SUBJECT :- ENGLISH

TOPIC:- BEEHIVE

L.NO 6. MY CHILDHOOD………(A.P.J. Abdul Kalam)

My Childhood by APJ Abdul Kalam About the Author

APJ Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam
was bom and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace
engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator,
mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was intimately involved in India’s civilian space
programme and military missile development efforts and thereby earned the title of Missile
Man of India. He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India’s
Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. After 5 years as President, Kalam returned to teaching,
writing and public service. He was honoured with several prestigious awards including
India’s highest civilian honour “Bharat Ratna” in 1997. Abdul Kalam’s writings are very
inspirational for the young.

My Childhood Introduction to the Chapter

My Childhood is an extract taken from the autobiographical novel, Wings of Fire by APJ
Abdul Kalam. Dr Kalam, who was one of the greatest scientists of India and also the 11th
President of India gives an account of his childhood days. He talks about the people, the
incidents and the experiences that he had during his childhood which shaped his adult
life. Although he was bom in a conservative society, his family, his teachers and his
friends influenced Dr Kalam in his childhood and he imbibed values of secularism,
honesty and discipline. Written in a very modest tone, the extract is very inspirational.
SUMMARY:

Abdul Kalam was born in a middle class Muslim family in Rameshwaram. He had three brothers
and one sister. His father was a generous and wise man. His mother was a hospitable lady. They
lived in an ancestral house on Mosque Street. His father lived a simple life but provided all
necessities to children. His parents were neither much educated nor rich. Yet were generous and
kind. Many outsiders ate with the family every day. Kalam inherited the qualities of honesty and
self – discipline from his parents.
• Kalam was only 8 years old when the Second World War broke out in 1939. Then there was great
demand for tamarind seeds. Abdul used to collect those seeds and sell them in the market. His
cousin Shamsuddin distributed newspapers and employed him as a helping hand. This way he
earned his first wages. He inherited faith in goodness and kindness from his parents.
• Kalam’s family respected all religions. They took part in the Hindu festivals. His mother and
grandmother told stories |rom the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet to the children at bed time.
Kalam had three friends- Ramanandha Sastry, the son of a high priest of the Rameshwaram temple,
Aravindam and Sivaprakasan. They had different religious backgrounds and upbringing. They
never felt any difference among themselves. They adopted different professions when they grew
up.
• One day when Abdul was in 5th standard at the Rameshwaram Elementary School, a new teacher
came to their class. He used to wear a cap, it set him apart as a Muslim. Kalam always sat in the
front row* next to Ramanandha Sastry, but the teacher could not tolerate a Hindu Priest’s son
sitting with a Muslim boy. Kalam was asked to sit on the back bench. Both the friends felt very sad
and told their parents about the incident after school. Ramanandha’s father called the teacher and
told him not to spread the poison of communal hatred and social inequality in the minds of
innocent children. He told the teacher to either apologize or leave the school and city. The teacher
apologized and reformed himself.
• Once Abdul’s science teacher invited him to dinner at his home. His wife refused to serve Kalam
dinner in her kitchen as she believed in religious segregation. The teacher himself served him food
and sat beside him to eat his own meal. His wife observed from behind the door and did not find
any change in Abdul’s behaviour. After dinner, the teacher again invited him to join them next
weekend. This time the wife served food inside the kitchen with her own hands.
• The second world war ended, Kalam asked his father to permit him to go to Ramanthapuram to
study. His father knew that Kalam would have to go away to grow up and so he permitted him. He
told his hesitant wife that they should give their children their love but not force their thoughts on
them
 TEXTUAL QUESTIONS:-
Thinking About The Text
(Page 74)

Activity:
Find Dhanuskodi and Rameswaram on the map. What language(s) do you think are
spoken there? What languages do you think the author, his family, his friends and his
teachers spoke with one another?
Answer:

For self-attempt.
(People speak Tamil here).

Question 1.
Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
Answer:
Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram.

Question 2.
What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. Abdul Kalam attempts to trace the Second World
War’s news in the headlines of this newspaper.

Question 3.
Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Answer:
Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan were his school friends. Ramanadha
Sastry became a priest of the Rameswaram temple. Aravindan went into the business of
arranging transport for visiting pilgrims. Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the
Southern Railways.

Question 4.
How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
Answer:
Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by distributing newspapers.

Question 5.
Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Answer:
Yes, he earned money before also. He used to collect the tamarind seeds and sell them to
a provision shop on the Mosque Street. A day’s collection would fetch him the princely
sum of one anna.

