We need missiles as strength respects strength, former President Abdul Kalam would say

NEW DELHI: Much before he became “a people’s President” in 2002, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was already a national icon as the “Missile Man of India”, an inspiration to children and scientists around the country.
Known more for his inspirational leadership with the scientists who worked under him being fiercely loyal, Kalam was the brainchild behind the launch of the country’s indigenous integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP) in 1983.Incidentally, the defence minister at that time was R Venkataraman, who too went on to become the country’s President.
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Though dogged by time and cost overruns, the IGMDP laid the foundations from which India gate-crashed into the super-exclusive club of nations that can now boast of being capable of developing inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), the over 5,000-km Agni-V missile, which is capable of hitting even the northernmost part of China.
Kalam, as DRDO chief, and DAE director R Chidambaram played a pivotal role in covertly planning and organising Pokhran-II nuclear tests in the Thar Desert in 1998, successfully managing to fool US satellites and other intelligence-gathering mechanisms. “Ín him (Kalam), we found a perfect harmony between science and spirituality,” former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani.


Dr Kalam with Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr Satish Dhawan. (Image courtesy: PIB India)
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The Bharat Ratna, who considered renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai as a great inspiration, also made significant contribution to the country’s space research programmes as project director of SLV-3 and India’s first satellite Rohini. His illustrious career began by working on a small helicopter for the Army after he joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO following his diploma in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology.
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Kalam, of course, went on to work on strategic programmes with huge implications after shifting back to DRDO from ISRO. DRDO scientists remember him as a person who worked round-the-clock, was always informal, had a spartan lifestyle and an easy-going demeanour. “Strength respects strength” was his credo, whenever he was quizzed on why India needs its own long-range ballistic missiles or a main battle tank.