Prashanta Pawar V
Research Scholar, Dept. of Studies and Research in English, Rani Channamma University,
P.G. Centre, Toravi, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India
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&
Fayyaz Ahmed H Ilkal
Assistant Professor, Dept of Studies and Research in English, Rani Channamma University,
P.G. Centre, Toravi, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India
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Abstract: There is no need for an introduction or backdrop for the autobiographical work called Wings of Fire. It’s an autobiography of former president, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam of India who is known as a missile man, a great scientist, and a visionary. Despite the fact that he was our country's most popular president, simply known as the People's President and as a result of this, people wished him to be the president again but he denied. It demonstrates his simplicity and proper approach to life and the nation. He was a man who received numerous honours and accolades throughout his life. Mr. Arun Tiwari's efforts in writing down Dr. Kalam's journey have given the people the opportunity to read and learn about every detail of Dr. Kalam's life. We would not have had the opportunity to feel Dr. Kalam's hardship if he had not considered writing down his journey.
Key Words: Dr. Kalam, Wings of Fire, Struggle, Passion, Life Journey, inspiration.
Introduction:
Wings of Fire is the autobiography of a person who dares to dream large and works tirelessly to realise his dreams. "Arise awake and do not stop until the goal is accomplished," Swami Vivekananda urges (Bhuyan, 2003, 308). Dr. Kalam aptly and realistically follows these words. This autobiography, Wings of Fire, tells the story of a young kid from a small hamlet in Tamil Nadu named Rameswaram. He aspired to make his country stronger and more advanced, and he worked tirelessly to achieve his goal. These efforts, as well as the way he approached life, are extremely essential and instructive for today's youth. In reality, Dr. Kalam's entire biography is a journey in which each stage teaches the youth some constructive and optimistic lessons.
"On a certain day, while speaking with him, I asked him whether he had a message for young Indians," Mr. Arun Tiwari declared in the preface of Wings of Fire. His message piqued my interest. Later, I summoned the confidence to inquire about his memories so that I could record them before they were irreversibly buried beneath the sands of time (Kalam, 1999, ix). Dr. Kalam was born on 15th October, 1931 in a middle-class Muslim family on the island town of Rameswaram in the former Madras state to Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma. His father, Jainulabdeen was a poor and ignorant boat owner, but his mother, Ashiamma was a loving and holy woman. Along with her sons and children, she used to feed a large number of people on a regular basis. Dr. Kalam was fortunate enough to live in a very religious and spiritual environment. Dr. Kalam undoubtedly received numerous lessons at his home. "Every child is born with certain features into a specific socio-economic and emotional milieu, and is schooled in certain ways by figures of authority along the way," he explains. My father instilled in me honesty and self-discipline; my mother instilled in me trust in goodness and genuine kindness, as did my three brothers and sisters. But it was the time I spent with Jalaluddin and Samsuddin that may have defined my boyhood and shaped my subsequent life. Jalaluddin and Samsuddin's unschooled knowledge was so intuitive and attentive to nonverbal instructions that I can confidently trace my later realised creativity to their company during my boyhood (Kalam, 1999, 8)". Many persons impacted him in the beginning, including his father, PakshiLaksmana Shastri, a friend of his father's and a well-known priest of Rameswaram, Ahmed Jalaluddin, Dr. Kalam's brother-in-law, Samsuddin, a science teacher, and Sivasubramania Iyer. Ramanandha Sastry, Aravandan, and Shivprakasan, all from strong orthodox Hindu Brahmin families, became true friends of Dr. Kalam. "It was he who made me aware of a "brave new universe" beyond our restricted boundaries," Dr. Kalam says about Jalaluddin in particular (Kalam, WoF, 07). Unfortunately, he was a victim of caste discrimination several times during his upbringing, but he was always fortunate enough to have a decent companion to help him overcome the situation. He completed his primary school at Rameswaram Elementary School and then transferred to Ramanathapuram, where he continued his study at Schwartz High School. Despite his homesickness and trouble adjusting to a new environment, he was committed to his father's wishes and expectations. "My father saw me as a collector in the making," he says, "and I felt it was my job to fulfil my father's goal, even if I missed the familiarity, stability, and comforts of Rameswaram" (Kalam, WoF, 11). It demonstrates his compassion, understanding, and tremendous desire to fulfil his father's wish. I believe it will send a powerful message to young people who have been deviating from their ambitions due to unimportant stuff.
