Modi pays tribute to "Missile Man" Abdul Kalam on 85th birth anniversary

​New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to former President and the "Missile Man" A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on his 85th birth anniversary.

"Tributes to our former President, the person who captured the imagination of every Indian, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary," Modi said in a tweet.

Kalam, a recipient of several awards including Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1997, became the 11th President of India on July 25, 2002 and served the post till July 25, 2007.

Author of several best-selling books such as Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India and India 2020, Kalam was a great speaker and an inspiration to millions of people, especially kids. He always inspired children to dream big and achieve great goals in life.

Kalam was born on October 15, 1931 in Rameswaram town of Tamil Nadu and died due to a cardiac arrest on July 27 last year while delivering a speech at IIM Shillong.

Kalam made significant contribution as project director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the Earth orbit in July 1980 and made the country an exclusive member of Space Club.