MALAPPURAM: In a fitting tribute to the missile man of India, former president Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the students of Madaru Dawathul Islamiya Public School in Karulai near Nilambur launched 16 rockets they made in a rocketry workshop held at the school on Thursday. The workshop was held to commemorate Kalam’s second death anniversary. It covered the basics of rocket design, production and launching. The session was led by T.N. Muhammed Nadirsah, an aerospace engineer, and attended by 64 student members of the Science Club at the school.
Taking cues from the lessons of the workshop, 16 teams consisting of four members each made 16 small-sized rockets which were launched by them from a temporary launch pad set in the playground. The rockets were fueled by solid propellant. Igniting the minds of the young enthusiasts, the rockets were shot up successfully to 700 feet high. Aerospace engineering graduates Jijo Paulos and T.P Noushad also led sessions during the workshop. Selected students who performed well in the workshop would be given a chance to compete in the international aero modeling competition, Suaib Alingal, Principal of the school, said.
The Science Club at the school also planned a robotic engineering workshop soon, he said. The students’s tryst with Kalam began in 2003 during his visit to Kerala. In a reply to an invitation sent to him during the visit, Mr. Kalam had invited five students and a teacher for a meeting which took place at Calicut International Airport. Kalam had given them a short inspirational note which is still being read at school assemblies.
