Coordinates	53°25′″N21°53′″N
name	Thamizhan
director	Majeeth
writer	S. A. Chandrasekar
starring	Vijay Priyanka ChopraNassarRevathiVivek
producer	G. Venkateswaran
editor	V. T. Vijayan
cinematographer	K. Ahambaram
music	D. Imman
released	April 12, 2002
runtime	162 mins
language	Tamil }}

''Thamizhan'' () is a 2002 Tamil film directed by Majeed and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Vijay in the lead role with Priyanka Chopra, the winner of the beauty pageant Miss World 2000, making her debut as a lead actress. Revathi, Nassar, Ashish Vidyarthi and Vivek also play pivotal roles in the film. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by D. Imman, who with the soundtrack made his debut at just 17 years old. The film's release coincided with Tamil New Year of 2002 to above average reviews.

Plot

Surya (Vijay) is a lawyer with right values, who tries to redress things the legal way. He falls in love with Priya (Chopra). His brother-in-law Shakthivel (Nassar), also an upright lawyer, is killed in the process of upholding justice. Surya's sister (Revathy) also meets a pitiful end at the hands of criminals. But Surya refuses to give up. His mission is to make the layman understand his legal rights and how he does so forms the crux of the story.

Cast

Vijay as Surya

Priyanka Chopra as Priya

Nassar as Shakthivel

Revathi as Surya's sister

Vivek as Nandakumar

Ashish Vidyarthi

Delhi Ganesh

Vinu Chakravarthy

Music

Song !! Singer(s)
Hot Party	Karthik (singer)>Karthik, Mathangi
La La La La Love	Shankar Mahadevan, Lavanya
Mattu Mattu	D. Imman, Anuradha Sriram
Tamizha Tamizha	Karthik (singer)>Karthik
Ullathai Killathe	Vijay (actor)>Vijay, Priyanka Chopra

References

Category:2002 films Category:Indian films Category:Tamil-language films

Coordinates	53°25′″N21°53′″N
Name	Priyanka Chopra
Occupation	Actress, Singer
Birth place	Jamshedpur, Jharkand, India
Birth date	July 18, 1982
Nationality	Indian
Yearsactive	2002–present}}

Priyanka Chopra (, ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film ''Bluffmaster!''

Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film ''Thamizhan''. The following year, she made her Bollywood film debut with ''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy'' and followed it with the hit ''Andaaz'', for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in ''Aitraaz''. Chopra would later have commercial success with films like ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' (2004), ''Krrish'' (2006) and ''Don – The Chase Begins Again''. In 2008, Chopra received a National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a model in ''Fashion'' and has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

Early life and background

Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both physicians by profession. Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Newton, Massachusetts; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her father was in the army and thus her family moved quite frequently. Her father hailed from a family of Punjabi origin, settled in Bareilly and her mother comes from a family settled in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than she is.

Chopra studied at La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow as a young girl. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She returned to India and finished her high school at Army School in Bareilly. She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai, but left after winning the Miss World pageant.

Miss World

Chopra's mother sent in pictures of her for the Miss India contest. When she got called to participate, she was surprised and did it mainly to take a break from studying. She came in second place at the Femina Miss India 2000 competition, winning the Femina Miss India World title. She was subsequently sent to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000. In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns respectively, in a rare triple victory for one country. When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years.

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough (2002–03)

Chopra made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film ''Thamizhan'' playing the role of Priya, the love interest of the protaginist in the film played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit, although the depth of Chopra's character was seen as lacking. Chopra also sang playback in the film, singing "Ullathai Killadhe" along with Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her first Bollywood film, opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the Anil Sharma film ''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy''. She played a supporting role as a doctor named Shaheen in the film that ''The New York Times'' described as "ripping its text from the seething border tensions between India and Pakistan, spicing its conflict with hot-tempered religious zealots bent on nuclear havoc". Despite being one of the highest grossing films of that year, the overall film was not well received by critics. Chopra was awarded mostly good reviews for her debut Hindi performance. Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's ''Andaaz'', playing the character of Jiya who falls in love with Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar. The film was a success at the box office, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Rediff.com said of her role, "Priyanka Chopra alone clicks with the audience, thanks to her skimpy outfits."

