Aval Paker Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist and politician who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent decades working as a scientist for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), contributing to India's space program and missile development efforts. He received numerous prestigious awards for his service and authored several notable books.