History Paintings & Portraits of Indian Leaders

Shri Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, Vijender Sharma, Oil on Canvas

Location: Upper Logia

Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam was born in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics at St. Josesph’s College, Tiruchirappalli followed by aerospace engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai. He was associated with ISRO and later with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as an aerospace engineer. He was the President of India from 2002-2007. He received Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna in 1997. He died on 27th July, 2015 followed by a brief illness.

Standing in frontal posture against circular pillar, the Indian National flag is seen towards his right. His left hand holds a miniature missile Prithvi (short range Ballistic Missile) reflecting his popularity as Missile Man of India. A long nose accentuates broad lips, forming a petite smile and long hair with inward curl envelopes his ears. His formal suit matches his short construct.

Vijender Sharma studied Fine Arts in Delhi. He is known for focusing on the sensual charm of the human body and religious themes. He has conceived this composition within deep chromes. In his memories of this painting, he mentions"The original photograph given to me had the President sporting shorter hair so I changed it to his usual long hair hairstyle. In the original photograph, the background showed a plain bookshelf, but I have featured the Bhagwad Gita and the Quran in that bookshelf as well.”