Initial success and struggle phase (2004–08)

Her next few films released in 2004 ''Plan'', ''Kismat'' and ''Asambhav'' performed poorly at the box office. Later that year she appeared in David Dhawan's romantic comedy ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' playing the role of a young fashion designer Rani along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film turned out to be the third-highest grossing film of that year. She next starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller ''Aitraaz''. It was her first negative role and her performance was critically acclaimed. She earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award, becoming the second and last female actor to win the award after Kajol (the category has been retired since 2008). She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the role. Film critic Subhash K. Jha noted, "A star is born! As the predatory social-climbing seductress who can go to any length to satiate her lust for life, Priyanka Chopra rocks the scene like never before. The film is undoubtedly a triumph for Priyanka Chopra. With half a smile, a twitch of her lip and a movement of her eyebrow she seems to slip into her man-eater's role with captivating ease". In 2005, she starred in six films. Four of them, ''Blackmail'', ''Karam'', ''Yakeen'' and ''Barsaat'' failed to do well. However, her performance in ''Yakeen'' garnered good reviews from critics.

Her other two 2005 releases, ''Waqt: The Race Against Time'' and ''Bluffmaster!'' performed moderately at the box office. In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year: ''Krrish'', in which she shared the screen with Hrithik Roshan and Rekha, and ''Don – The Chase Begins Again'', alongside Shahrukh Khan which was a remake of the 1978 film ''Don''. She played the character of Roma, a role which was played by Zeenat Aman in the original movie.

In 2007, she appeared in Nikhil Advani's ensemble piece ''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love''. Despite a promising opening, the movie was a financial failure. Chopra's next release, the much-delayed ''Big Brother'', also underperformed at the box-office. In 2008, Chopra acted in six films. Her first four films, ''Love Story 2050'', ''God Tussi Great Ho'', ''Chamku'' and ''Drona'', were critically and commercially unsuccessful. Critics started panning her for choosing the wrong movies and criticising her performances. Still, she was noted for her physical performance in ''Drona'' with Rediff writing, "Chopra truly impresses with her convincing action heroine skills."

''Fashion'' and recent work (2008–present)

After a series of flops, Chopra was cast in Madhur Bhandarkar's ''Fashion'' (2008) for the lead role of Meghna Mathur. Revolving around the fashion world through Chopra's role of an ambitious model, the film was a critical success. Her performance in the film was appreciated and earned her several awards for Best Actress including the National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Subhash K Jha said of her performance, "Her transformation from the bubbly Chandigarh girl to the super-ambitious supermodel, who dumps her boyfriend and conscience to pursue her dreams, is achieved with a gentle subtlety and bridled passion. This is Priyanka’s coming-of-age film. She looks like a zillion bucks. And acts like a woman who connects with the darkest, most desperate human emotions without wallowing in them." Chopra's final release of the year was Tarun Mansukhani's romantic comedy ''Dostana''. The film was a moderate financial success. Rajeev Masand wrote about her performance, "Priyanka Chopra, is at complete ease, slipping effortlessly into the role of the hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold; she looks smashing in this film, better than she's ever looked before."

In 2009, she appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's caper thriller ''Kaminey'' alongside Shahid Kapoor, playing the role of a feisty Marathi girl named Sweety. Her performance in the film was described by critic Taran Adarsh as "first-rate", who further stated, "She's so much in sync with her character... [and] gets the Maharashtrian accent perfect". She subsequently appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's romantic comedy ''What's Your Raashee?'', a film which made Chopra the first actress in cinema history to portray 12 distinct characters in one film. She was reportedly being considered for inclusion in the upcoming edition of ''Guinness World Records'' for this feat. The film itself was a financial and critical failure, but Chopra's performance in the film was appreciated by critics.

In 2010, Chopra appeared in Jugal Hansraj's ''Pyaar Impossible'' where she portrayed the role of a college beauty who eventually falls in love with a geek. The film was a commercial and critical failure. Her next release, Siddharth Anand's ''Anjaana Anjaani'' alongside Ranbir Kapoor, got a good initial response at the box office, but was not well-received by the critics.

