About the Author: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) was a legendary Indian aerospace scientist who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Known affectionately as the 'Missile Man of India' and the 'People's President', his life is a monumental testament to hard work, humility, and patriotism. This chapter is an extract from his famous autobiography, Wings of Fire.

My dear students, this chapter is truly special. It takes us back to a time before Kalam became a legendary scientist, back when he was just an ordinary boy in the small island town of Rameswaram. As you read this, notice how his simple upbringing, his parents' profound wisdom, and the secular harmony of his childhood friends molded him into a great human being. It teaches us that a beautiful future is always built on a foundation of strong moral values.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born into a middle-class Tamil Muslim family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras State. He describes himself as a short boy with undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents, Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma. His father was an austere man who lacked formal education and wealth but possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He provided a very secure childhood, ensuring all necessities were met while avoiding inessential luxuries. His mother was equally generous, often feeding more outsiders every day than her own family members. They lived in their 19th-century ancestral pucca house on Mosque Street.

Kalam's childhood was set against the backdrop of the Second World War, which broke out in 1939 when he was just eight years old. He earned his first money by collecting tamarind seeds and selling them to a provision shop for a daily sum of one anna. Later, when the train halt at Rameswaram station was suspended due to the war, bundles of the Dinamani newspaper had to be thrown from the moving train. His cousin, Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers, needed a helping hand to catch the bundles. Kalam took the job, earning his first real wages. Decades later, he still felt a surge of pride in earning his own money for the first time.

Kalam grew up in a deeply secular environment. He had three close childhood friends: Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. All three were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families, but religious differences never mattered to them. In fact, Ramanadha's father, Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, was the high priest of the Rameswaram temple. However, societal prejudice occasionally reared its head. In the fifth standard, a new teacher arrived and could not stomach a Muslim boy sitting next to a Hindu priest's son. He forced Kalam to sit on the back bench, leaving both boys in tears. When Lakshmana Sastry heard of this, he summoned the teacher and strictly warned him not to spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children, forcing the teacher to apologize and reform his ways.

Another profound influence was Kalam's science teacher, Siva Subramania Iyer. An orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife, Iyer was a rebel at heart who wanted to break social barriers. He invited Kalam to his home for a meal. His wife, horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy eating in her ritually pure kitchen, refused to serve him. Unperturbed, Iyer served Kalam with his own hands and sat beside him to eat. When leaving, Iyer invited Kalam again for the next weekend, telling him, "Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted." The next week, Iyer's wife herself took Kalam inside the kitchen and served him food with her own hands, proving that love and patience can overcome deep-rooted prejudice.

The chapter concludes with the end of the Second World War. India's freedom was imminent. Kalam asked his father for permission to leave Rameswaram and study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram. His father understood that for Kalam to grow, he had to leave the nest, comparing him to a seagull flying across the sun alone. To console Kalam's hesitant mother, his father quoted the philosopher Khalil Gibran: "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts." With these profound words, Kalam stepped out into the wider world.

Notice how Kalam introduces his parents. He doesn't boast about wealth or status. He highlights his father's "innate wisdom" and "austere" lifestyle, and his mother's immense generosity. The ancestral house on Mosque street and the lack of "inessential comforts" paints a picture of a humble, grounded upbringing. Kalam emphasizes that his childhood was materially and emotionally "secure." This is a crucial point for exams: security doesn't come from luxury; it comes from love and discipline.

What APJ Abdul Kalam is really doing in this paragraph is showing the dignity of labor. When WWII broke out in 1939, he didn't sit idle. He collected tamarind seeds to earn a princely sum of 'one anna'. Then came the newspaper job with his cousin Samsuddin. Catching bundles thrown from a moving train was hard work. Fifty years later, he still feels the "surge of pride" in earning his own money. This teaches students the unparalleled joy and dignity of self-reliance.

Here, Kalam introduces his three orthodox Brahmin friends, showing the pure, secular fabric of Rameswaram. But then, the "new teacher" arrives with a narrow mind. He segregates Kalam because of his Muslim cap. Think about what this moment means for the character: a child is suddenly made aware of religious differences by an adult. The beautiful intervention of Lakshmana Sastry (the high priest) is powerful. A religious leader scolds the teacher for spreading the "poison of social inequality." This proves that true religion teaches unity, not division.