II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Question 1.
How does the author describe:

1. his father
2. his mother
3. himself?

Answer:

1. The author describes his father as a wise and generous person. He felt happy when
he helped others. He did not have much formal education and riches. He was a man
of confidence and great wisdom. He avoided inessential comforts and luxuries.
2. His mother was a noble and kind- hearted woman. She used to feed a large number
of people. She had all the attributes of a typical Indian mother.
3. I was born into a middle-class Tamil family. I was a short boy with rather
undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. I studied physics and
aerospace engineering and became a scientist.

Question 2.
What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Answer:
The author inherited humility and benevolence from his parents. He learnt lessons in
honesty and integrity from his parents. He was self-disciplined because of his parents’
exemplary life.
Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.

Question 1:
During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony, our family used to arrange boats
with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage
site,jsituated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near our house.

1. What was the annual event held in Rameshwaram ?

2. Where did the boats carry the idols of the Lord ?
3. Find a word from the passage that means “images of God”.

Answer:

1. The annual event held in Rameshwaram was Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony.
2. The boats carried the idols of the Lord in the middle of the pond on the site of the
marriage (or ceremony or function).
3. Idols.

Question 2.
After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident.
Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he
should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds
of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quit the school
and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour, but the strong sense of
conviction. Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.

1. What brought about a change in the teacher ?

2. What kind of society did the speaker live in ?
3. Find the word/phrase in the passage which means “strong opinion or belief”.

Answer:

1. The strong sense of conviction that Lakshmana Sastry conveyed brought about a
change in the teacher.
2. The speaker lived in a society which was truly secular.
3. Conviction.

Question 3
His wife watched us from behind the kitchen door. I wondered whether she had observed
any difference in the way I ate rice, drank water or cleaned the floor after the meal. When I
was leaving his house, Sivasubramaniam invited me to join him for dinner the next
weekend. Observing my habitation, he told me not to get upset, saying “Once you decide
to change the system, such problems have to be confronted.” When I visited his house
next week, Sivasubramaniam Iyer’s wife took me inside her kitchen and served me food
with her own hands.
 1. Why did the teacher’s wife watched them from behind the kitchen door ?
2. Why was the narrator hesitant to eat food, with a Hindu family ?

Answer:

1. The teacher’s wife believed in the segregation of different people. She did not want
APJ Kalam to enter her kitchen and serve food. She as a result hid behind kitchen
door and saw everything.
2. The narrator felt hesitant to eat food with a Hindu family because he felt he was not
welcomed in the family.

Question 3
Sivasubramaniam Iyer was not perturbed, nor did he get angry with his wife, but instead,
served me’ with his own hands and sat down beside me to eat his meal.

1. Who is “he” and “me” in the first sentence ?

2. Why was his wife horrified ?
3. Find the word from the passage that means “agitated/upset”.

Answer:

1. “He” is Sivasubramania Iyer, and “me” is Abdul Kalam.

2. His wife was horrified at the idea of serving food to a Muslim boy in her kitchen.
3. Perturbed.
 Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)
Question 1
What were the qualities that Abdul Kalam admired in his parents?
Answer:
Kalam’s parents were noble and generous people. Though his father was an austere
man, he provided his family with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. He
admired his father’s honesty and self-discipline and his mother’s faith in goodness and
kindness. He admired his parents for respecting all religions.

Question 2.
Kalam’s childhood was a secure one both materially and emotionally. Illustrate.
Answer:
APJ Abdul Kalam called his childhood a secure one because he had loving and caring
parents who gave love and guidance to their children and took care of their emotional and
physical needs. They provided their children with all necessities, in terms of food,
medicine or clothes.

Question 3
How does Abdul Kalam describe his mother?
Answer:
Kalam’s mother, Ashiamma, was tall, good looking and very attached to her children. She
was an ideal helpmate to her husband. She was a gentle and kind lady with faith in
goodness and deep kindness. Like her husband, she was very generous and fed a
number of outsiders daily. Kalam inherited the values of kindness and generosity from
her. Kalam inherited the values of kindness and generosity from her.

Question 4.
Briefly describe Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house.
Answer:
Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house was situated on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. It
had been built in the middle of nineteenth century and was a fairly large, pucca house
made of limestone and brick.

Question 5.
How did the Second World War give Abdul Kalam the opportunity to earn his first wages?
Answer:
When stoppage of trains was cancelled at Rameshwaram because of World War II,
Kalam’s cousin, Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, asked him for
help in collecting newspaper bundles which were thrown from the moving train. This
helped Abdul Kalam earn his first wages