A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: A Life

Arun Tiwari was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in 1955. He did his master's in mechanical engineering from G.B. Pant University and joined Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad as a missile scientist in 1982. At DRDL, Prof. Tiwari developed India's first titanium air bottle, used in Tirshul and Akash missiles. In 1992, Prof. Tiwari was appointed by Dr Kalam as the programme director at the DRDO, to develop civilian spin-offs of defence technology to benefit common people. In 1996, Prof. Tiwari developed India's first coronary stent with cardiologist Dr B. Soma Raju known as Kalam--Raju Stent. As a member of President Kalam's team, Arun Tiwari set up the first link of Pan-Africa e-Network of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL). The network now connects universities and hospitals across the African continent with their Indian counterparts. In 1999 Arun Tiwari wrote Wings of Fire, the autobiography of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a modern classic now.Arun Tiwari currently teaches at School of Management Sciences, University of Hyderabad, as an adjunct professor.