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PublishedinRedTurtlebyRupaPublicationsIndiaPvt.Ltd20157/16,AnsariRoad,DaryaganjNewDelhi110002
Textcopyright©A.P.J.AbdulKalam2015
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CONTENTS
ChapterOneChapterTwoChapterThreeChapterFourChapterFiveChapterSixChapterSevenChapterEightChapterNineChapterTen
IWillFly
Iambornwithpotential.
Iambornwithgoodnessandtrust.
Iambornwithideasanddreams.
Iambornwithgreatness.
Iambornwithconfidence.
Iambornwithwings.
Iamnotmeantforcrawling,
SoIwon’t,Ihavewings,
Iwillfly,flyandfly.
ChapterOne
Haveyoueverseenabeautifulsunset?Ihave,whenIwasalittleboy,standingneartheseaatRameswaram,thetownwhereIgrewup.Asthesungoeslowerand lower, thesky turnsavivid redandgolden.Thesea reflects thisbeautifulplayofcolours,andasyoukeepwatching, thesundips further till it seems todisappearintothewater.
This isoneofmyfavouritememoriesofmyboyhood—ofstandingby theseashore,watchingthesungodown,andthenracinghometomymother.OurhousewasinastreetcalledMosqueStreet,anditwasbuiltbymyfather.Iwasborninthishouseon15October1931.Infact,IamtoldthatIwasthefirstchildtobeborn in thishouse! Iwas theyoungestofallmysiblings.Thereweresomanyofus livinginthathouse!Someofyoumayknowwhat it is liketolivewithbrothersandsistersandauntsandunclesandgrandparents.We,too,livedlikethat—alwayssurroundedbyeldersandchildren,oldandyoung.Wehadsomuchfun,playinggames,studyingandgoingtoschooltogether.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatwewereveryrich.Myfatherhadsomelandwherehe grew coconut and other plants. He also had a boat that was used to ferrypilgrims.Wewere comfortably off and Iwent to the local schoolwith all theotherchildren.Mymother,Ashiamma,wasawonderfulcook.Imaybeoldnow,
butIstillrememberthetasteofthesambarandchutneyshemadeforusthatweatefrombananaleavessittingonthekitchenfloor.
My fatherwould visit his coconut grove frequently.On the days hewentthere, he woke up very early and walked to the plantation which was somedistancefromthehouse.Ilovedtoaccompanyhimbutcouldgoonlyonsomedays,whenIdidn’thaveschoolorclassestoattend.Wewouldsetoutfromourhomebefore thesunwasupand the lightwasonlybeginning toappear in thesky.Itwasusuallycoolandtherewouldbeabreezecominginfromthesea.Iwould hold his hand andwalk quietly by his side for hewould be saying hisprayersunderhisbreath.Then,somethinginterestingwouldcatchmyattention,andIwouldforgettobequiet.
‘Appa,didyouhearhowloudlythatcrowjustcawed?’
‘Appa,whydoestheskychangeincoloursomanytimesfrommorningtonight?Doyouthinkitlikestochangeclotheslikeus?’
‘Appa,whydoesitrain?IlikerainbecausethenmyfriendsandIcansplashinthepuddlesinschoolandAmmamakesspecialbhajjis.’
Myfatherwouldlistentoallthischatterpatiently,withasmileonhisface.We walked to the end of the road, went by the mosque, past the famousRameswaramtempleandthentookaroutetohiscoconutgrove.There,Isatbyhissideandlistenedtohimtalktothecaretakeraboutsoilandmanureandrains.Ilovedstandingunderthosetalltreesandlookingintotheswayingfronds.Thelightwouldflickerinandoutbetweentheleaves,teasingmyeyes.Iwouldcloseone eye and the light would seem even brighter, as if the morning sun waswinkingbackatme,tellingmetohavefunthroughtheday.
