Chapter 6: My Childhood

Wings of Fire

This chapter is an extract from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's autobiography. It paints a vivid picture of his early life in Rameswaram, his family, and the people who influenced his formative years.

Inheritance

Kalam notes: "I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father; from my mother, I inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness."

Rameswaram Roots

Born into a middle-class Tamil family, Kalam grew up in a secure environment. He recalls collecting tamarind seeds and delivering newspapers during the Second World War as his first experiences with earning.

Breaking Barriers

The story highlights the communal harmony of Rameswaram. Despite the rigid social groups of the time, Kalam’s friendship with Hindu Brahmin boys (like Ramanadha Sastry) and the rebellious kindness of his science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, helped him see beyond religious differences.

His father's wisdom famously guided his move for further studies: "Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?"

Poem: No Men Are Foreign

Unity in Existence

Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie. They, too, aware of sun and air and water, Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d. Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read A labour not different from our own.

By James Kirkup

Vocabulary Masterlist

Erstwhile: Former

Austere: Simple and strict

Innate: Inborn quality

Dispossess: To deprive

Key Learnings

Great characters are built on the foundations of simple, honest values.
Scientific inquiry thrives when society embraces diversity and unity.
Humanity is a single entity; borders are artificial constructs.