President, PM pay tribute to Kalam on 85th birth anniversary

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to former President and 'Missile Man' A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on his 85th birth anniversary.

Mukherjee paid floral tributes to Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Kalam's family members were also present on the occasion.

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

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

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 orator 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 cardiac arrest on July 27 last year while delivering a speech at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.

--IANS

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