A Few Great Personalities of INDIA

1 - Abdul Kalam Dr.A.P.J.

Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabhudin Adbul Kalam, the twelfth President of India, is
rightfully termed as the father of India's missile technology. He was born to parents
Jainulabdeen Marakayar and Ashiamma on 15th October,
1931, at Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram district, Tamil
Nadu. Dr. Kalam as an eminent Aeronautical Engineer,
contributed for the development of India’s first Satellite
launch vehicle SLV-3 and the missiles like the Trishul,
Agni, Pritvi etc.
He did his secondary education at Schwartz High School in
Ramanathapuram, B.Sc. at St. Joseph's College(1950),
Tiruchi, and DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at the
MIT, Madras during 1954-57. After p assing out as a
graduate aeronautical engineer, Kalam joined Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalor e as a tr ainee and
later joined as a technical assistant in the Directorate of Technical Develop ment and
Production of the Ministry of Defence.
In the 19 60's Kalam joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba in
Kerala. He played a major role in the centre's evolution to a key hub of space research
in India, helping to dev elop the country's first indigenous satellite-launch vehicle.
During 1963-82, he served the ISRO in various capacities. In 1982, he rejoined
DRDO as Director, and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP) for five indigenous missiles. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has
established an Advan ced Technology Research Centre, called 'Research Centre
Imarat' to undertake development in futuristic missile technology areas. He also
served as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Defence minister and later the
Government of India. After retiring from the post Dr. Kalam joined Ann amalai
University till he became the President in January 2002.
He is a member o f Indian National Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of
India and many other professional bodies. Dr. APJ abdul Kalam has been awarded
Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and India's Highest civilian
Award 'The Bharat Ratna' in 1997. Other prestigious awards include Dr.Biren Roy
Space Award, Om Prakash Basin Award for Science and Technology, National Nehru
Award, Arya Bhatta Award etc. Dr. Kalam was conferr ed with the degree of Doctor
of Science (D.Sc. Honoris-causa) by twenty eight universities.
Dr. Kalam, a bach elor is a connoisseur of classical Carnatic music. He plays veena in
his leisure. He writes poetry in Tamil, his mother tongue. Sev enteen of his poems
were translated into English and published in 1994 as a book entitled 'My Journey'.
He reads the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita with equal devotion. He is also the Author
of the books 'India 2020 : A vision for the New Millennium'(1998 with YS Rajan),
'Wings of Fire : an Autob iography' and 'Ignited Minds – unleashing the power within
India'.
Totally dedicated to the nation, Dr. Abdul Kalam's vision is to transform India into a
developed nation by the year 2020 through hard work and perseverance. He holds a
first world dream for the third world nation.



2 - Adi Godrej
Achievements: Chairman of Godrej Group

Adi Godrej is one of the icons of Indian Industry. He is the chairman of Godrej
Group. .Adi Godrej was born in a business family. His
father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's
name was Jai Godrej. More than a century age, the
Godrej's were into manufacturing locks and vegetable-
based soaps. The Godrej products were among the first
indigenously manufactured products to displace
entrenched foreign brand s.

Adi Godrej left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though he
planned to study mechanical engineering but he later on
switched to management. After his return to India, Adi
Godrej joined the family business. He modernized and systematized management
structures and implemented process improvements. Adi Godrej took the Godrej
Group to great height during controlled economy era.

After the liberalization process, Adi Godrej restructured company's policies to meet
the challenges of globalisation. In the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year
restructuring process through which each business became a stand-alone company
with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej family.

Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also involved in philanthropic activities.
Godrej is major supporter of the World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a
green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which includes a 150-
acre mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.




3 - Aditya Birla
The Aditya Birla Group is a multinational corporation based in India and operations
in 20 countries including Thailand, Laos, Indon esia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada,
Australia, China, USA, UK, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Italy, France, Luxembourg,
Switzerland, Malaysia and Korea.

A US$ 24
billion
conglomerate,
with a market
capitalisation of
US$ 23 billion.
Over 50 per cent
of its revenues
flow from its
operations
across the world
Aditya Birla is
organised into
various
subsidiaries that
operate across different sectors. Among these are viscose staple fibre, non-ferrous
metals, cement, viscose filament yarn, branded apparel, carbon black, chemicals,
fertilizers, sponge iron, insulators, financial services, telecom, BPO and IT services.
Aditya Birla Group holds a 98.3% stake in IDEA cellular, a leading telecom operator
in India
The Aditya Birla group operates in the textiles industry of India. Its subsidiary, Indian
Rayon, is a major p roducer of textile fabric as well as the brand licensee of Louis
Phillip, Van Heusen and Allen Solly in India
Hindalco Industries Ltd of the Aditya Birla group has agreed to buy US-based
aluminum sheet maker Novelis In c in an all-cash deal worth $6 billion (aro und Rs
26,500 crore)
The Birla family is one of the foremost business houses in India. Their businesses
vary from petrochemicals and textiles to automobiles and Infocomm. The founder of
the Birla Group was Baldeo Das Birla, a member of the successful Marwari
community from the westerly state of Rajasthan. He moved to Calcutta to set up the
family business during the late nineteenth century, and with it established close ties to
the freedom movement of the time. The Birla's are known for their work and support
of the nation during the freedom struggle, and the family were close friends of
Mahatma Gandhi. Even today, the Birla name is considered synonymous with wealth,
dignity and power in India