This is arguably the most important incident in the chapter. Siva Subramania Iyer is an orthodox Brahmin, but his mind is highly progressive. His wife refuses to serve a Muslim in her pure kitchen. Iyer does not yell at his wife; he simply leads by example, serving Kalam himself. His advice—"Once you decide to change the system, such problems have to be confronted"—is a life lesson. By the next week, his wife's heart changes. Prejudice is defeated by persistent kindness.

The war ends, and Kalam must leave Rameswaram for higher studies. His mother is naturally hesitant, but his father's reaction is extraordinary. He compares Kalam to a seagull flying alone. Quoting Khalil Gibran, he tells his wife that children belong to 'Life's longing for itself'. Parents must not force their thoughts on their children but let them fly and achieve their own destinies. This is an incredibly mature and progressive view on parenting.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (As a child)

As a young boy in Rameswaram, Kalam is depicted as observant, hardworking, and deeply grounded in moral values.

Hardworking and Independent: He did not shy away from labor. Whether it was collecting tamarind seeds to earn a single anna or catching newspaper bundles from a moving train, he found immense pride in earning his own wages.

Secular and Open-minded: Raised in a Muslim household, he naturally bonded with orthodox Hindu friends. He did not see religious differences until a prejudiced adult pointed them out. He happily listened to stories from the Ramayana alongside tales of the Prophet.

Ambitious: His desire to leave the small island of Rameswaram for higher studies in Ramanathapuram shows his early ambition and thirst for knowledge.

Jainulabdeen (Kalam's Father)

Kalam's father represents traditional wisdom and spiritual depth.

Austere but Caring: He avoided all inessential luxuries and comforts, living a strict, disciplined life. However, he ensured his family lacked nothing in terms of necessities like food, medicine, and clothes.

Wise and Progressive: Despite lacking formal education, his response to Kalam leaving home shows profound wisdom. By quoting Khalil Gibran, he demonstrates a highly progressive view on parenting—believing that children must be allowed to forge their own paths independently of their parents' emotional possessiveness.

Siva Subramania Iyer (The Science Teacher)

Iyer is the moral hero of the chapter's second half, representing the fight against social evils.

A Quiet Rebel: Though he was an orthodox Brahmin with a highly conservative wife, his mind was remarkably liberal. He actively wanted to break social barriers so people from varying backgrounds could mingle easily.

Patient and Resolute: When his wife insulted Kalam by refusing to serve him, Iyer did not lose his temper. He led by example, serving Kalam with his own hands. His calm perseverance eventually changed his wife's heart, proving his belief that changing a rigid system requires confronting problems with patience and courage.

1. Communal Harmony and Secularism: The chapter is a glowing tribute to India's secular fabric. In Rameswaram, Hindus and Muslims lived in utter harmony. Kalam’s family arranging boats for Hindu festivals and Kalam having three Brahmin best friends show that communal divisions are not natural; they are created by prejudiced minds (like the new teacher) and can be dismantled by wise leaders (like the high priest and the science teacher).

2. The Influence of Parents and Teachers: Kalam stresses that his success was rooted in his secure childhood. His parents gave him the foundation of honesty, self-discipline, and faith in goodness. His teachers, especially S.S. Iyer, taught him the practical courage needed to confront social inequalities. Both forces shaped his worldview.

3. Dignity of Labor: Kalam's joy at earning his first wages by throwing newspapers from a moving train highlights the theme of self-reliance and the dignity of hard work, regardless of how small the job or the payment is.

Abdul Kalam's story sends a powerful message that true wealth lies in a generous spirit and innate wisdom, not in material possessions. His father was poor, but he gave Kalam a childhood so emotionally and materially secure that it allowed him to soar to great heights.

For Indian students, this chapter holds a critical lesson on unity. The incident with the new teacher and the science teacher proves that discrimination is a learned behavior. It tells us that whenever we face a flawed system or societal prejudice, we must not bow down to it. As S.S. Iyer said, "Such problems have to be confronted." Change happens when good people refuse to accept inequality.