Itwasthrillingwhensomeoneclimbeduprighttothetopofthetreetocutthecoconuts.Thiscouldonlybedonebyskilledclimbers.Theyclimbedupthestraighttrunkaseasilyasiftheywerewalkingupagentlyslopinghill.Withacleavertuckedinhisbelttocutthecoconutwith,themanhuggedthetreewithhandsandfeetinaswiftpracticedpattern.Onceatthetop,hecutthecoconutsandtheyfellbelowthetreewithloudthuds.Forawhile,beforeIwantedtobea
pilot, Iwas sure thatbeingoneof the tree-climbingmen in thecoconutgrovewouldbeawonderfuloccupationwhenIwasolder.Afterall,noonecanclimbhigher than that and you could look far into the distance from the top of thetrees.
Carryingafewcoconutsbackwithus,Iwouldhurryonaheadaswenearedourhome,eagertotellmymotherandeldersisterallaboutthethingsIhadseen.They,too,wouldlistentomystoriesasIgotpreparedfortheday.
Otherthanmyparents,weweremanybrothersandsistersinthathouse.MysisterZohrausedtotakespecialcareofme.I thinkshewasespeciallyfondofmeasIwasnotasnaughtyassomeoftheotherchildren.Iwasquitedreamyandloved to spend time onmy own, either by the seaside watching the birds flyaround or looking for patterns in the clouds. My mind was always full ofquestionslikewhycanbirdsflyandnotus?Howdoesthebeatingofthewingskeepthebirdsupinthesky?Doesthesunreallyfallintotheseaattheendoftheday? Where do the waves come from and where do they go? I asked thesequestionstomyelders,andwhenIdidn’tgettherepliesIwantedfromthem,Ilookedfortheminbooks.
Atthetime,therewereveryfewbooksavailableforchildrentoread.Adults,too,mostly only read the newspapers.However, therewas one person in thatsmalltownwhohadmanybooksandwhomadesureanyonewhowantedtoreadcould do so. His name was S.T.R.Manickam and he was a freedom fighter.Afterdinner,Iwasallowedtogotohishomelibraryandlookthroughhismanybooks.Hishousewasonamainroad,andI felta thrilleach timeIentered it.What book would I get to read today?Manickam himself helped me choosebooks that I could read. Theywere fairytales and biographies and books thatexplainedeverydayoccurrencesinsimplelanguage.Sittingthere,amongthetallbookshelves, the light coming feebly from some lamps, I would look at theflickeringshadowsofthecupboardsonthewalls,seemyownwaveringshadowamong them, and then lose myself in a world of words and knowledge andimagination.Thatlittlelibrarywasmyfirstintroductiontothewonderfulworldofbooks.
Yet, Iwasnot always lost in thepagesof abook. I remember,during theWorldWarIIdays,therewasasevereshortageofeverydayitems.Thingswereavailableonlyinsmallquantities.IdecidedthatifIearnedsomeextramoneyitwouldhelpmyparents.SoIstartedgatheringtamarindseeds.Forsomereason,therewasademandforthis,andifIcollectedasubstantialamount,Iwouldgetpaid1annafromashopthattookthesefromme.SowhileIwasinschooloroutanywhere else, I kept an eye out for tamarind seeds. I collected those littleblackishbrownseedsinapieceofclothandwhenitfeltniceandheavyIwouldgoandpresentittotheshopkeeper.OnceIhadthemoney,IwouldrunasfastasIcouldbackhometogivetheannacointomymother.Sheputitcarefullyinthe
littleboxwhereshekeptallherhouseholdmoney.ToseethesmallamountofmoneyIearnedkepttheretobeusedtobuysomesmallitemgavemesomuchprideandjoy!Youmaybewonderingwhatisananna.ItwasadenominationofmoneyusedinIndiatillabout1957,andoneannahadfourpaise.
ThemostexcitingjobthatIhadasachildwasthatofcollectingnewspapers.Rameswaramhadatinyrailwaystation,butthetrainthatpassedthroughdidnotstop there during the days of theWar. But this train also brought the town’snewspapers. So the only way for the newspapers to get collected was forsomeonetostandatthedoorofthechuggingtrainandthrowthebundlesontotheplatform.Ihadthejobofstandingontheplatformtocollectthesebundlesofnewspapers and taking them to my cousin Samsuddin who distributed themacrossthetown.
