"As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me."

A vegetarian, teetotaller and celibate. No we are not talking of any saint. We are celebrating the birthday of the missile man of India, Abdul Kalam!

Born to a working class Muslim family in Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu on Oct 15, 1931; his journey to the first citizen of India was not an easy one. After graduating from the St Josephs college in Trichy, he did his DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at the MIT, Madras.

His encounter with Swami Shivananda was a path-breaking event in his life as he claims it. He got over the resentment at his failure to join the IAF and took up a job as a senior scientific Assistant in DTD&P from where there was no looking back. From 1963-82, he served the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in various capacities. He was the project director of the satellite launch vehicle team that put Rohini to the orbit in 1980.

He was later engaged in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), which marked India's success in the field of military research. Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag and Agni; one after the other took India closer and closer to self-reliance in Defence. His greatest accomplishment till date remains the anchoring of the nuclear tests in Pokhran. Every scientist has a mission but Kalam has a vision too, a vision of beautiful India as reflected in his books 'Wings of Fire' and 'Ignited minds'.

Irrespective of the picture one would expect of a missile scientist, he is known for his extremely sweet manners and down-to-earth attitude. The aura of his personality and the admiration he garnered has made his path to the Presidency an easy one.

To sum it all, he is an answer to the cynics who say, "There cannot be no another Gandhi and Buddha."

Some notes on this illustrious man