APJ Abdul Kalam: The missile man who gave us courage to dream     

Imagine a young man, stuttering, practising his oratory skills by the beach, so that he didn’t have to hear himself over the sounds of the ocean; and then picture the confident scientist of India who every Indian reveres-Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Disturbed in his initial years over his stuttering problem, his lack of confidence while speaking, Dr Abdul Kalam used to practise speaking by the beach. He decided to do it until the day he could hear his own voice, strongly, firmly over the sounds of the waves.

This particular anecdote, narrated by Dr Kalam while addressing a room full of students, is a testament to the kind of person he was- a person who was never dejected by failure.

“For me, there is no such thing as a negative experience. Firmly believe that unless one has tasted the bitter pill of failure, one cannot aspire enough for success. The test of a human being is in accepting the failure and going on trying until he or she succeeds,” Dr Kalam later said.

APJ Abdul Kalam was a man of many talents. From authoring over 18 books to writing various songs and poems; he was an avid reader and a writer. He was conferred with Bharat Ratna before he became President.

He spoke with a lot of fervour and was responsible for instilling the courage to dream in many people. From a humble background, he reached one of the highest posts of the country. Kalam, fondly known with the title of 'Missile Man of India' worked on Pokhran-II nuclear tests, a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India in 1998. An average student in India, who probably can not name all the Presidents of India, will surely know Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Young students are who he decided to envision his paths for, and various writings and speeches by him indicate how he wanted the youth of the country to prioritise education. “If India is to become developed by 2020, it will do so only by riding on the shoulders of the young.”

When one watches the movie “I am Kalam”, one realises the impact he left on students. People watching him knew that dreaming is imperative to making dreams come true. Courage to conquer the problems and succeed is what he prescribed. In his book, Ignited Minds, he repeatedly emphasised on the importance of curiosity, the will and the desire to learn.

Some of his memorable quotes are reproduced here to remind ourselves about the Mantra of success that he prescribed:

“An ignited mind is the most powerful resource on earth, above the earth and under the earth.”

“Give one hour a day exclusively for book reading and you will become a knowledge centre in a few years.”

“Music and dance can be used as an instrument for ensuring global peace and act as a binding force.”

“It is not a disgrace to not reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.”

At various junctures in his life, he focussed on how societal parity can be achieved with empathy. He says, a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle; and that is what he means when he says that by sharing burdens, by joining hands would one achieve social development. A comment by him can never be forgotten in this context and in the present times of hatred, doubts and friction: “What matters in this life more than winning for ourselves, is helping others win.”

This empathy which he talked about repeatedly along with perseverance and strong will is what our country needs most to walk confidently on the path of development equality and prosperity.