"There is no greater strength than the commitment to a dream," he says in his book entitled as Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India. Dreams include a portion of the energy that sits at the core of everything, and they are the tying force that connects the spiritual and physical worlds." His instructors Iyadurai Solomon and Ramakrishna Iyer inspired him while he was at Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram. Dr. Kalam correctly recalls Iyadurai Solomon's memories by stating the sentences he uttered. "A good student could learn more from a terrible teacher than a poor student could learn from even a brilliant teacher," he argues. You must comprehend and master three strong forces in order to thrive in life and obtain results: desire, belief, and expectation" (Kalam, WoF, 12). In 1950, he enrolled at St. Joseph's College in Trichi, where he was taught by Rev. Father TN Sequeira, an eminent English teacher, and during his time there, he sampled English literature by reading Tolstoy, Scott, Hardy, and some philosophical works. This location has also served as a testament to his true interest in physics. The most fascinating aspect of Dr. Kalam's story is that after completing his B. Sc. degree, he discovered that Physics was not his topic of choice for a career, and he believed that he should have enrolled in an Engineering programme long ago to accomplish his ambitions. He applied for the mentioned course at Madras Institute of Technology, which was one of the greatest technical colleges at the time, to give justice to his inner will. He was also accepted, but the institute's fees were prohibitively expensive, and he couldn't afford to pay a thousand rupees as a one-time payment. His sister Zohara aided him at this time by mortgaging her gold bangles and chain. It was a pivotal and humiliating time in his life, and as a result, he became more aware of his obligations and the expectations that his family members have of him. He chose the field of Aeronautical Engineering for his studies without thinking about it or planning ahead of time; rather, he chose it on the spur of the moment and decided to pursue a career in it. Prof. Sponder, who taught him technical aerodynamics, a well-experienced Professor Dr. Kurt Tank, Prof. KAV Pandalai, who taught him aero-structure design and analysis, and Prof. Narasingha Rao, who taught him theoretical aerodynamics, were among his favourite lecturers. In his last year, he was once again presented with a do-or-die situation when he failed to complete his assignment on time, increasing his chances of losing his scholarship. Prof. Srinivasan refused to extend the period for another month, and he was eventually told, "Look, young guy, it's Friday afternoon." I'll give you three days. Your scholarship will be terminated if I do not receive the configuration drawing by Monday am." (Kalam, WoF, 20). Dr. Kalam worked tirelessly without wasting time, attempting to accomplish the task by the deadline. Prof. Srinivasan, on the other hand, was watching his efforts and sincerity, and after seeing his improvement, he hugged him and said, "I knew I was stressing you out by expecting you to reach an unrealistic deadline." I didn't expect you to do that well" (Kalam, WoF, 20). I believe that one can correctly learn sincerity and determination to completing the assigned assignment. It is also true that no one can stop you from finishing a task and achieving success in life if you desire to achieve something and put up genuine effort. This, I believe, is what we should take away from Dr. Kalam's conduct. Dr. Kalam then moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore for training, where he received instruction from some of the best technicians and engineers in the country and graduated as a graduate aeronautical engineer.
