A. P. J. Abdul Kalam       Abdul Kalam at the 12th Wharton India Economic Forum , 2008    11th  President of India    In office  25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007    Prime Minister  Atal Bihari Vajpayee  Manmohan Singh    Vice President  Bhairon Singh Shekhawat    Preceded by  K. R. Narayanan    Succeeded by  Pratibha Devisingh Patil    Personal details    Born   15 October 1931 (age 81)  Rameswaram , British India  (present day Tamil Nadu , India)    Alma mater  St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli  Madras Institute of Technology    Profession  Professor, Author, scientist  Aerospace engineer    Religion  Muslim     WEBSITE:  abdulkalam.com  Early life and education  Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in a Muslim  family to Jainulabdeen, a boat owner and Ashiamma, a housewife, at Rameswaram , located in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu  He came from a poor background and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income. [ 10 ]  After completing school, Ka...