In early 2011, Chopra appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's black comedy ''7 Khoon Maaf'', in which she portrayed the role of an Anglo-Indian woman who murders her seven husbands. Her performance in the film garnered mixed reviews by the critics. She has completed the filming of Farhan Akhtar's ''Don 2 – The Chase Continues'' alongside Shahrukh Khan. She has commenced the filming of Anurag Basu's ''Barfee'', in which she is playing a mentally challenged girl, as well as Kunal Kohli's next venture opposite Shahid Kapoor in which she plays a yesteryear actress. and Karan Johar's ''Agneepath'' remake, the filming of both being held in back-to-back schedules. Recently, she has also confirmed to be reprising her role in ''Krrish 2'' alongside Hrithik Roshan.

Music career

Chopra is also a trained western classical singer. In August 2011, she signed a worldwide recording agreement with Universal Music and Desi Hits to record and release her first music album. The album will be released in North America with Desi Hits through Interscope Records and in other international markets on UK's Island Records. Her music career will be managed by Troy Carter, chief executive officer of Atom Factory. The album, which will be produced by Universal Music Group and Desi Hits will contain about ten pop songs and will release worldwide, sometime in 2012. Chopra is currently writing and recording the album in English.

Other work

Chopra became a television host with the Colors' reality show ''Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3''. She replaced actor Akshay Kumar who hosted the previous two seasons. The show, which premiered on 6 September 2010, beat the opening ratings of the previous two seasons.

Chopra participated in a concert tour titled ''Temptations 2004'' with other Bollywood actors and actresses, including Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal. She sang, danced and performed in skits. She was also offered the opportunity do the playback singing of "Tinka Tinka" in ''Karam'' (2005). She declined, wanting to concentrate on acting, but later sang the song live on the TV program Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

On 12 December 2009, she was present as a judge for the Miss World 2009 competition held in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010.

Chopra continues to do some modelling work, such as appearing for fashion designer Ritu Kumar's collection at HDIL India Couture Week. She has a number of endorsements and is one of the top paid Bollywood actresses in this respect. She has represented brands including Lux, Ponds, Sunsilk, Hero Honda, Nokia, Tag Heuer, J. Hampsted and Virgin Comic.

Awards and honours

Chopra has won several movie awards, including the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award in 2003 for ''Andaaz'', the Filmfare Best Villain Award in 2005 for ''Aitraaz'', and the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2009 for ''Fashion''. She also received the 2009 National Film Award for Best Actress for ''Fashion''.

In 2006, the UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' ranked her first on their list of "Asia's Sexiest Women", and an eBay online poll crowned her the Style Diva of the year.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	''Thamizhan''	Priya
2003	''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy''	Shaheen Zakaria
2003	''Andaaz''	Jiya	Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004		Rani
2004		Sapna
2004	''Asambhav''	Alisha
2004	''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi''	Rani Singh
2004	''Aitraaz''	Mrs. Sonia Roy	Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005		Mrs. Rathod
2005		Shalini
2005	''Waqt: The Race Against Time''	Pooja (Mitali)
2005		Simar
2005		Kajal
2005	''Bluffmaster!''	Simmi Ahuja
2006	''Taxi Number 9211''		Special appearance
2006	''36 China Town''	Seema	Special appearance
2006	''Alag''		Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006	''Krrish''	Priya
2006		Anu
2006	''Don: The Chase Begins Again''	Roma
2007	''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love''	Kamini
2007		Aarthi Sharma
2007	''Om Shanti Om''	Herself	Special appearance in song "Deewangi Deewangi"
2008	''My Name is Anthony Gonsalves''	Herself	Special appearance
2008	''Love Story 2050''	Sana / Zeisha	Double role
2008	''God Tussi Great Ho''	Alia Kapoor
2008		Shubhi
2008		Sonia
2008		Meghna Mathur	National Film Award for Best Actress Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2008		Neha Melwani
2009	''Billu''	Herself	Special appearance in song "You Get Me Rockin & Reeling"
2009	''Kaminey''	Sweety Shekhar Bhope	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2009	''What's Your Raashee?''	12 roles	Anjali / Vishakha / Kajal / Hansa / Mallika / Pooja / Rajni / Nandini / Bhavna / Jhankhana / Sanjna / Chandrika
2010	''Pyaar Impossible''	Alisha Merchant
2010	''Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai''	Herself	Special appearance
2010	''Anjaana Anjaani''	Kiara
2011	''7 Khoon Maaf''	Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes
2011	''Ra.One''		Special appearance
2011	''Don 2: The Chase Continues''	Roma	Post-production
2012		Kaali	Filming
2012	''Barfee''		Filming
2012	''Teri Meri Kahaani''		Filming
2012	''Krrish 2''	Priya	Pre-production