He received two interview calls as soon as he finished his graduation. One was for the Indian Air Force, while the other was for the Ministry of Defence's Directorate of Technical Development and Production. He opted to attend both interviews and faced the DTD&P (Air) interview in Delhi, where he performed admirably before proceeding to Dehra Dun for the Air Force interview. He was disappointed since he had been rejected due of his characteristics. "The chance to join the Air Force had just passed through my fingertips," he says. (Kalam, 217, March 2016, Volume 1 Issue 3) Dr. Kalam entered the services as a Senior Scientific Assistant on a basic pay of Rs. 250/- per month after being selected for DTDP (Air). He has always been regarded to be quite upbeat and strives to think positively even in the most stunning conditions. "Man needs obstacles because they are vital for achievement," he once said (Kalam, WoF, 90). He began his career at the Technical Centre in Kanpur, where he spent three years before moving to Bangalore to work at the Aeronautical Development Establishment. The Director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment invited him to lead the team. They were granted three years to complete the project, and Dr. Kalam and his team worked tirelessly to create the hovercraft known as Nandi. However, following VK Krishna Menon, it was neglected. He was hired as a rocket engineer at INCOSPAR in Mumbai after doing well at ADE. Another notable event involving Dr. Kalam occurred in 1962, when INCOSPAR chose to establish the Equatorial Rocket Launching Station at Thumba, which marked the commencement of modern rocket-based research in India and included Dr. Kalam. Dr. Kalam was just beginning to teach others the ways to success when he was offered a six-month training programme at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States of America on sounding rocket launching techniques (NASA). Dr. Kalam finished his training in the United States with flying colours, and India's maiden rocket launch occurred on November 21, 1963. It was a NASA sounding rocket known as Nike-Apache. All of the working members, including Dr. Kalam, were fortunate to have a leader like Prof. Sarabhai, whose optimism and sensational approach to science and technology inspired all of them to consider the next step of the Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle (ISLV), while the rockets were being prepared in the United States, Russia, and Germany. Prof. Sarabhai and his colleagues' vision was quickly realised, and the Sriharikota Rocket Launch Station was created. Soon after, the Indian Rocket Society was established, with Prof. Sarabhai envisioning the development of an Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle and promoting Dr. Kalam to team leader. Meanwhile, Dr. Kalam had the opportunity to work with Dr. Curieln, a French scientist who was working on the same project in his nation. During the dynamic development of SLV-3's fourth stage, the French government declared that the stage was no longer required. Dr. Kalam felt irritated but managed to keep his cool. Prof. Sarabhai went suddenly on December 30, 1971, which was another missed opportunity. It was a major setback for him, as well as a big thrashing of Indian science. "I regard Prof. Sarabhai as India's Mahatma Gandhi, instilling leadership qualities in his team and encouraging them via both ideas and example," says Dr. Kalam (Kalam, WoF, 63). Meanwhile, his brother-in-law, Jalaluddin, died, and he now has to face yet another tragedy. In 1976, his father, Jainulabdeen, too fell asleep for a lengthy time. He was meant to be in France for the flight test of the SLV-3 Apogee rocket, but he found out about his mother's death just before leaving in the afternoon. He immediately proceeded for Rameswaram, where he administered the death rites, and returned to Thumba the next day. The next morning, I was back at Thumba, physically drained and emotionally broken, but determined to achieve our goal of flying an Indian rocket motor on foreign land, as he put it (Kalam, WoF, 87). It's absolutely astounding, and it's impossible for ordinary people like us to accomplish. What kind of personality he has and how he thinks. I'm not sure how he managed to take all of these blows. He is not, in fact, a man who is made by fate, but it would not be inaccurate to say that he is a man who fashioned his own fate. On the other side, the first SLV-3 experiment failed, adding to Dr. Kalam's disappointment. However, on July 18, 1980, India's first SLV-3 lifted from Shriharikota, and Dr. Kalam was praised by all, including then-Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who sent him her best wishes. It boosted his confidence to the point where the next SLV-3 flight took off on May 31, 1981. Prof. Dhawan had acquired the same place for Dr. Kalam as Prof. Sarabhai used to give the perfect guideline of every action and performance, and under his supervision Dr. Kalam's wings of success have crossed various barriers such as fire. True, as he mentioned, ".....I always judged my worth by the value of my contribution. The most important thing is to recognise that you deserve the good things in life, the blessings that God bestows (Kalam, WoF, 22).” Dr. Kalam never looked back after that and began to attain achievement one step at a time. In 1982, he became the director of DRDL, and Anna University Madras awarded him a Doctorate degree. The Indian government and the military ministry began to assist Dr. Kalam, and a number of grants were approved to establish the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (GMDP). Following that, Dr. Kalam's long-cherished dream comes realised in the shape of the Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag, and Agni projects. Finally, on July 27, 1983, Dr. Arnachalam formally opened the IGMDP. The project's progress was hampered after Mrs. Indira Gandhi's assassination, but on February 25, 1985, Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the Research Centre and expressed satisfaction with the project's progress. The launching of Trishul in 1985, the experiment of Pilotless Target Aircraft, and the launching of Prithvi on February 25, 1988 were all significant and momentous events in the history of India and Indian science. On the 23rd of May 1989, Agni's most criticised project was also completed.
