He enjoys almost a unanimous appreciation from all over India. He has already received a Padma Vibhushan (2nd highest civilian award) and a Padma Shri (4th highest civilian award) .And is long due for a Bharat Ratna. For instance, the Pamban Bridge incident. Pamban Bridge connected Rameswaram (Dr. Kalam's hometown incidentally) to the mainland Tamil Nadu. In December 1964, it was destroyed by a cyclone.The Railways of India set 6 months as a target for the bridge to be prepared. Sreedharan's boss at the time reduced it to 3 months. Dr. Sreedharan completed the job in a mere 46 days. He was given The Railway Minister's Award for this accomplishment. While working for government, In 1970, he was put in charge of the construction of Calcutta Metro. It was a first of its kind undertaking in India and was highly successful, mainly due to the efforts of this man. This, basically, put the foundation of modern tansportation system in I