See also

List of Indian film actresses

Miss India

References

External links

Official Website

Priyanka Chopra on Bollywood Hungama

}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Miss World winners Category:Miss World 2000 delegates Category:Femina Miss India winners Category:Military brats Category:Indian female models Category:Old Martinians Category:Indian Hindus Category:Punjabi people Category:People from Bareilly Category:People from Jharkhand Category:National Film Award winners Category:Indian game show hosts

ar:بريانكا جوبرا az:Priyanka Çopra bn:প্রিয়াঙ্কা চোপড়া de:Priyanka Chopra el:Πριγιάνκα Τσόπρα es:Priyanka Chopra fa:پریانکا چوپرا fr:Priyanka Chopra gu:પ્રિયંકા ચોપરા hi:प्रियंका चोपड़ा it:Priyanka Chopra jv:Priyanka Chopra kn:ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕಾ ಚೋಪ್ರಾ ml:പ്രിയങ്ക ചോപ്ര mr:प्रियांका चोप्रा nl:Priyanka Chopra no:Priyanka Chopra pnb:پریانکا چوپڑہ ps:پريانکا چوپړا pl:Priyanka Chopra pt:Priyanka Chopra ro:Priyanka Chopra rmy:प्रियंका चोपड़ा ru:Чопра, Приянка sq:Priyanka Chopra fi:Priyanka Chopra sv:Priyanka Chopra ta:பிரியங்கா சோப்ரா te:ప్రియాంక చోప్రా th:ปริยังกา โจปรา tg:Приянка Чопра vi:Priyanka Chopra zh-yue:裴莉言嘉 zh:佩麗冉卡·曹帕拉

Krishnammal Jagannathan (: born 1926) is a social service activist from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She and her husband, Sankaralingam Jagannathan (born 1912), have protested against social injustice and they are well known as Gandhian activists. Her work includes upliftment of Dalits, the landless, and the poor; she has sometimes fought against governments as well as big industries.

She was earlier involved in the Indian independence movement, along with her husband, and was also a close associate of Vinoba Bhave. She has received several awards and recently has been listed for Right Livelihood Award for 2008, which she would share with four others, including her husband.

Early life

Krishnammal Jagannathan was born to a landless Dalit family in 1926. Her first encounter with social injustice and poverty was by looking at her mother Nagammal who had to toil very hard and had to work even when she was in advanced stage of pregnancy. Despite being from a poor family she managed university education and was soon involved with the Gandhian Sarvodaya Movement. It was through Sarvodaya did she meet Sankaralingam Jagannathan, who was much later to be her husband. Sankaralingam Jagannathan hailed from a wealthy family, yet gave up his college studies in 1930 in response to Gandhi's call for non-cooperation movement and civil disobedience. At one stage Krishnammal even shared a stage with Gandhi and also met Martin Luther King. Sankaralinga later joined the Quit India Movement in 1942 and spent years in jail before India gained its independence in 1947. Having decided only to marry in independent India Sankaralingam and Krishnammal married in 1950. She would later head the Salt Satyagraha march in Vedaranyam, this time not in protest, but to commemorate the platinum jublee of the event in 2006.

