Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born in 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He studied physics and aerospace engineering, spending decades working for the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Indian Space Research Organisation, where he played a key role in developing ballistic missile and space technology. He served as President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam received numerous honors for his work, including India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna. He died in 2015 after collapsing while delivering a lecture.