Versetaile genius
Dr Kalam is a professor in the truest sense of the word. For him, giving a technical lecture on any topic from Physics to aerospace, from electronics to biology, from medicine to rural development, from energy to E-governance, that too to some of the best brains in the world, is so natural that one would wonder “how God created this perfect Gangotri of knowledge”.
The most amazing quality in Dr Kalam is his warmth and his concern for you. “I have never heard Dr Kalam use negative words about any one or anything. For him, the world is full of positive things and he emanates the same. One will be immersed in a positive field when with him and turn productive.”
Heaping such lavish tributes to the President is an old friend and associate, Prof N Balakrishnan, Asst director, IISc. “I first met Kalam soon after he took over as the Director of DRDL. His reaction was so warm that I felt that I had known him for many years. He attracts you like the bee to the honey by his utmost simplicity and sincerity. I continue to grow looking up to this great man and learning every day something new.”“He is an ardent admirer of everything Indian. He quickly inculcated this into every one who was fortunate to come in contact with him. He always ensured that he gave the best of credits to his collaborators.
It is a great sight to watch him prepare for a talk, says the professor. “Many may not know that he personally edits and makes at least ten versions of each talk. At the end, he will enjoy his work just the same way a sculptor admires his sculpture.”
Prof N Balakrishnan
Assistant Director, IISc

Patient soul
Another scientist who has worked with President Kalam and fondly recollects the days is Dr Vasudev K Aatre, who has been the Chief Controller R&D, DRDO besides being Scientific Adviser to defence minister. Himself a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Dr Aatre, says, “In those days there was plenty of freedom to speak. Kalam heard everybody patiently and rarely got angry. If he was really upset with somebody, he used to say ‘funny guy’. And if he didn’t agree with something, he used to say ‘Fantastic’.”Dr Aatre remembers Kalam’s constant motivation when he told his team mates to champion indigenisation.
“While talking to co-scientists he always asked, ‘What are you pushing? Always push, push, push’.”
Dr Vasudev K Aatre
Former chief controller
R&D, DRDO

Great motivator
Corroborating this motivational aspect, Dr P S Subramanyam, programme director, CA and director, ADA, says, “During my days at DRDL, on several evenings he used to come to workplace and enquire with his standard words ‘what is happening?’ and after listening to the narration of work and its progress he used to leave the place saying, ‘good luck, keep pushing the project’.”
Dr Subramanyam was associated with Dr Kalam during 1981 to 1987 as a scientist working on missile guidance system at DRDL, Hyderabad and later during 1993–1999 on avionics system of LCA at ADA for which he was the Director General.“He was a great inspiration to youngsters in the organisation. More than 15 scientists who worked with him have risen to the level of Director in DRDO. He was looking for talented youngsters all the time and nurturing them into excellent techno-managers,” he adds.
Recollecting Kalam’s perseverance to meeting schedules, he notes, “During a campaign at Sriharikota for testing a missile he conducted an emergency meeting from 0100 hrs to 0300 hrs and resolved the issue for the early morning flight-testing.
He enthused all the involved people to attend that meeting and to complete the work for launching the missile. He was with us all the time.”
One of the best traits I have observed is that he is an excellent motivation to youngsters and at the same time a very shrewd manager too, he adds.
“One incident which shows his broad-mindedness took place when I had to leave DRDL to join ADA on personal grounds. At that time, he was the Director, DRDL and senior officers there were reluctant to relieve me but he allowed me to leave saying ‘we have nurtured you for the nation, now you go and nurture more people of ADA for the nation’.
Incidentally ADA is the organisation set up for executing the LCA programme,” says Dr Subramanyam.
Dr P S Subramanyam
Prog director, CA & Director, ADA

Great motivater
‘He is extremely hardworking, very simple, decent and a good man-manager.’ That is how Prof U R Rao, former chairman, ISRO recollects his (continuing) association with President A P J Kalam. “I have worked with him in ISRO since the 60s when he started the payload integration facility where he headed a small group of scientists, mostly from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. I was working on an astronomy experiment and it was the mechanical integration of this to the nose cone of the rocket that we had to do. It was very tough and required many trials,” he recollects. Prof Rao later went on to work with satellites while Kalam was the programme director of the first launch vehicle SLV3.
“He left ISRO in 1982 and went on to join the missile programme but we have continued to be in touch,” he adds.
Prof U R Rao
Former chairman, ISRO
As told to DHNS