Land to the landless

Sankaralingam Jagannathan and Krishnammal Jagannathan believed that one of the key requirements for achieving a Gandhian society is by empowering the rural poor through redistribution of land to the landless. For two years between 1950 and 1952 Sankaralingam Jagannathan was with Vinoba Bhave in Northern India on his Bhoodan (land-gift) Padayatra (pilgrimage on foot), the march appealing to landlords to give one sixth of their land to the landless. Meanwhile Krishnammal completed her teacher-training course in Madras (now renamed Chennai). When Sankaralingam returned to Tamil Nadu to start the Bhoodhan movement the couple, until 1968, worked for land redistribution through Vinoba Bhave's Gramdan movement (Village Gift, the next phase of the land-gift movement), and through Satyagraha (non-violent resistance). Sankaralingam Jagannathan was imprisoned many times for this work. Between 1953 and 1967, the couple played an active role in the Bhoodhan movement spearheaded by Vinoba Bhave, through which about of land were distributed to thousands of landless poor across several Indian states.

After the burning of 42 Dalit Christians including women and children in Kilavenmani in Nagapattinam district following a wage-dispute with the landlord in 1968, the couple started to work in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu to concentrate on land reform issues. It was this incident that would inspire the couple, Krishnammal and Sankaralaingam to start the organisation LAFTI.

Land for the Tillers' Freedom (LAFTI)

Krishnammal along with her husband found Land for the Tiller' Freedom in 1981. The purpose of the organisation was to bring "''the landlords and landless poor to the negotiating table, obtain loans to enable the landless to buy land at reasonable price and then to help them work it cooperatively, so that the loans could be repaid''".

Although the initial response was lukewarm with banks unwilling to lend and the high rates of stamp duty, Krishnammal managed to go on and with the cause and by 2007, through LAFTI she had transferred to about 13,000 families. Through LAFTI, she also conducts workshops to allow people, during the nonagricultural season, to support themselves through entrepreneurial efforts like mat weaving, tailoring, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, computer education and electronics. LAFTI would gain such popularity that later even the Government of India would implement LAFTI's approach to increase the peaceful transfer of land.

Protecting the coastal ecosystem

The issue

From 1992 Krishnammal started working issues concerned with prawn farms along the coast of Tamil Nadu. This time the problems were not from the local landlords, but from large industries from cities such as Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Delhi and Hyderabad which occupied large areas of land for aquaculture along the coast, which not only threw the landless laborers out of employment but also converted fertile and cultivable land into salty deserts after a few years when the prawn companies moved on. The prawn farms also caused heavy seepage of seawater into the groundwater in the neighborhood, thus the local people were deprived of clean drinking water resources. The result is that even more small farmers sell their meager land-holdings to multinational prawn companies and move to the cities, filling urban slums.

LAFTI and prawn industry

To address prawn farm issue the Jagannathans organised the whole of LAFTI's village movement to raise awareness among the people to oppose the prawn farms. Since 1993, the villagers have offered Satygraha (non-violent resistance), through rallies, fasts, and demonstrations in protest of establishing the prawn farms. They have been beaten up by hired goons, their houses have been burnt, and LAFTI workers have been imprisoned, because of false accusations of looting and arson.

Final victory

Undeterred by this, Sankaralingam Jagannathan filed a 'public interest petition' in the Indian Supreme Court, which in turn asked NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Institute of India) to investigate the matter. NEERI's investigation report highlighted the environmental cost of the prawn farms to the nation and recommended all prawn farms within 500 meters of the coast to be banned. In December 1996, the Supreme Court issued a ruling against intensive shrimp farming in cultivable lands within 500 meters of the coastal area. It is said that because of the prawn farmers' local political influence, the Supreme Court judgement was not implemented on the ground. The legal battle around the prawn farms is still not resolved and the Jagannathans continue their struggle to establish non-exploitative, eco-friendly communities in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.

Upliftment of women

Krishnammal is also in working towards upliftment of women in Dalits and poor. She believes in mobilising women's cause by peaceful means.

Further achievements and honours

Krishnammal Jagannathan, either independently or together with her husband, has established a total of seven non-governmental institutions for the poor. Besides this, Krishnammal Jagannathan has also played an active role in wider public life. She has been a Senate member of the Gandhigram Trust and University and of Madurai University. She was also a member of a number of local and state social welfare committees and a member of the National Committee on Education, the Land Reform Committee and the Planning Committee.

