My Science School

The book does begin with a dream; a dream that Kalam had after he and his aircraft crew met with a helicopter crash! After the frightening moments, the engines shutting down and the final crash, all of them started to look at life in a different way. All were alive, but their thinking had changed forever!

Kalam was given a tranquilizer. His mind was filled with one question: Why is the human race so prone to violence? While still under the effect of the tranquilizer, he had a strange dream.

In his dream came five people- Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor Asoka, Abraham Lincoln and Caliph Omar. Kalam realized that the answer for his question were these people from different ages who continue to influence generations to come.

The book ends with some lines from Song of Youth, a poem by Dr. Kalam.

“As a young citizen of India,

armed with technology

and love for my nation,

I realize, a small aim is a crime.”

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Did you know the fact that this book is dedicated to a school child?

Well, here’s the story behind it. Kalam was talking to a group of school students and a question arose. “Who is our enemy?” Out of the many answers, the one accepted by all was “our enemy is our poverty.” The child who gave this answer was Snehal Thakkar and Kalam dedicated this work to Snehal.

You can find a lot of inspirational messages in this book. It is also a follow up of his previous work, ‘India 2020; A Vision for the New Millennium.’

Dynamic and original ideas fill this 205-page book. It analyses the attitudes of Indians and gives pointers on how to develop our country. The book is addressed to the young citizens of India. And after Dr. Kalam’s death it has soared in demand.

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Here we see Dr. Kalam on his journey to becoming the "Missile Man of India." What an excellent leader he was is evident when he takes up the responsibility for shaping the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. And as a result we see the development of five missiles - Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag and Agni. This is how he got his nickname “Missile Man of India.”

Dr. Kalam pays his respect to the great minds in Indian space research with mixed feelings of joy and nostalgia. There are many black and white snapshots where we can see his real-life work.

The last part starts with Dr. Kalam becoming the Scientific Advisor to India’s Minister of Defence in 1992. How much he contributed to making India a nuclear power is detailed here. We also see the extent of his involvement in the successful nuclear tests at Pokhran, Rajasthan, in 1998.

Vision of India 2020 was charted out by him as ex-officio chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SACC). Here we get the list of his ideas and advice for the future of India.

Thus, we see a middle-class boy hailing from a village, rocketing on to space and success. We realize the truth in his words that dreams are that which prevent us from sleeping.

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In the beginning, we see young Kalam in the rural fishing village of Rameswaram. His family, friends and teachers and the myriad experiences of the young child is painted for us. You would love to look at the old black and white photographs capturing the essence of those days.

His schooling in Rameswaram and his studying aeronautical engineering in Chennai at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet come in detail.

As a young Muslim boy, Kalam grew up in Rameswaram which is predominantly a temple town. But he enjoyed celebrating the different festivals and the religious harmony around him.

In the next part we see him as a man of science and innovation. He got his first job in the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

After working four years in DRDO, he joined ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). Here Dr. Kalam could interact with many bright minds of science; Professor Vikram Sarabhai, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Professor Satish Dhawan.

We then look into a detailed explanation of his defence and space projects. We read about his tenure as the Project Director of SLV-III, India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle. If you are a science-crazy child, then you will love going through the minute scientific details and acronyms presented here. We also look at how Dr. Kalam interacts with common people inside the organization and outside.

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‘Wings of Fire’ comes to us from the man who rewrote the definition of dreams. When Kalam talks about his early life, the hardships that he suffered and the courage that moved him forward in life, it stirs a movement inside every soul. We see a young boy in Rameswaram taking his first small steps towards a brilliant future.

The book is written by Dr. Kalam and Arun Tiwari, and it opens with a homage to his parents and in particular to his mother. ‘Wings of Fire’ is divided into four parts:

1931 to 63- Orientation

1963 to 80- Creation

1981 to 91- Propitiation

Beyond 1991- Contemplation

The book was first published in English in 1999. You could probably read it in your mother tongue as it is translated into 13 Indian languages! Choose your pick from Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, and Gujarati. It also has a Chinese version titled 'Huo Yi', by Ji Peng and also many French translations. There are also several photographs related with the life and work of Dr. Kalam.

