Aeronautical engineer, rocket scientist, missile man, visionary, teacher and the most inspiring head of state in living memory - Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was all these and more. Unquestionably the most revered Indian leader since Mahatma Gandhi, he transcended all the boundaries and obstacles that came his way in the course of a remarkable life and he did so with grace and humility.

Arun Tiwari tells Dr Kalam's life story with a deep understanding of his formative experiences and character and reveals him as a man personifying all the glory and paradoxes of his nation: secular and religious; exalted and humble; schooled and unaffected; dynamic and calm; scientific and spiritual - an Indian above all.