My Childhood

Summary
My Childhood” is an extract taken from the biography of APJ Abdul Kalam – ‘Wings of Fire’. He
was a great scientist and the 14th President of India. He was born in a middle-class Muslim
family in 1931 in the island town of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
In his childhood, he was greatly influenced by his parents, his teachers, and his friends. His
father, Jainulabdeen, was not highly educated but he was a generous and kind person. He was
not rich but provided a secure childhood to Abdul and his siblings. Abdul inherited honesty and
self-discipline from his father and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.
Kalam earned his first wages by working as a helping hand to his cousin, Samsuddin, who
distributed newspapers in Rameswaram.
In his childhood, he had three close friends- Ramanadha Sastry,Aravindam, and Sivaprakash.
Once when he was in the fifth standard, a new teacher asked him not to sit in the front row
along with the high caste Brahmin boys.
Abdul found Ramanadha Sastry weeping as he went to the last row. This made a lasting
impression on Abdul.
Abdul was also greatly influenced by his science teacher, Sivasubramaniam Iyer. He learned
the lesson of breaking social barriers from him. Iyer invited him to his home for a meal. His
wife refused to serve food to a Muslim boy in her pure kitchen. Iyer served him with his own
hands and sat down beside him to eat his meal. He convinced his wife to serve the meal with
her own hands and thus was successful in changing her conservative attitude. For higher
education, Abdul Kalam sought permission from his father to leave Rameswaram and study at
the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram. His father said that Abdul had to go a long way
in life just like a seagull bird that flies long distances. He calmed down APJ’s reluctant mother
by quoting Kahlil Gibran’s poem ‘Your children. He said that her children could not be
dominated by her because they had their own thoughts. They did not belong to her but were a
result of life’s desire for itself. He asked her to give them the freedom to fulfill their thoughts.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

Q1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?

ANS. Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram.
Q2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Ans. Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. Abdul Kalam attempts to trace the Second World War’s
news in the headlines of this newspaper.

Q3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Ans. 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.

Q4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?

Ans. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by distributing newspapers.

Q5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?

Ans. 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.

Q6. How does the author describe: (1) his father (2) his mother (3) himself?

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.

Q7. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

Ans. 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.

Q8. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of
different social groups,” says the author.

1. Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by
the way they dressed)?
2. Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and
experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of
what used to take place in the pond near his house.)
 3. The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and
those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
4. Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be
resolved. How can people change their attitudes?

1. The author talks about the people who belong to various castes and follow various religious
preachings. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. Their dressing, traditions, culture and
rituals were different.
2. They did share their personal experiences and friendships. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the
teacher who separated the author and his friend in the class and told him that he should not
spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent
children.
3. The school teacher encouraged communal differences and Lakshmana Sastry and
Sivasubramania Iyer discouraged this malpractice.
4. The influential people can do both the things. A teacher has the ability to bridge communal
differences and can play with sentiments of the innocent and ignorant people. This is what the
new teacher did. But the Science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer changed his wife’s attitude and
showed her the right path.

Q9 answer the following:

1. Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
2. What did his father say to this?
3. What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?

1. Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram to study at the district headquarters in

Ramanathapuram.
2. His father said that he knew he had to go away to grow. He gave the example of a seagull and
said that a seagull flies across the sun alone and without a nest.
3. He spoke these words because he intended to hone his skills. He knew the harsh reality of life
that children may have to live far from their parents to make their career and earn their
livelihood. So, he showed his wisdom and intelligence in uttering these words.