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Dr. Kalam authored many books. Prominent among them are:

1. Wings of Fire: It is the autobiography of the Missile Man of India. It provides deep insight into various notable events of his life. The idea behind the book is to emphasise that we all are born with a fire inside us.
2. India 2020: It is Dr. Kalam’s vision of India, and does justice to most of the problems and challenges our country faces in its quest for developed-nation status.
3. Ignited Minds: The book is dedicated to children and was in great demand all over the world after the death of Dr. Kalam.
4. Mission India: This book stimulates the youth of India to bring about rapid changes inside the country and make the country proud. The book focuses on the strengths of India and her unseen potential.
5. Inspiring Thoughts: This is the accumulation of the inspiring thoughts and quotations by APJ Abdul Kalam.
6. You Are Born to Blossom: This book focuses on many aspects of life such as freedom, knowledge, spirituality, education and many more. In this book Dr. Kalam shows concerns over the present education system of India and how it suppresses the essence and individuality of students.
7. The Scientific Indian: This book is a combination of all the problems faced by India and how a scientific Indian should work to overcome them.
8. Failure to Success: This book takes us through the experience of Dr. Kalam when he and his team failed to launch SLV III, on the given date, but later made sure that it was a success.
9. Target 3 Billion: This book is the vision of Dr. Kalam on how he wants to see rural areas. This book outlines sustainable life-styles, community life, improvements in agriculture, etc.
10. Turning Points: It is like a sequel to the Wings of Fire.
11. You are Unique: The book inspires everyone to scale new heights by thoughts and actions.

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On the morning of 29 July, Dr. Kalam's body, wrapped in the Indian flag, was taken to Palam Air Base and flown to Madurai in an air force C-130J aircraft, arriving at Madurai Airport that afternoon. His body was received at the airport by the three service chiefs and national and state dignitaries, including many cabinet ministers and the governors of Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya.

After a short ceremony, Dr. Kalam’s body was carried by an Air Force helicopter to the town of Mandapam, from where it was taken to his hometown of Rameswaram on an army truck. After arriving at Rameswaram, his body was displayed in an open area near the local bus station to allow the public to pay their homage until 8 p.m. that evening.

On 30 July 2015, the former president was laid to rest at Rameswaram’s Pei Karumbu Ground accompanied by full state honours. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites. Dignitaries like the prime minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh attended his funeral.

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On 27 July 2015, Dr. Kalam travelled to Shillong to give a talk on "Creating a Liveable Planet Earth" at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. While he was climbing a flight of stairs, he experienced some discomfort, but he was able to enter the auditorium after a brief rest. At around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed. He was rushed to the Bethany Hospital which was nearby, in a critical condition; he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life upon arrival. Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. His last words, to his aide Srijan Pal Singh, were reportedly: "Funny guy! Are you doing well?"

After his death, Kalam's body was airlifted in an Indian Air Force helicopter from Shillong to Guwahati, from where it was flown to New Delhi on the morning of 28 July in an Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft. The flight landed at Palam Air Base in the afternoon and was received by the president, the vice-president, the prime minister, chief minister of Delhi, and the three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces, who laid wreaths on Kalam’s body. His body was then placed on a gun carriage covered with the Indian flag and was taken to his Delhi residence at 10 Rajaji Marg. The public and numerous dignitaries then paid homage to the legend.

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After his tenure as the president of India, Dr. Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the Indian Institute of Management Indore. He also worked as a honorary fellow of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University, and at many other academic and research institutions across India. He also taught information technology at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and technology at Banaras Hindu University and Anna University.

In 2011, Kalam was criticised by civil groups over his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. He supported the establishment of the nuclear power plant and was accused of not speaking for the local people. The protesters were against his visit as they perceived him as a pro-nuclear scientist and were not impressed by the assurances he provided about the safety of the plant.

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At the end of his term, on 20 June 2007, Kalam stated he was willing to consider a second term in office if he was the unanimous choice. This was not so, and hence he backed off from the contest as he wanted to avoid involving the Rashtrapati Bhavan in any political controversies.