In themorning, I couldbe foundwaiting at the railwayplatform,myearstunedtohearthewhistleorclatteringofthewheelsofthetrain.Thenitwouldcome into view, rushing up busily, puffing smoke andmaking a lot of noise.Waitingtocatchthefirstglimpseofthetrain’ssmoke,Istartedthinkingabouthowsteamenginesworkandthecomplexmachineryrequiredtoturnsteamintolocomotion.Thiswaswheremyfascinationwithenginesandwith thestoryoftheinventionofthesteamenginebegan.
I would be hopping from one foot to another, anticipating the newspaperbundles getting thrown out of themoving train. Then there theywould come,landingwithbigthudsnearmyfeet.Thepersoninsidewouldwaveatmeasthetrain chugged awaywhistling and puffing steam. Iwould pick up the bundlesandtakethemaway.Theywouldbeheavybutinmyyouthfulexcitement,thatdidn’tmatter.
In the evenings,when schoolwas done, Iwent tomeet Samsuddin again.Then, he and another cousinwould read from the newspaper, telling about allthatwashappeningintheworldoutsideourtown.HowIlongedtogooutandseepartsofthisworldformyself.TheyreadaloudabouttheWar,theunfoldingfreedommovement in India, little snippetsof localnews, thepricesofvariouscommodities.Everythingseemedsobigandimportantandfaraway.Jalaluddin,arelativewhohadmovedtoRameswaramonworkandwithwhomIsharedaspecialfriendship,wouldtellme,‘See,Abdul,youtoowillgooutthereoneday
andseemoreofthisworld.Youmuststudyhardandgotoabigschoolandthencollege.’
With Jalauddin’s words in my ears I would lie back and look up at thetwinkling stars and the moon. My dearest wish was to reach for the sky. Iactuallywantedtobeoutthere,upinthesky,amongthosestars,studyingthem,flyingclose to them, learningwhere theyhadcome from.Thewondersof theskyheldaspecialfascinationformeandifIknewthenthatmyworkasanadultwouldhavemebuildingsatellitesandrocketsthattravelledfarabovetheearthandstudiedtheskyandthelandbelow,howhappyIwouldhavebeen!
Jalaluddinwasoneof thefirstpeople to inspireme to thinkbeyond lifeatRameswaram.Hehimselfhadstudiedmorethanmostothers in thefamilyandrecognizedtheloveofbooksandlearningthatraninme.Hebecameafriendtome, inspiringmeby tellingmeabout famouspeople’s lives,orhow theworldwaslike.Atthesametime,healsohelpedmyfatheroutinhiswork.
Our family had a ferry business and our boat took pilgrimswho came toRameswaram toDhanushkodiby sea. I, too,used to sit in theboat sometimesandgotoDhanushkodiandbackwithallthepilgrims.Butoneday,therewasaterriblecyclonicstorm.Itstartedgettingwindyintheeveningandbysunsetthewaves had becomebigger andwilder.Thewind picked up by theminute andhowledoverourhomes.Therainwasfierceandstartedcomingdowninsheets.Wewereallsafelyinsideourhouses,sittinginthelightofthelamps,tryingtobetheclosesttoourmotherasthethunderrolledandthelightningflashed.Allthroughthenightthestormcontinuedandwefellasleepstillsittingclosetooneanother.
Inthemorning,wewoketoaworldturnedtopsy-turvy.Treeslayuprootedandsomehouseshad lost their roofs.Everythingwasunderwater.Ourschoolwasclosedforthedaysowecouldallhelpoutourparentsincleaninguparoundthehouses.Wehadanadditionaldamage.Theboatthatweusedtotakepilgrimsacross toDhanushkodi andbackhadbeen swept away into the sea.My fatherwasupsetandatthesametimecalmasheplannedtogetanewone.InthedaysthatfollowedJalaluddinhelpedhimbuildanewboatthatlastedmanyyears.
