The 11th President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, was born October 15, 1939 in Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram. Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist and spent four decades at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO). He spearheaded India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Born in a family of a boat-owner, Kalam’s childhood was one of resilience and fortitude, he sold newspapers at a tender age to supplement his family’s income. He died on July 15, 2015 while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.