These activities have gained for the Jagannathans a high profile in India and they have won many prestigious Awards: the Swami Pranavananda Peace Award (1987); the Jamnalal Bajaj Award (1988) and Padma Shri in 1989. In 1996 the couple received the Bhagavan Mahaveer Award "for propagating non-violence." In 1999 Krishnammal was awarded a Summit Foundation Award (Switzerland), and in 2008 she was awarded 'Opus Prize' by the University of Seattle and also Right Livelihood Award along with four others which included her husband. She is lovingly called as ''Amma'' (Mother in Tamil) by her followers. She plans to use the award money for her projects rather than for herself. Inspired by Amma's contribution of enabling more than 11000 poor and landless women to become landowners, a M.Phil research dissertation is dedicated to Amma. The dissertation is titled as ''Aspects of Agrarian History of Tamilakam:Region, Women and Technology during 16th and 17th Centuries AD'',submitted to Department of History, University of Hyderabad in 2009.

References

External links

Right Livelihood Award

Category:Gandhians Category:Indian activists Category:Indian independence activists Category:Indian pacifists Category:Indian women's rights activists Category:Right Livelihood Award laureates Category:1926 births Category:Dalit activists Category:Living people Category:Indian social workers

Coordinates	53°25′″N21°53′″N
Name	Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalamஅவுல் பகீர் ஜைனுலாப்தீன் அப்துல் கலாம்
Office	President of India
Primeminister	Atal Bihari VajpayeeManmohan Singh
Vicepresident	Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Term start	25 July 2002
Term end	24 July 2007
Predecessor	Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Successor	Pratibha DeviSingh Patil
Birth date	October 15, 1931
Birth place	Rameswaram, British India (now Tamil Nadu, India)
Party	Independent
Alma mater	St. Joseph's College, TiruchirappalliMadras Institute of Technology
Profession	Aerospace engineer
Religion	Islam }}

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Aerospace engineer, professor, and chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. During his term as President, he was popularly known as the ''People's President''. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor in 1997.

Before his term as India's president, he worked as an aeronautical engineer with DRDO and ISRO. He is popularly known as the ''Missile Man of India'' for his work on development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology. Kalam played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.

He is currently the chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, a professor at Anna University (Chennai), a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management Indore, and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

In May 2011, Dr. Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the ''What Can I Give Movement''. Dr. Kalam better known as a scientist, also has special interest in the field of arts like writing Tamil poems, and also playing the music instrument Veena.

Early life and education

Abdul Kalam was born in Rameshwaram, presently Tamil Nadu, in India in 1931. He spent most of his childhood in financial problems and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income.

After completing his school education, Kalam graduated in physics from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli. He then graduated with a diploma in Aeronautical Engineering in the mid-1950s from the Madras Institute of Technology. As the Project Director, he was heavily involved in the development of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-II).

Career

Kalam joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1958 and served as a senior scientific assistant, heading a small team that developed a prototype hovercraft. Defence Minister V. K. Krishna Menon rode in India's first indigenous hovercraft with Kalam at the controls. Kalam left the DRDO in 1962 and joined the Indian space programme.

At the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Kalam initiated Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) activities; after a stint with the aerodynamics and design group, he joined the satellite launch vehicle team at Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram, and soon became Project Director for Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3). The SLV-3 project culminated in putting the scientific satellite Rohini into orbit in July 1980. He was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1981.

Kalam then moved back into the Defence Research Complex at Kanchanbagh, as Director of Defense Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL). He refused to move into the bungalow allotted to the Director, preferring to stay in one of the eight suites in the Defence Labs Mess. The suite, with a small study and a tiny bedroom, was his home for the next decade.

Kalam was instrumental in the re-emergence of the DRDL. This was made possible, as Kalam and the then Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, Dr.V. S. Arunachalam (who brought him back to defence research), have always acknowledged, by the crucial role played by R. Venkataraman, who was Defence Minister. Kalam was asked to prepare a blueprint to make India a missile nation. After working with DRDL veterans for over six months, followed by consultations with Arunachalam, Kalam gave a proposal to Venkataraman. He provided a 5 missile development plan that was to be taken up one after the other. The defense minister suggested that Kalam and Arunachalam recast the plan in such a way as to develop all five missile types under one programmme. The time frame for these programmes was 10 years.

