Astronaut's Tribute to Kalam: "Such Great Energy!" at Youth Space Event

While speaking with ANI, Shukla expressed his happiness and stated that the enthusiasm shown by the kids is exciting.

"Today we are honouring and celebrating the 94th birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam - the visionary leader, the Missile Man of India, "he said.

He further added, "I am excited to be in Hyderabad and honoured to be speaking at this conference. I am so proud and excited to see the enthusiasm, energy and talent of the kids who are here. Such great energy! I am just very happy to be here..."

Dr G. Sateesh Reddy, former Chairman of DRDO, was also present at the event and stated that it aims to inspire young minds.

Reddy said, "On the birth anniversary of APJ Abdul Kalam, we conducted a program in Hyderabad to inspire the young students. Over six thousand students attended in person, while more than thirty thousand watched online."

He further added, "Group Captain Himanshu Shukla was present to address the students and share his experiences, and also showed videos of his space travel."

Highlighting the inspiring guests, Reddy stated that the event featured speeches from startup founders, principals of academic institutions, and professors.

"The gathering aimed to inspire students about India's progress in space and defence technologies, encouraging them to innovate and contribute to making India a technologically advanced nation, in line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Viksit Bharat'," he added.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (1931-2015), widely known as the "Missile Man of India", was an eminent scientist and the 11th President of India (2002-2007).

Born on 15 October 1931 in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, into a humble family, Kalam rose through sheer hard work and determination.

Kalam made a significant contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III), which successfully injected the Rohini satellite into near-earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of the Space Club. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV configuration.

He was responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through the networking of multiple institutions.

Beyond his scientific contributions, Kalam was deeply passionate about inspiring the youth of India. He authored several influential books, such as "Wings of Fire," "Ignited Minds," and "India 2020," all centred around dreaming big and building a stronger nation. APJ Abdul Kalam passed away on 27 July 2015.

- ANI