Born To Fly

By Samvritha Sudhakar

INTRODUCTION

He was born with potential, born with goodness and trust, with ideas and dreams, with greatness. It seemed like he had wings, he was not meant for crawling. So he flew, flew and flew. Did he not just fly, but he flew as a writer, flew high as a teacher, flew higher as an aero scientist and flew the highest as a leader. “Who is this man?” you may wonder. Read on to discover who…

EARLY YEARS

On the 15th of October, 1931, in Rameshwaram, the cries of the newborn baby were heard; the cries of Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He was born to 2 muslims: Jainulabiddin Marakayar - who owned a ferry business - and to Ashiamma Marakayar - who was a great cook - and was the youngest among his many siblings. Though Abdul Kalam was loved by all members of his joint family, his relative, Jalaudin, and his elder sister, Zohra, adored him the most due to his quiet, caring and curious personality.

GROWING UP

The little boy was curious about how things work since childhood. “How do birds fly?” he used to wonder. During World War 2, the train that provided Rameshwaram with newspapers did not stop at the town. So, Kalam was assigned to collect the newspapers that were dumped onto the platform; he enjoyed this job! While collecting newspapers, the boy used to ponder upon how the train turns the steam into locomotion. Another instance that occurred during the second world war depicts the caring personality of Kalam. The essential goods were increased in price in Rameshwaram. So, Kalam used to spend his free time collecting tamarind seeds, selling them to a shopkeeper, and presenting the money to his mother.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam always had a dream of flying. When he was a toddler, he thought that the coconut tree climbers were the highest anyone could get. So he wanted to become one of them, without knowing the presence of the occupation: aeronautical engineer. 

EDUCATION

During his childhood, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam studied in Rameshwaram Elementary School. He scored high marks in all the subjects that his mathematics teacher visited his house to share the happy news. During his 5th grade in the Elementary School, Kalam was taught a practical lesson on how birds fly. The mechanism in the birds inspired the boy to become an aeronautical engineer.

Advancing into his schooling, Abdul Kalam traveled to Ramanathapuram to get educated in Schwartz High School. By being an attentive and hardworking student, he made his teachers proud.  

Eventually, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam continued his education in college. He studied in

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam joined the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in which he was the project director of SLV - III, the first Indian satellite launched. 

He rejoined DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization) in 1982, which he had once joined in 1958. Here, he launched multiple missiles and earned the title “Missile Man of India”. 

St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchirappalli in 1954 and earned a degree in physics. 

After deciding to change his pathway into studying his childhood potential, Kalam, holding a scholarship, moved to Madras Institute of Technology (M.I.T) to learn about aeronautics during 1957. Though he enjoyed learning there, he faced a lot of challenges, but managed to impress his teachers by working hard. One of these instances includes a time where a group project was assigned which was about designing an aircraft . Having very slow progress on the given project, the boy was called by the principal and told to finish it within 3 days. He worked day and night for it and the result was extraordinary. His professors appreciated his aircraft.

Sooner or later, he got an internship at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (H.A.L) in Bangalore. After completing the given assignments for the year, Abdul Kalam had finished with his education.

Among one of those missiles launched, was Agni, which contained a few aspects of SLV - III. It was India’s first intermediate - range ballistic missile, which was launched in 1989.

From 1992 - 1997, Kalam was a scientific adviser to the defense minister. He later served as principal scientific adviser (1999 - 2001) to the government as cabinet minister. 

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam became a national hero as he solidified nuclear power in India, by making nuclear weapons. 

In July 2002, A.P.J Abdul Kalam became the 11th president of India

Kalam wrote several books, including “Ignited Minds” (2002), “Turning Points” (2012) and an auto-biography called “Wings of Fire” (1999).

QUOTES

“If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“All birds find shelter during a rain. But eagle avoids the rain by flying above the clouds” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, and knowledge make you great” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L means First Attempt In Learning. End is not the end. In fact, E.N.D means Effort Never Dies. If you get no as an answer, remember N.O. means Next Opportunity. So let’s think positive” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

In 1998, he emphasized the technology development in India. Thus, he put forward a plan called Technology Vision, 2020.                  .

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam received several awards. Among them are the nation’s greatest honors; Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), the Bharat Ratna (1997), and the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration (1997).

THE FINAL EXIT

“Let us sacrifice our today, so our children can have a better tomorrow,” Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had once stated. This leader passed away on 27th July, 2015, due to a cardiac arrest, while delivering a speech in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. This man by going through his own sacrifices, ups, and downs, has shaped a better tomorrow for our generation. So, salute to Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam! May his soul fly, fly, and keep flying.

By Samvritha Sudhakar