Out of these initiatives was born the guided missile programme, India's most successful military research task to date. Kalam's codenames for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P) five components were: Prithvi, a surface-to-surface battlefield missile; Nag Missile, an anti-tank missile (ATM); Akash missile, a swift, medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM); Trishul missile, a quick-reaction SAM with a shorter range,Astra an air to air missile and Agni, an intermediate range ballistic missile, the mightiest of them all. Trishul missile has the unique distinction of being capable of serving all three services.

In the new management structure of the Missile Programme, Kalam, as the Chairman of the Programme Management Board, delegated almost all executive and financial powers to five carefully selected Project Directors and kept himself free to address the core technology issues. The missiles went up more or less on schedule: Trishul missile in 1985, Prithvi in 1988, Agni in 1989 and the others in 1990.

Kalam was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1990. After 10 years in DRDL, he went to Delhi to take over from Arunachalam as Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister from July 1992 to December 1999. In Delhi, Kalam as head of the DRDO had to oversee other prestigious projects, such as the Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) projects.

Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period and have been associated with Kalam although he was not directly involved with the nuclear program at the time.

Issues held

Future India: 2020

In his book ''India 2020'', Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.

It has been reported that there is a considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.

Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology. He has proposed a research program for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open Source over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of free software on a large scale will bring the benefits of information technology to more people.

Awards and honours

! Year of Award or Honor !! Name of Award or Honor !! Awarding Organization
2011	Doctor of Science (microbiology)	S.Gujarati University
2011	IEEE Honorary Membership	IEEE
2009	Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa)	Anna University of Technology
2009	Hoover Medal	ASME Foundation, USA
2009	International von Kármán Wings Award	California Institute of Technology, U.S.A
2008	Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa)	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
1997	Bharat Ratna	Government of India
1990	Padma Vibhushan	Government of India
1981	Padma Bhushan	Government of India

Books and documentaries

;Kalam's writings

''Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam'' by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A. P. J. Pub. Corp, 2002.

''Scientist to President'' by Abdul A. P. J. Kalam; Gyan Publishing House, 2003.

''Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Penguin Books, 2003.

''India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Y.S. Rajan; Penguin Books India, 2003.

''India-my-dream'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Excel Books, 2004.

''Envisioning an Empowered Nation: Technology for Societal Transformation'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; TATA McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 2004.

''Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun K Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2005.

''Children Ask Kalam'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Pearson Education, ISBN 81-7758-245-3

''Indomitable Spirit'' by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 2006

''The Scientific Indian: A Twenty-first Century Guide to the World around Us'' by APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan

''My Journey'' by APJ Abdul Kalam, Published By: V Suryanarayana Murthy

;Biographies

''Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam'' by S. Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.

''President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam'' by R. K. Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.

''A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India'' by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A.P.H. Pub. Corp, 2002.

''A Little Dream'' (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.

''The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President'' by P.M. Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.

''My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam'' by Fr.A.K. George; ISBN No:978-8190452953; Publisher: Novel Corporation, 2009.

Quotations

References

External links

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam - A Site for Inspiration and Nation Building

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Former President of India

Profile of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Category:1931 births Category:Defence Research and Development Organisation Category:Indian aerospace engineers Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian scientists Category:Indian Space Research Organisation people Category:Indian Tamil people Category:Living people Category:Madras Institute of Technology alumni Category:People from Ramanathapuram District Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Presidents of India Category:Tamil Nadu politicians Category:Tamil Nadu scientists Category:Indian Sunni Muslims

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Coordinates	53°25′″N21°53′″N
bgcolour	silver
name	V. Shantaram
Birth name	Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre
birth date	November 18, 1901
birth place	Kolhapur, Maharashtra, British India
death date	October 30, 1990 Mumbai, India
religion	Jainism
occupation	Film director, producer, actor, screenwriter
years active	1921-1987
awards	}}

V. Shantaram () (18 November 1901 - 30 October 1990) is a renowned Indian filmmaker, film producer and actor. He is most known for his films like ''Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani'' (1946), ''Amar Bhoopali'' (1951), ''Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje'' (1955), ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' (1957), ''Navrang'' (1959), ''Duniya Na Mane'' (1937), ''Pinjra'' (1972), ''Chani'', ''Iye Marathiche Nagari'' and ''Zunj''.