It's the story of a boy who sold newspapers and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1981, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990, and the Bharat Ratna in 19970, of a student who couldn't afford the Rs.1000 engineering course fee, of a boy who was fortunate enough to have the guidance and supervision of teachers like SivasubramaniaIyer, Iyadurai Solomon, Pandalai, MGK Menon, Prof. Sarabhai Dr. Kalam was a very emotional guy who recalls the people who assisted him during his unfortunate period and admits that he learned a lot from them. "I've learned something from my guardians, relatives, senior officials, and colleagues," he says (Sharma, 26). He wrote some very moving lines in the autobiography's final section. "This story will finish with me," he continues, "because I have no worldly inheritance." Nothing has been earned, built, or possessed by me—no family, sons, or daughters" (Kalam, WoF, 171). He was a visionary, and he used to consider both the present and the future at all times. He was interested in extending something to future generations, and he believed that every Indian should have the foresight to pass on a safe and powerful India to future generations. "We will be remembered only if we leave a rich and safe India to our younger generation, stemming from economic success combined with civilizational heritage," he said. Abdul Kalam was a modest yet colourful figure in the history of the country. He was a true instructor, and it's worth noting that he died on July 27, 2015, while giving a lecture in Shillong. A true instructor, scientist, legend, and "father of the country's military missile programme" has passed away in the United States. "His passing is a big loss to the scientific community," the nation's Prime Minister said after the legend's death.
Conclusion: He was responsible for propelling India to new heights. He led us in the right direction." In reality, Dr. Kalam's life has been both commendable and inspiring. His spirit, manner of thinking, and visionary approaches always say something, which is why he has accurately indicated elsewhere in his works his thoughts for making our country developed. His book depicts his life and encourages readers to think positively about how obstacles may be readily overcome if one's efforts are genuine and sincere. In his previous works, such as India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, he discusses his action plan for the country's development by 2020. In the end, his entire life or journey taught something to the youth, and he was constantly insistent on it. "My advice, especially to young people," he says, "is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, courage to travel the uncharted path, courage to discover the impossible, and courage to overcome and triumph." These are excellent attributes that they should strive for. “This is the message, I'm sending to the youth (CR, XVII).” As a result, Wings of Fire is a story about goals, obstacles, and triumphs that offers lessons of inspiration to every young person in the country.
Works Cited:
- Bhuyan, P. R. Swami Vivekananda: Messiah of Resurgent India. Atlantic Pub., 2003.
- Kalam, A. P. J.Wings of Fire. Orient Longman Priv. Ltd., 1999.
- Kalam, A. P. J. Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power within India, Penguin Books, 2002.
- CR, Arun, and R. Prabhakar. Maths Beyond Marks. Education Publishing, 2016.
- Sharma, Mahesh, and Bhalla, P.Prode of the Nation: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Diamond Books, 2004.
- http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/former-indian-president-apj-abdul-kalam
- http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/abdulkalam/abdulkalam.html
- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/apjabdu178506.html
- http://www.ismeexcel.blogspot.in/2011/02/book-review-wings-of-fire-apj-abdul.html.
- http://www.inkinmytea.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/book-review-wings-of-fire.
(The paper was received on June 20th, 2022. It was sent for blind peer review on 27th June and after review it was received back from the reviewer/s on 13th July 2022.)
