My Early Days (from Wings of Fire by Abdul Kalam)

 About the Author:

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (APJ Abdul Kalam) was the twelfth President of India serving from 2002 to 2007. He was born in a middle-class family in Rameswaram. He is known as the ‘missile man of India’. He worked as a defence scientist. He is a recipient of Bharat Ratna. His “Wings of Fire” is an autobiography. This book, perhaps, is a spiritual guide for the young minds of India.

Introduction:

The first chapter, “My Early Days” is an excerpt from Kalam’s “Wings of Fire”. It is a recollection of his childhood in Rameswaram, a small island town in Tamil Nadu. He shares how his parents, friends, neighbours, relatives, and teachers formed his personality.

Family Background:

Kalam was born in 1931 into a simple but respected Muslim family. His father, Jainulabdeen was a boat owner and an Imam of local mosque. He was deeply spiritual yet practical. Being an Imam of the mosque, many people, both Hindus and Muslims from the locality stood in queue to be sprinkled with holy water by his father. They believed that the holy water would cure the sickness or ill-omen fell on them or their families. His mother, Ashiamma, was caring and generous, often feeding others alongside her own family. According to Kalam, his father is a man of wisdom though he does not have any formal education. His father does not like luxuries and so Kalam led a simple life in his childhood and follows simplicity throughout his life.

Early Environment:

Kalam describes Rameswaram as a serene place with no rigid social divisions. People of different religions lived in harmony and he had close friends belonged to Hindu families. Kalam lived in a locality where Muslims found many in number. Yet a few Hindus also lived amicably with their Muslim neighbours. The famous Shiva Temple of Rameswaram is just ten-minute walk from Kalam’s house.

Values Learned:

From his father, Kalam absorbed values of simplicity, honesty and faith in God without superstition. His mother taught him kindness, empathy, and the joy of serving others. Kalam reveals that his father’s ideas have influenced him even in his work as a scientist. The high priest of Shiva Temple, Pakshi Lakshmana Shastry was a very close friend of Kalam’s father. They spoke on spiritual matters which Kalam could listen carefully, though he could not understand many of them. Once when Kalam was very young, he asked his father about the meaning of prayer. According to his father, prayer helps transcend the body and soul to mingle with the cosmos. His father also taught Kalama the philosophy of life, saying, “Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection”.

Tragedy:

Kalam then goes on to talk about a terrible tragedy that he experienced as a child – the cyclone that ruined his father’s boat and also caused the great human tragedy at the Pamban bridge. Yet, the family learned how to face and lead life from such tragedy.   

Kalam’s Friends:

Kalam recounts his friendship with Ahmed Jallaluddin who was an inspiration for young Kalam. His friend, Jallaluddin was fifteen years older than him. Jallaluddin always spoke about God as if he had a close link with God. He always encouraged Kalam to study well. Though Jallaluddin has limited education due to his poverty, yet he spoke about educated people, scientific discoveries, literature, and achievements in medical science which really moulded the young mind of Kalam.  Jallaluddin was the only person in the island who was able to write letter and petitions in English for others.

Library and War:

Books were a scarce commodity in the small temple city of Rameswaram and people were dependent on the personal library run by S.T.R. Manickam. Kalam also equipped his mind using this library. Kalam also recounts the newspaper agent Samsuddin who collected newspaper at Rameswaram station by the morning train from Pamban. Kalam recalls the outbreak of World War II and the Indian army’s forced participation in it though India did not like it. According to Kalam his small island town, Rameswaram was unaffected by the War, yet it brought lot of changes into the life of Rameswaram.

Conclusion:

Thus, in this chapter, Kamal recounts about his early childhood  - his parents and their personalities, his understanding on science and religion, his friendship, his relationship with kith and kin. His frank acceptance of how these people helped him mould his personality to become the ‘missile man of India’ adds beauty to this autobiography.