Category APJ Abdul Kalam

When Abdul Kalam failed?

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam would rarely finish a speech without a quote about failure. “F.A.I.L. stands for the First Attempt In Learning,” he would recite to cheering crowds of students. He has talked about dealing with failure in multiple interviews, with personal anecdotes. He attributed his learning in this regard to his one-time boss and the Indian space legend, Satish Dhawan.

In an interview given in 2008, he narrates an experience from the 1970s. Dr. Kalam took over as the mission director for launching the Rohini series satellites in 1973. After working for six long years, the team – comprising hundreds of technical staff – prepared for the launch in 1979 at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

As the countdown rolled down, the system sent an alert about an impending component failure in the rocket system. “After consulting with my experts, I decided to bypass the system and proceed with a manual launch,” Dr. Kalam said in the 2008 interview. The launch failed.

“So many people had worked hard for years and instead of putting the satellite in orbit, the rocket went into the Bay of Bengal.” Dr. Kalam panicked about breaking this news to his superiors and the media. “National and international media were waiting eagerly at the launch base to hear updates from us. They wanted to know if we had succeeded,” he recalled in the interview.

“And then the great man came to me- Prof. Satish Dhawan, who was then the chairman of ISRO. He took me with him to the press conference. I was tired… our intense work over the past several months had failed. I knew how to handle success but I did not know how to handle failure,” he admits in the interview. The events that happened subsequently would leave a mark on Dr. Kalam for the rest of his life.

“I was really afraid of being blamed for the failure of the mission. After all, I was the mission director. But at the press conference, Prof. Dhawan took the blame on himself. He told the media, “Dear friends, we have failed today. But we will soon return with success.” He assured the media that within a year, the mission would be completed.” The team kept his word. The subsequent launch on July 18, 1980 was successful. The nation was jubilant, celebrating ISRO’s achievement. “But this time, Prof. Dhawan refused to accompany me to the press conference. He told me to handle it,” said Dr. Kalam. “That was the mark of a true leader. When we failed, he came to our rescue and supported us. He took the blame for failure. But when we succeeded, he shared the credit with the team.” The experience helped Dr. Kalam to face failures in future.

 

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Where is the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial located?

Kalam’s memorial, as you might guess, is located in Rameswaram, his native place. He was also buried here in a plot of about 2 acres.

At the entrance of the memorial, you can see a statue of Kalam playing the Veena. There are also two smaller statues of Kalam in sitting and standing positions.

There are four halls which display replicas of rockets and missiles. There are also paintings which show his involvement with the DRDO and ISRO.

The memorial is a blend of Indian and Mughal engineering. The entrance looks like the India Gate and you can spot a Chetptinad style door. The main dome looks like the one on Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This structure is built with material brought in from all over India. It’s the image of a nation coming together. The yellow stones came from near Pakistan. The sand and other items came from different parts. Each stone there has its own story to tell. This is to honour Kalam’s vision of a united India whose diversity he appreciated.

The whole structure has an area of 1,425 sq. metres.

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What is the Hoover Medal? Did Dr. Kalam receive it?

As the name suggests, the Hoover Medal is an American award. It was established in 1929 and has been given since 1930. Engineers can bag this award if their work has helped the human race.

The award is named after the first engineer who received it, Herbert Hoover, who was also the 31st President of the United States. Kalam received it in 2008.

The prize is given jointly by these institutions which administer it:

  1. American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  2. American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers
  3. American Society of Civil Engineers
  4. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  5. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

It is given to engineers who have worked professionally and personally for the well-being of mankind.

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Which are the books written by Dr. Kalam?

Dr. Kalam authored many books. Prominent among them are:

  1. Wings of Fire: It is the autobiography of the Missile Man of India. It provides deep insight into various notable events of his life. The idea behind the book is to emphasise that we all are born with a fire inside us.
  2. India 2020: It is Dr. Kalam’s vision of India, and does justice to most of the problems and challenges our country faces in its quest for developed-nation status.
  3. Ignited Minds: The book is dedicated to children and was in great demand all over the world after the death of Dr. Kalam.
  4. Mission India: This book stimulates the youth of India to bring about rapid changes inside the country and make the country proud. The book focuses on the strengths of India and her unseen potential.
  5. Inspiring Thoughts: This is the accumulation of the inspiring thoughts and quotations by APJ Abdul Kalam.
  6. You Are Born to Blossom: This book focuses on many aspects of life such as freedom, knowledge, spirituality, education and many more. In this book Dr. Kalam shows concerns over the present education system of India and how it suppresses the essence and individuality of students.
  7. The Scientific Indian: This book is a combination of all the problems faced by India and how a scientific Indian should work to overcome them.
  8. Failure to Success: This book takes us through the experience of Dr. Kalam when he and his team failed to launch SLV III, on the given date, but later made sure that it was a success.
  9. Target 3 Billion: This book is the vision of Dr. Kalam on how he wants to see rural areas. This book outlines sustainable life-styles, community life, improvements in agriculture, etc.
  10. Turning Points: It is like a sequel to the Wings of Fire.
  11. You are Unique: The book inspires everyone to scale new heights by thoughts and actions.

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How did people pay respect to Dr. Kalam in his home state Tamil Nadu?

On the morning of 29 July, Dr. Kalam’s body, wrapped in the Indian flag, was taken to Palam Air Base and flown to Madurai in an air force C-130J aircraft, arriving at Madurai Airport that afternoon. His body was received at the airport by the three service chiefs and national and state dignitaries, including many cabinet ministers and the governors of Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya.

After a short ceremony, Dr. Kalam’s body was carried by an Air Force helicopter to the town of Mandapam, from where it was taken to his hometown of Rameswaram on an army truck. After arriving at Rameswaram, his body was displayed in an open area near the local bus station to allow the public to pay their homage until 8 p.m. that evening.

On 30 July 2015, the former president was laid to rest at Rameswaram’s Pei Karumbu Ground accompanied by full state honours. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites. Dignitaries like the prime minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh attended his funeral.

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How did Dr. Kalam die?

On 27 July 2015, Dr. Kalam travelled to Shillong to give a talk on “Creating a Liveable Planet Earth” at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. While he was climbing a flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort, but he was able to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. He was rushed to the Bethany Hospital which was nearby, in a critical condition; he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life upon arrival. Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were reportedly: “Funny guy! Are you doing well?”

After his death, Kalam’s body was airlifted in an Indian Air Force helicopter from Shillong to Guwahati, from where it was flown to New Delhi on the morning of 28 July in an Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft. The flight landed at Palam Air Base in the afternoon and was received by the president, the vice-president, the prime minister, chief minister of Delhi, and the three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces, who laid wreaths on Kalam’s body. His body was then placed on a gun carriage covered with the Indian flag and was taken to his Delhi residence at 10 Rajaji Marg. The public and numerous dignitaries then paid homage to the legend.

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