Nearing the expiry of the term of the 12th president Pratibha Patil on 24th July 2012, media reports claimed that Kalam would be nominated for a second term as the president. After the reports, social networking sites witnessed a huge support from people for his candidature. On 18 June 2012, Kalam declined to contest the 2012 presidential poll. He said of his decision:

“Many, many citizens have also expressed the same wish. It only reflects their love and affection for me and the aspiration of the people. I am really overwhelmed by this support. This being their wish, I respect it. I want to thank them for the trust they have in me.”

Dr. Kalam was unable to travel much as a scientist and technologist, because he was in charge of highly sensitive areas in the space and defence departments. Yet, as the president he handled foreign affairs really well. He took care of diplomatic niceties and sometimes brought about surprises.

When he visited Africa, he understood that the continent did not have enough facilities for higher education and health care. One night in Dares Salaam, Tanzania, he envisioned the idea of providing tele-education and telemedicine to all 54 countries in the continent through a dedicated satellite, which can serve exclusive programmes to classrooms and hospitals in each of these countries. He made plans for a satellite donated by India, along with uplinking centres in each country for the satellite to send down programmes prepared both in India and that country. Converting the thought into action took only a few hours as he enquired with G. Madhavan Nair, the then chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, about the viability of the project and then got the clearance from the then prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Before his term ended, he had the satisfaction of seeing the Africa satellite, donated by India, being able to telecast programmes to ten African countries.

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Dr. Kalam was part of the national security strategy team, and his position as the President of India made him the supreme commander of the armed forces. He showed great enthusiasm in the welfare of the troops and in the improvement of military technology. He led by example by flying the advanced Sukhoi jet fighter, travelling in a submarine and riding the Arjun tank. This tank was designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation while he headed the organisation. He reached to the remotest outposts of the Army such as the Siachen Glacier. He had also advised Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh on security and high technology issues.

According to the Constitution, Parliament consists of the President, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. This brought his special interest in not only the two houses, but also the state assemblies. He went to great lengths to create vision documents for different states and presented these documents to the state legislatures. But sadly, he did not have time for a proper follow-up.

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The president hosts a reception on the lawns of the Mughal Gardens on Independence Day and Republic Day, attended by the vice president, prime minister, ministers, MPs, judges, diplomats, top bureaucrats and senior Army officers along with renowned artistes and media persons.

The first such reception hosted by Kalam was to be held three weeks after he assumed the office on July 25, 2002. He studied the guest list and inquired about ordinary people not being invited. When the officials replied that only those of the rank of additional secretary and above were invited, Kalam ordered that henceforth a group of ordinary workers should be invited to every reception. As a result, 40 postmen and post-women were invited to the function. Next time, it was the turn of municipal workers.

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Within a month of assuming office, Kalam made it clear that the existing protocols had to be reworked to make the president easily accessible.

He had started to use the social media, even before they became popular. He welcomed the 21st century with a personal pledge to connect with millions of children and launched his vision of what India should become in 2020. His tours and engagements had more followers than most of the celebrity social media accounts.

Dr. Kalam opened the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan like no other president before or after him. He wanted children from across the country to visit the 340-room house he lived in and the renowned Mughal Gardens. Whenever he found time, he would surprise groups of children by walking to them from his ground floor office and conversing with them. He made sure that all children returned with pleasant memories and a small memento. Along with children and science, his passion for nature and spirituality was also legendary. He set up two herbal gardens and one ‘spiritual garden’ in the Bio-diversity Park next to the Mughal Gardens.

Other things that he added to the Mughal Gardens were driftwood exhibits, hanging baskets and foliage and a wide array of fragrant roses. Another remarkable inclusion was the ‘Tactile Garden’, a unique herbal garden for the visually impaired. It was opened in April 2004 to allow visually challenged people to get a feel of trees and shrubs.

Finally, the presidential kitchen was also modernised to improve the working conditions for those who were always living amongst condiments and spices.