Query: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was voted in as the Head of State of India.

Relevant passages:
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam <=SEP=> Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam better known as A.P.J. Abdul Kalam -LSB- ˈæbdʊl_kəˈlɑːm -RSB- ( 15 October 1931 -- 27 July 2015 ) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007 . A career scientist turned statesman , Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram , Tamil Nadu , and studied physics and aerospace engineering . He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator , mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) and Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) and was intimately involved in India 's civilian space programme and military missile development efforts . He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology . He also played a pivotal organisational , technical , and political role in India 's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998 , the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974 .   Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress . Widely referred to as the `` People 's President , '' he returned to his civilian life of education , writing and public service after a single term . He was a recipient of several prestigious awards , including the Bharat Ratna , India 's highest civilian honour .   While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong , Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 27 July 2015 , aged 83 . Thousands including national-level dignitaries attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram , where he was buried with full state honours .

President of India <=SEP=> The President of the Republic of India is the Head of State of India and the Commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces .   The President is indirectly elected by the people through elected members of both the houses of the Parliament of India , the Legislative Assemblies of all the states of India and the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Puducherry , as well as , the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and serves for a renewable term of five years . The oath of the President is taken in the presence of the Chief Justice of India , and in his/her absence , by the most senior judge of the Supreme Court of India .   Although the Article 53 of the Constitution of India states that the President can exercise his powers directly or by subordinate authority , with few exceptions , all of the executive authority vested in the President are , in practice , exercised by the Prime Minister with the help of the Council of Ministers .   The President resides in an estate known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan ( which roughly translates as President 's House ) situated in Raisina Hill in New Delhi . The presidential retreats are The Retreat in Chharabra , Shimla and Rashtrapati Nilayam ( President 's Place ) in Hyderabad .   The 13th and current President is Pranab Mukherjee , who was elected on 22 July 2012 , and sworn in on 25 July 2012 . He is also the first Bengali to be elected as President .

List of Presidents of India <=SEP=> The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India . The President is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces . Although the president is vested such powers by the Constitution of India , the position is largely a ceremonial role and the executive powers are de facto exercised by the Prime Minister . The post of President is known in Hindi as Rashtrapati , a Sanskrit neologism meaning `` lord of the realm '' . The President is elected by the Electoral College composed of elected members of the parliament houses , the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha , and also members of the Vidhan Sabha , the state legislative assemblies .   There have been 13 presidents of India since the introduction of the post in 1950 . The post was established when India was declared as a republic with the adoption of the Indian constitution . Apart from these thirteen , three acting presidents have also been in office for short periods of time . Varahagiri Venkata Giri became Acting President of India in 1969 following the death of Zakir Hussain , who died in office . Giri was elected President a few months later . He remains the only person to have held office both as a president and acting president . The President may remain in office for a tenure of five years , as stated by article 56 , part V , of the constitution of India . In the case where a president 's term of office is terminated early or during the absence of the president , the vice president assumes office . By article 70 of part V , the parliament may decide how to discharge the functions of the president where this is not possible , or in any other unexpected contingency . Rajendra Prasad , the first President of India , is the only person to have held office for two terms .   Seven presidents have been members of a political party before being elected . Six of these were active party members of the Indian National Congress . The Janata Party has had one member , Neelam Sanjiva Reddy , who later became president . Two presidents , Zakir Hussain and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed , have died in office . Their vice-presidents functioned as acting president until a new president was elected . Following Zakir Hussain 's death , two acting presidents held office until the new president , Varahagiri Venkata Giri , was elected . Varahagiri Venkata Giri himself , Zakir Hussain 's vice president , was the first acting president . When Giri resigned to take part in the presidential elections , he was succeeded by Muhammad Hidayatullah as acting president . The current President is Pranab Mukherjee elected on 25 July 2012 . Mukherjee held various posts in the cabinet ministry for the Government of India such as Finance Minister , Foreign Minister , Defence Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission . He originally comes from West Bengal and is also the first Bengali to hold the post of the President . The ex - president , Pratibha Patil , who was in office till 25 July 2012 , was elected as the 12th President of India in 2007 . She is also the first woman to serve as President of India .