"Abdul Kalam" redirects here. For the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly member, see Abdul Kalam (Varanasi politician).

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Official portrait, 2002
11th President of India
In office 25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee Manmohan Singh
Vice President	Krishan Kant Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Preceded by	K. R. Narayanan
Succeeded by	Pratibha Patil
1st Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
In office November 1999 – November 2001
President	K. R. Narayanan
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Rajagopala Chidambaram
Personal details
Born	15 October 1931 Rameswaram, Madras Presidency, British India (modern–day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	27 July 2015 (aged 83) Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Resting place	Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Desiya Ninaivagam, Pei Karumbu, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Political party	Independent[fn 1]
Alma mater	St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli (BEng) Madras Institute of Technology (MEng)
Profession	Aerospace Scientist Author
Awards	Full list
Notable work(s)	Wings of Fire India 2020 Ignited Minds Indomitable Spirit Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji
Signature
Website	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Centre
Scientific career
Fields	Aerospace engineering
Institutions	Defence Research and Development Organisation Indian Space Research Organisation

This article is part of a series about A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
President of India (2002-2007) Awards and honours Eponym World Students' Day Presidential election 2002 Books and publications Wings of Fire India 2020 Ignited Minds Target 3 Billion Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji Indomitable Spirit Associated projects Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Project Devil Project Valiant Smiling Buddha Pokhran-II Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video
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Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam BR (/ˈɑːbdəl kəˈlɑːm/ ^ⓘ; 15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. 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 programme and military missile development efforts.^[1] 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.^[2][3][4] He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.^[5]

Kalam was elected as the 11th president of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress. Widely referred to as the "People's President",^[6] he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015, aged 83.^[7] Thousands, including national-level dignitaries, attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameswaram, where he was buried with full state honours.^[8]