Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen"A. P. J."Abdul Kalam(i/bdlklm/; 15 October 1931 27 July 2015) was the11thPresident of Indiafrom 2002 to 2007. A career scientist[clarification needed]turned reluctant politician, Kalam was born and raised inRameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at theDefence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) andIndian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) and was intimately involved in India's civilian space program and militarymissile development efforts.[2]He thus came to be known as theMissile Man of Indiafor his work on the development ofballistic missileandlaunch vehicletechnology.[3][4][5]He also played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India'sPokhran-IInuclear tests in 1998, the first since theoriginal nuclear test by Indiain 1974.[6]Kalam was elected President of India in 2002 with the support of both the rulingBharatiya Janata Partyand the oppositionIndian National Congress. After serving a term of five years, he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including theBharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.Early life and educationAvul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 to aTamil Muslimfamily inRameswaramin theStateof Tamil Nadu. His father's name was Jainulabudeen, a boat owner, and his mother Ashiamma, a housewife.[7][8][9][10]His father owned a ferry that tookHindupilgrims back and forth betweenRameswaramand the now-extinctDhanushkodi.[11][12]Kalam was the youngest of four brothers and one sister in his family.[13][14][15]He came from a poor background and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income.[16]After completing school, Kalam distributed newspapers to contribute to his father's income.[16][17]In his school years he had average grades but was described as a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn and spend hours on his studies, especially mathematics.[17]After completing his education at the Ramanathapuram Schwartz Matriculation School, Kalam went on to attendSaint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, then affiliated with theUniversity of Madras, from where he graduated inphysicsin 1954.[18]He moved toMadrasin 1955 to study aerospace engineering inMadras Institute of Technology.[10]While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean was dissatisfied with his lack of progress and threatened to revoke his scholarship unless the project was finished within the next three days. Kalam met the deadline, impressing the Dean, who later said to him, "I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline".[19]He narrowly missed achieving his dream of becoming a fighter pilot, as he placed ninth in qualifiers, and only eight positions were available in theIAF.[20]