From a young age, Kalam developed a respect for other religions. People were willing to talk about religion and spirituality openly. Rameswaram was a great environment to grow up in, as there was a tight-knit community where everybody supported each other. His father owned a boat, which is a sign of wealth. He was born in Rameswaram, India, to a secure middle-class Tamil family. Kalam starts the book at the beginning of his life. It is also a saga of independent India’s struggle for technological self-sufficiency and defensive autonomy. This is the story of Kalam’s rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles. Kalam also exposes readers to the positive thinking and ideas that helped him become such a success. Through this autobiography, the reader gains a glimpse into pre-partition India. Kalam went from being a humble boy in South India to developing India’s nuclear weapons and becoming President. Wings of Fire is the autobiography of the former President of India, Dr. He also received honorary doctorates from thirty universities and the country’s three highest civilian honors - Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), and Bharat Ratna (1997). Kalam also played a pivotal role in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since India’s initial nuclear test in 1974. Kalam is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for developing ballistic missiles and space rocket technology. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV-3.

During his term as President, he was popularly known as the People’s President. On top of this, he also served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was an Aerospace engineer, professor, and chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. Abdul Kalam was one of India’s most distinguished scientists.

Apj abdul kalam book wings of fire