World Students’ Day (WSD) is annually observed on 15 October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India (from 2002 to 2007), who is fondly known as the Missile Man of India .
- 15th October 2024 marks the 93rd birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
- The day honours the contributions of students and promote awareness about the importance of education.
Theme:
The theme of WSD 2024 is “Empowering Students to be Agents of Change”.
- The theme highlights students to take responsibility for their education and future by viewing themselves as leaders and innovators.
About Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam:
i.Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
ii.As an aerospace Scientist, he worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
iii.He was elected as the President of India in 2002 and held the post till 2007. He was nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance(NDA).
iv.After completing his term as President, he served as a visiting professor in various esteemed institutes and universities of India, such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong (Meghalaya), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
v.He passed away in Shillong, Meghalaya on 27th July 2015.
Noted positions held by Kalam:
i.He served as the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and Secretary of the Department of DRDO from July 1992 to December 1999.
ii.He served as the first Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI), in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001.
iii.He also served as the Chief Project Coordinator of the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, a series of 5 nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in May 1998.
iv.He was part of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist.
Significant Works:
i.He played a major role as in the development of India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite into the near-earth orbit in July 1980.
ii.He served as the Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) at the DRDO. He was the key figure in the development of ballistic missiles like the Prithvi, and Agni.
Awards/Honours:
i.He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981 for Civil Service and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for Science and Engineering.
ii.In 1997, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna for Science and Engineering.
iii.He has also received other noted awards including Veer Savarkar Award (1998) and; the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration (1997).
Books:
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography (1999); India 2020 – A Vision for the New Millennium (1998); Evolution of Enlightened Societies (2006); My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions (2013); Turning Points: A Journey Through Challenges (2014); Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future (2015).
Tributes:
i.In 2005, Switzerland declared May 26 as the Science Day in honour of visiting President APJ Abdul Kalam.
ii.In 2017, the Odisha government formally named Wheeler Island as APJ Abdul Kalam Island, as a tribute to APJ Abdul Kalam on his 2nd death anniversary.
iii.In 2023, Aurangzeb Lane in Lutyens’ Delhi has been officially renamed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Lane. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) workers in Delhi unveiled a signboard bearing the name of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
- NMDC in 2015, changed the name of Aurangzeb Road to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
