May 11 is marked as National Technology Day to commemorate India's technological achievements, including Operation Shakti at Indian Army's Pokhran Range in 1998. After five successful nuclear tests, Ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state, the sixth country to do so.
On the same day, India successfully tested its first indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 and short-range missile Trishul.
Under the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the country started observing the day as National Technology Day every year since 1999. The man behind the successes of these milestones was APJ Abdul Kalam, who went on to become the 11th president of India on July 25, 2002.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Bharat Ratna - the highest civilian honour - in 1997. The Bharat Ratna came just a year before he played a key role in the Pokhran test. He worked his way to become the driving force behind India's space and missile programmes and came to be known as the 'Missile Man of India'.
Recalling the stellar contributions made by India’s scientists in the Pokhran tests, PM Narendra Modi says in one of his speeches, “The world is well aware of the Pokhran tests. Under Atal Ji’s leadership, successful tests were carried out and the entire world was witness to India’s might. The scientists made the nation proud.”
