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I read some stories about Sir APJ Abdul Kalam. (I don't anyone's permission to call him Sir). I collected some more facts on him. Here are they.

# A missile technologist who is routinely confused for a “nuclear physicist”.


That’s a gift of our brethren in the fourth estate.

How Science Reporting works: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1623

# A scientist without a formal PhD — who was turned away from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) because he didn’t have the “requisite scientific credentials”—who happily uses the appendage “Dr”.

That’s due to the penmanship of holy typesetters, poor fellas assumed that a man of such popularity should have at least an honoris causa or two, though they don’t know that free degrees are not to be flaunted.

The man himself never uses “Dr” anywhere.

See the books authored/contributed by him:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=Abdul%20Kalam&sourceid=Mozilla-search

# A reverse-engineer who has presided over several failures as the in-charge of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme who is unquestioningly called “Missile Man”.
At least something in India is somewhat productive other than its population.

# And, although the masterstroke to make him President came initially from the Samajwadi Party, it is the BJP which has appropriated the Thirukkural-quoting, veena-playing, vegetarian “Kalam Iyer” as its favourite Muslim, thanks in part, as the Princeton scholar M.V. Ramana wrote, because of his ability to “dress up even mediocre work with the tricolour to pass them off as great achievements.”

Mulayam and co. always have this respect for the men involved in Defence Technology, they had got Raja Ramanna as a Minister of State for Defence too. Kalam recognising all things positive albeit petty, is a good thing, the media and the govt. mostly don’t even take notice of them until someone abroad recognises them.

I give more importance to a Kalam recognising the talents of a Soliga kid who could climb up and down a peak in Biligirirangana Hills in a record time than the diktats of a retired bureaucrat or a stupid politician.

I have seen humps on Mysore’s roads removed and filled with gravel for Shankar Dayal Sharma’s visit, removed and coated with a layer of tar for KR Narayanan’s visit but Kalam came more often than all of his predecessors put together and he risking a unplanned detour to a remote village which lacked even a metal road, responding to an invitation of a young school teacher, that’s what makes him special.

After a long time, we had a president matching the stature of the better presidents of yore, everything is a distant memory with the latest president. We heard about Kalam’s gleeful interaction with us, the subjects but the present one must have a really different conception of democracy and its features.
 
and more ...
 
1. Kalam was one of the only Presidents who refused to be a mere rubber stamp and turned down the Office of Profit bill.
2. Dr. Kalam(I don’t give a shit to what you think, he is learned enough to deserve that degree, several dunces who aren’t carry that tag shamelessly, in India a PhD is something you can have by bringing groceries for your guide, so stop making a fuss about it), as witty nick points out, never bloats about his achievements. He didn’t even rake up the issue of him being frisked. Imagine another politician in his place, they’d have lapped up the opportunity.

3. The Rashtrapati Bhavan was at its liveliest when he was around. He even had a website made. What if he didn’t have a degree, he at least had vision. And that my friend, makes all the difference in the world.
4. Try reverse engineering sometime. I have. If you think it is as easy as writing this article, you are gravely mistaken. Genius works both ways dear and considering that you aren’t a rocket scientist yourself, you guess at his reverse engineering is obviously based on the opinion of people who envy Dr. Kalam.
5. He is called Missile Man because no other scientist rose up to the occasion and be a hero. Being a hero needs responsibility. The way he handles media attention(and people like you) is admirable.
6. When you claim that his books are infantile and bordering on the banal, let me ask you what is it that you find offensive? Not only is it a personal experience or his dream, it is inspiring in parts. I am not a fan of his writing either but I am sure of one thing – he is better than the Chetan Bhagats, Monk who sell their Ferraris and Chicken soups out there – he writes from experience. Respect his wisdom, don’t ridicule it. If you really want to write about things bordering on banal, write about those 100 bucks novels which are propping up like seaweed from wanna be Chetan Bhagats. Read some of them and you’ll know what banal is.

8. To mention your words:

” The larger-than-life, conversation-stopping image of the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the fruit of assiduous self-promotion, audacious political opportunism and pumped-up nationalism, combined with the gee-whiz ignorance of an uncritical media. ”

Check yourself when you say that he resorted to political opportunism, you are way off your rocker. He is one of the most unbiased Presidents the country has had. Not inclined to any political thought, no special favors to anyone. He snubbed and stood against the entire parliament when he refused the Office of Profit bill. They had the better of him but at least he fought.
And pray what is wrong with – pumped up nationalism?
And his life and image may seem a lot like Self-promotion but had he been the kind, he’d have used the media much more effectively after his term was over. When he was in power he was in news. Had he been publicity hungry, he’d not have let go of any opportunity to make scandal or news.
After all He must also have some gloves in the secretive Nuclear facility by their balls.
And do you really want us to believe that the media is uncritical or ignorant? When has the media spared anyone? Name one and only one Hero/idol/anyone whom the media has spared?
Don’t pose as the harbinger of a revolution, the great inquisitive one who dares to challenge the stature of an icon. Because you never had much on him before these scientists came up with this, you were quiet about him. Else you’d be screaming from the top of India Gate about Dr. Kalam, like you are now!
Questioning anything isn’t wrong. No idol is perfect, they all have their pitfalls. But to question based on baseless or biased arguments is sensationalism of the cheapest variety.

and

 Dr N K Srinivasan Says:

Both Dr Kalam and Shri K Santhanam [he does not have Ph D yet]are sincere,hard working scientists who have contributed considerably for the country under very primitive conditions since 1960′s….I have worked with both of them…the current issue is discussing matters of national importance and secrecy, 11 years after the event…Why did Shri Santhanam [Santy] chose to speak about it now? Why did he not raise it privately with Def secry,def minister and PM after taking appointments with them all these years?..Further while he was the director of IDSA, he could have written about it with professional ethics……Why bring in Ashok Parthasarathy and other old timers [K Subramanyam] who know very little about nuclear weapons?


I feel that shri Santhanam has transgressed the limit of propriety in defence matters for which he should be questioned whatever may be the veracity of his statements.
 
Dr Kalam is not a nuclear scientist, but an aeronautics engineer ,with experience in missiles.He was asked to organize the Pokhran II because of his eminence and sincerity, by PM Vajpayee at that time.Kalam was heading DRDO as DG and SA scientific advisor to RM or defence Minister.Further you need interfacing with Army for the site at Pokhran for which DRDO is better equipped.Dr Kalam in turn assigned the task of test site preparation to Mr Santhanam.Thus Santhanam became test site prep director..that is all..the nuclear part was mainly done by Dr R Chidambaram who met with Kalam regularly. Dr Kalam made statements only as formal head of the whole program and not in his individual capacity as a nuclear scientist at all.He was entirely voicing what Dr Chidambaram and Dr Kakaodkar [Dir BARC] told him.It is obvious that Santhanam could have given his opinion about the yield and lack of crater at that time to Dr Kalam and the defence minister/PM.


The question of doing further tests or signing CTBT are other issues,but related to yield of TN devices and should be discussed with a wider group.If Brajesh Mishra ,the NSA at that time,took a voice vote and decided on the future tests,Santhanam could have raised objection then itself…..Why now after 11 years…have we not compromised the security of the nation for the past 11 years? Santhanam’s posture now is untenable. The question of further tests is an issue which the present govt can address itself,taking perhaps ,the opinions of opposition parties too. What Brajesh Mishra did need not be taken as final word on this…