Born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of Space Club. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV configuration. After working for two decades in ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defence Research and Development Organisation as the Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions. He was the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999. During this period he led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon State. He also gave thrust to self-reliance in defence systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft. As Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and as an eminent scientist, he led the country with the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India from the present developing status to a developed nation. Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001 and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) and piloted India Millennium Mission 2020. Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country. In his literary pursuit four of Dr. Kalam's books - "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India" have become household names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. These books have been translated in many Indian languages. Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). He is a recipient of several other awards and Fellow of many professional institutions. Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. His focus is on transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.
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Political career In April 2012, Tendulkar accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination proposed by the president. He is the first active sportsperson and cricketer to have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha.[192] Reactions to this decision included: Sanjay Manjrekar who said that he was "actually shocked by the story itself, first by the nomination as it came without any warning. And that Sachin has accepted it is even more shocking. When I visualise what Sachin could possibly do after retirement, I thought something connected to cricket, coaching and all that, may be some business or social activity. But Rajya Sabha MP after retirement or even at this stage of career is something that was not even in my wildest guess." MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad said that the move was akin to an honourary degree on an eminent person and said that "Why should he not be successful? Unlike a Lok Sabha MP, he does not have to worry about his constituency and he could focus on the topics related to sports. I'm confident he will do a good job." Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar reacted in saying that "so far, they were nominating persons from other fields. Now that a sportsman has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, a good precedent has been set." DNA questioned if Tendulkar could handle the political system and was aware of the issues, though it also said that he has now outlined in partisan politics in choosing a party after the nomination followed a visit to the head of the Indian National Congress' residence in New Delhi[193] at the behest of party MP Sanjay Nirupam.[194] The nomination was also made by the president, who is a member of the INC, in the same year as she faces re-election. Actor Sanjay Dutt, who had also tried to become a MP, said that "it is an honour to be in the Rajya sabha. I am a fan of Sachin. He is the pride and jewel of India. But, I am not happy that he is a Rajya Sabha member. He should have been the way he is." He was also said to have the support of Amitabh Bacchan.[195] His decision to be a MP was also criticised in some quarters: Former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar said that "hope[s Tendulkar] does not suffer the same fate as another legend, Amitabh Bachchan, politics is a big game. He had only said he is not going to retire soon. But, my fear is how will he divide his time and responsibilities." Former member of the Indian 1983 Cricket World Cup team Madan Lal was also surprised, saying that "the kind of person Sachin is, we never expected him to take up politics." The Maharashtrian party Shiv Sena's MP Sanjay Raut questioned the timing and asked "is Sachin being used to divert attention from the problems plaguing the Congress?" The Communist Party of India's Gurudas Dasgupta sad that "I welcome the decision to nominate Tendulkar, but at the same time when Sourav is in his top form, his name, too, should have been considered."[194] His current colleague Harbhajan Singh said that he was "proud that Sachin is getting the honour. He deserves much more than that. May God bless him always."[196]Anti-corruption campaigner Baba Ramdev said that the INC was using the nomination and Tendulkar's stature to boost its battered image through series of scandals and electoral defeats.[197] Five-time World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand said "I hope he (Tendulkar) enjoys his role and he is able to do it very well. It's a big step for him and I think he will enjoy it".[198] Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia reacted neutrally saying a nomination of a sports candidate was a personal choice to accept. On 2 May, Tendulkar was elected to seat number 103 in the Rajya Sabha.[199] He took the oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on 4 June; however he could not take the oath during the budget session due to the ongoing IPL.[200] "Cricket comes first," Tendulkar said when reporters asked whether he preferred cricket to parliament.[201] Sachin Tendulkar had been alloted 5 Tughlak Lane bungalow, a type VII accommodation in Lutyen's zone in New Delhi. The accommodation was just opposite to that of Rahul Gandhi's residence.[202] However, he has politely turned down the offer.
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New Year Wishes 2013 - In Advance In a couple of days, I'll make another attempt to be good, stay good. Sounds familiar? Also familiar maybe this space on the Web, where I scribble away my thoughts for you to read, roughly this time of the year, every year. Can't thank you enough to spare me some time at a juncture when in all likelihood you may be quite busy preparing to see off CY 2012 and merrily welcome New Year 2013. Whatever may be your mode of celebration, here's wishing you a joyous experience. Personally, I don't expect to see drastic changes to any attributes of my lifestyle, just because a cycle of twelve months is coming to a conclusion in two days time and a new one arriving. And I don't believe in waiting to flip over one dozen page of a calendar before jotting down a list of life changing items to be performed, and then stare at it later with a sigh of disappointment for not having made a sustained effort to achieve it and to strike each one out as 'Job done'. Neither do I believe that the spacing of inevitable events in different phases of life, some of which we may like and some we dislike, has any business with the twelve month cycles. Agreed, some things in life will change for sure: like the daily dairy that I maintain. It'll carry a fresh smell and every single entry in there, I hope, shall carry a positive intent. It's foolish of me, though, to even imagine that I'll only have happy episodes to scribe in there. New year or not, pattern of events in life shall remain much the same, with possibly no escape from the dualities of existence. Pray, we develop enough inner strength to accept all events in life with great composure. In retrospection, I'm thankful for all good things happened in the last twelve months, glad to have met many a wonderful people, fortunate to have learned a number of useful lessons, sorry to have made some mistakes, happy to have moved on, regret to have lost few connections and grateful for all opportunities. I wish the coming twelve months brings me in company of many new faces, while I'll make all efforts to make sure the familiar ones stay closer to my heart. Lastly, the blah-blah above was not the real intention of writing this note, but to make sure I don't miss an occasion as this to show up and express my deep felt gratitude to YOU for being there for me and helping me stay positive, one way or the other. Thank you! Here's wishing you and your family a very happy and propserous Year 2013!
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