A.P.J. Abdul Kalam [Abdul Kalam - Learning How to Fly: Life Lessons for the Youth

Learning How to Fly

Born on 15 October 1931, at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr Kalam was a distinguished scientist and was awarded the Padma Bhushan (1981), the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Indias highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna (1997).

Dr Kalam became the eleventh President of India on 25 July 2002. His focus and greatest ambition was finding ways to transform India into a developed nation.

Other books by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (from Rupa Publications)

My Journey: Transforming Dreams Into Action
The Righteous Life: The Very Best of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Governance for Growth in India
The Guiding Light: A Selection of Quotations from My Favourite Books My Life: An Illustrated Autobiography

Published by

Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2016

7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

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Copyright APJM Nazema Maraikayar 2016

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him/her which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

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ISBN: 978-81-291-???-?

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Contents

Publishers Note

Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam did many things in his lifehe was a scientist, a leader, the President of India and a teacher. Of all these roles, the one that gave him the greatest joy was that of a teacher. For him, there was nothing as important as talking to the youth and telling them about the world of opportunities that awaited them if they pursued the right kind of knowledge. He spent much of his time in the years after he had completed his term as President, travelling all over the country, meeting students, interacting with them, talking to them and listening to them.

The lectures that he gave at these interactions distilled the thoughts behind what he felt was important for the young. He spoke about the concept of the ignited mind. A mind that has been exposed to the highest thought processes, sources of inspiration, been told about the great inventions and discoveries of the world and how the greatest men and women achieved their greatness, is a mind that has been ignited by the light of knowledge.

In this book, some of his best, most detailed and interesting lectures addressed to the youth in various parts of the country have been collected. These lectures were given to school students, college students, those studying in professional colleges like engineering or medicine, and even to students outside the country. Also included here are lectures that he gave to teachers, librarians and caregivers of children.

From these lectures, what emerges is a mind that was forever thirsty for knowledge, almost childlike in its curiosity about new studies and discoveries, and a mind that thought and felt deeply about the challenges the youth face today and the ways in which they can overcome them. He delivered a deeply optimistic lesson about believing in oneself and developing confidence to become future leaders. He firmly believed that The problem should not be the master. Take charge and become the master of the problem.

These lectures make for fascinating reading that will take the youth through key episodes of Dr Kalams life, his inspirations and the stories of his mentors. They will also help them understand the challenges the country faces and the best ways in which they can make a truly compassionate, equal and great society.

Learning How to Fly will tell every reader, in Dr Kalams own words, that each of us have wings and that we are capable of flying high.

I Will Fly

I am born with wings
So, I am not meant for crawling,
I have wings, I will fly.

D ear students and teachers, I would like to share few thoughts on how to achieve the goals in life. There are some proven steps:

Finding an aim in life before you are twenty years old;

Acquire knowledge continuously to reach this goal;

Work hard and persevere so you can defeat all the problems and succeed.

There is a famous verse I will fly by the thirteenth-century Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi:

I will fly

I am born with potential

I am born with goodness and trust

I am born with ideas and dreams

I am born with greatness

I am born with confidence

I am born with wings

So, I am not meant for crawling,

I have wings, I will fly

I will fly and fly.

Young friends, education is the instrument that gives you wings to fly. Only when your subconscious mind says I will win and you believe you can reach your goal, does it become a reality. Each one of you assembled here and elsewhere, have wings of fire. The wings of fire lead to knowledge which will make you fly as doctors, or engineers, or scientists, or teachers, or political leaders, or bureaucrats or diplomats. Or you could walk on the moon and Mars or do anything else you may want to.

When we see electric bulbs, immediately our thoughts go to the inventor Thomas Alva Edison. He invented the electric bulb and electrical lighting system.

When we hear the sound of aeroplanes flying overhead whom do you think of? The Wright brothers proved that man could fly.

Whom does the telephone remind you of? Alexander Graham Bell.

When people all over the world considered sea travel only as an experience or a voyage, one person during his sea travel from United Kingdom to India started pondering why the horizon where the sky and sea meet looked blue. His research resulted in the discovery of the phenomena of scattering of light. For this, Sir C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize.

There was an Indian mathematician who did not have formal higher education but had an inexhaustible spirit and love for mathematics. This took him on a path where he ended up contributing to the treasure houses of mathematical researchsome of which are still under serious study and engaging mathematicians efforts all over the world to establish formal proofs. He was a genius who melted the heart of the most hardened and outstanding Cambridge mathematician Professor G.H. Hardy. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was Professor Hardy who discovered a great mathematician in number theory Srinivasa Ramanujan and brought his genius to the world.

All these people were thirsty for knowledge and their works and names are now immortal.

I have met 21.5 million youth in a decades time. From these meetings and interactions such as this one, I learnt that every youth wants to be unique. You can only be YOU! But the world all around you is doing its best, day and night, to make you just like everybody else. At home, you are asked by your parents to be like the neighbours children and score good marks like them. When you go to school, your teachers say, Why cant you be among the top five in the class? Wherever you go, they are saying, You have to be somebody else or like everybody else. But young friends, I know that all of you would like to be the unique yourself.