He directed his first film, ''"Netaji Palkar"'' in 1927. In 1929, he founded the Prabhat Film Company along with V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni, which made ''Ayodhyecha Raja'', the first Marathi language film in 1932 under his direction. He left Prabhat in 1942 to form "Rajkamal Kala Mandir" in Mumbai. In time, 'Rajkamal' became one of most sophisticated studios of the country.

He was praised by Charlie Chaplin for his Marathi film ''Manoos''. Chaplin reportedly liked the film very much.

Early life

Shantaram was born Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre on 18 November 1901 in the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur (in present day Maharashtra) into a reputed Jain family. During his lifetime he was honoured with Jain Samaj Ratna award given to outstanding Jains.

Career

V. Shantaram started his film career doing odd jobs in Maharashtra Film Co. owned by Baburao Painter at Kolhapur. He went on to debut as an actor in the silent film, Surekha Haran in 1921.

Shantaram, fondly known as Annasaheb, had an illustrious career as a filmmaker for almost six decades. He was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other. V. Shantaram had a very keen interest in music. It is said that he "ghost wrote" music for many of his music directors, and took a very active part in the creation of music. Some of his songs had to rehearsed several times before which they were approved by V. Shantaram.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was conferred on him in 1985.He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

His autobiography ''Shantaram'' was published in Hindi and Marathi.

Shantaram died on 30 October 1990 in Mumbai. The V. Shantaram Award was consitituted by Central Government and Maharashtra State Government. The V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, established in 1993, offers various awards to film makers. The award is presented annually on 18 November.

Personal life

Shantaram married thrice. His first marriage was to Vimla. He then married actress Jayashree, with whom he had three children-Tejasri, actress Rajshree and Marathi film director Kiran Kumar.

His third wife, actress Sandhya, was his co-star in ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' as well the heroine of his films like ''Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje'', ''Navrang'', ''Jal Bin Machli Nrutya Bin Beejli'', and ''Sehra''. His other children are Prabhat Kumar, Sarojini, Charushila and Madhura, who is married to Pandit Jasraj is the mother of Durga Jasraj.

He introduced Rajshree and Jeetendra in the 1964 film ''Geet Gaya Patharon Ne''. He also introduced his niece Ranjana Deshmukh into the marathi film industry through Chandanachi Choli Ang Aang, directed by Kiran Shantaram in 1975. Ranjana dominated the Marathi silver screen in 70s and 80s.He used to live at Panhala.His son has maintained his house and converted it in a hotel Valley View.

Awards

Won

1957: Filmfare Best Director Award: ''Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje''

1958: National Film Award for Best Film: ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath''

1958: Berlin International Film Festival, OCIC Award: ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath'' 1958: Berlin International Film Festival, Silver Bear (Special Prize): ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath''

1985: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

1992: Padma Vibhushan

Nominated

1951: Cannes Film Festival, Grand Prize: ''Amar Bhoopali'' (''The Immortal Song'') 1959: Golden Globe Awards, Samuel Goldwyn Award: ''Do Aankhen Barah Haath''

Biographies

Shantaram, Kiran & Narwekar, Sanjit; ''V Shantaram: The Legacy of the Royal Lotus'', 2003, Rupa & Co., ISBN 8129102188.

Banerjee, Shampa; ''Profiles, five film-makers from India: V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak'' Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Development Corp, 1985. ISBN 8120100077.

Notes

References

'Well ahead of his times', Article on V.Shantaram in ''The Hindu'' dated 30 November 2001

External links

Category:1901 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film directors Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:Marathi film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Indian Jains Category:People from Kolhapur Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:National Film Award winners Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan

de:Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram fr:V. Shantaram hi:वी शांताराम mr:व्ही. शांताराम