As chief of the country's defence research and development programmer, Kalam demonstrated a great, great potential for dynamics and innovations that existed in a seemingly moribund research establishment. He had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of India, Bharat Ratna. His father was also imam of the small mosque in Rameswaram. Kalam was born on October 15, 1931, the son of a little educated boat owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Outside of the major Indian languages, Wings of Fire was translated into Chinese (titled Huo Yi, by Ji Peng), and into French by various translators. The autobiography first published in English, has so far been translated and published in 13 languages including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, and Gujarati. During the 1990s and early 2000, Kalam moved to the DRDO to lead the Indian nuclear weapons program, with particular successes in thermonuclear weapons development culminating in the operation Smiling Buddha and an ICBM Agni. He moved to ISRO and helped establish the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and pioneered the first space launch-vehicle program.

Kalam started his career, after graduating from Aerospace engineering at Madras Institute of Technology, at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and was assigned to build a hovercraft prototype.

In the autobiography, Kalam examines his early life, effort, hardship, fortitude, luck and chance that eventually led him to lead Indian space research, nuclear and missile programs.

Wings of Fire (1999), is the autobiography of the Missile Man of India and President of India, Dr.

Wings of fire abdul kalam