act on the dream. The line below is the version most often attributed to him. Its wording varies from telling to telling. The government’s own magazine quoted it in October 2023.

Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep.

Widely attributed. As quoted by New India Samachar (October 2023)

New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 9

Vision 2020 and a developed India

As chairman of TIFAC he led about 500 experts to draft Technology Vision 2020. India 2020 turned it into a book. It named five areas: agriculture and food processing, education and health care, information technology, infrastructure and self-reliance in critical technologies. Later he added a sixth: faith and spirituality.

IIIT-Delhi: Profile of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2015) · Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 9

PURA: urban amenities for rural areas

PURA proposed clusters of 10 to 15 villages linked to a town. Each would get roads, power, telecoms, schools and markets. Vajpayee announced it in 2003. Pilots ran in seven clusters from 2004. Kalam set it out again in Target 3 Billion with Srijan Pal Singh.

Business Standard: Kalam’s idea to bridge the rural-urban divide has few takers (14 March 2008) · Wikipedia: Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas

Faith in the young

He addressed more than five million young people in his last decade. His birthday on 15 October is marked as World Students’ Day in India. Tamil Nadu calls it Youth Renaissance Day. His What Can I Give movement asked students to fight corruption.

I feel comfortable in the company of young people, particularly high school students.

On leaving the post of scientific adviser (1999)

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

Teaching as a calling

After his term he went back to teaching. He was a visiting professor at IIM Shillong and an honorary professor at Anna University. He was an honorary fellow of IISc and the first chancellor of IIST. He died in front of a class.

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

Science for the nation

He tied his science to self-reliance in critical technologies. He named the missiles Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Nag and Trishul. Light carbon callipers from his team were fitted on over 50,000 children. He also co-designed the low-cost Kalam-Raju stent. In 2012 he and Somaraju designed a tablet for rural health workers.

New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 9 · IIIT-Delhi: Profile of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2015) · Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Leadership through failure

Prithvi’s first launch was aborted on the pad. He demanded a failure report the next day and it flew within days. Agni was held twice before it flew in May 1989. He hand-picked young engineers such as Sivathanu Pillai and R. Prahlada and sent them on to lead Akash and BrahMos.

If the Russians can build it, so can you.

To the Akash ramjet team, as recalled by The Week

Deccan Herald: Many rocket failures shaped the missile programme · The Week: How R. Prahlada and Sivathanu Pillai forged India’s missile muscle (12 July 2025)

Integrity and humility

When 52 relatives stayed nine days at Rashtrapati Bhavan he paid a bill of Rs 9.52 lakh himself. His press secretary said his only possessions were his books. He was a practising Muslim who read the Gita and played the veena. He told Europe’s parliament that material progress fails without integrity.

For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.

On respect for other faiths

New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 8 · Deccan Herald: Kalam wanted to quit after Bihar Assembly dissolution (2015) · Wikipedia: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam · New India Samachar (1–15 October 2023), page 9 · Oneindia: Kalam calls for India-EU fight against fundamentalist violence (26 April 2007)

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