In this way, the days of my earliest childhood went, filled with many
moments of happiness and some sad days. I kept the faith inmy parents andteachers and looked forward to days of hardwork and learning. I realize nowthatitwasahappyandcontentedtime.
ChapterTwo
‘Vanakkam,Aiya!Ihavesomegoodnewsforyou!’
ItwasmyMathematicsteacherfromclass4andhewasstandingjustoutsidethehouseandcallingouttomyfather.Helookedquiteexcited,soweallrushedout to greet him and invite him inside.My father offeredhima seat and thenlookedonexpectantly.
‘Abdul,comeuphere, tome,’my teacherbeckoned tome. Iwasstandingwith all the other children, peeping from behindmy elder brother. I came upshyly to him.He pulledme close affectionately, then turned tomy father andsaid,‘AbdulhasscoredfullmarksinMathematicsintheexam!AndnotonlyinMathematicsbut inScienceaswell,andhehasdoneverywell inEnglishandTamiltoo!Weteachersareveryproudofhim.’
Iwassopleasedtohearthisresult.ButIwasevenmorepleasedbecausemyteacherhad taken the trouble tocomeall theway tomyhouse to tellusaboutthis.Hehadfinishedhisworkat theschool,andtheninsteadofhurryingbackhomehehadcomehere, tosharehisprideandhappinesswithmyfamily.Ourschoolwassmall,but ithadmanysuchteachers likehim.Theytaughtuswithloveandcareandfeltthesamejoyinourachievementsaswedid.
Thatevening,mymothermadespecialpoli(aflatchapatti-shapedsweet)tocelebrate.Wealllovedpolisandatemanyhelpingstillweweretoldwe’dhadenoughandsentofftobedincasewegottummyaches!Myloveforthissweet
endurestothisday,andwhenItravelinsouthIndia,Ihavefriendswhomakeitathomeandbring it tomewherever Iam. Imakesure tosteala fewminutesfrommyscheduleandenjoy this sweetdish thatcarries somanymemoriesofchildhoodforme.
As a child, my day started very early. It began with my mother gentlyshakingmeawakeveryearly in themorning,before sunrise. ‘Abdul,wakeupkanna,’ shewould call affectionately and I got up,wiping the sleep frommyeyes.Ihadtwoplacestogotobeforeschool.OnewastheArabictuitionclassthatallofusattended.There,we learnt to read theKoran.After itwasover, Iwent tomyMathematics teacher’s house.He took a special class for studentswhoshowedpromiseinthesubject.Ihavealwayslovedlearningaboutnumbersandtheirrulesandpatterns.Additionandsubtractionandmultiplicationandalltheotherbasic functions Ihad learntveryquickly.Now Iwas raring toknowaboutmorecomplexproblems.Myteacherhadstartedtheclassforstudentsjustlikemeand I enjoyedgoing thereandgrapplingwithnumberproblems in theearlyhoursoftheday.
Iranbackhomeoncetheclasswasover.Mymotherwouldhaveahotmealready.Weallateourfill.Inourschool,childrendidnotcarrytiffinboxesandwater bottles so I ate the mid-morning meal hungrily, enjoying the rice andvegetables and chutney and dal. Somedays shewouldmake piping hot dosasandIstillremembertheirthickcrispytextureandthespicypowdersmearedonthem.
Thechildrenallwalkedtoschooltogether.OurschoolwastheRameswaramElementary School and the only one in the town then.We walked along thecobbledroadstogether,chattingandplayinglittlegames.Wehadtocarryonlyafewbookswithusandnoonetookschoolbags.Theschoolbuildinghadrowsofclassrooms and a small playground. In the class I satwithRamanadhaSastry,mybestfriend.Wehadknowneachotherfromthefirstdaywecametoschoolandbeenfriendseversince.HeandIlovedtochatandsomehowweneverranoutofthingstosaytoeachotheranddotogether.
Oneday,wedecidedwewouldbuildboatsmadeof leavesandkeep themreadyincaseitrained.Wheneverwegotabreakbetweenclasseswetookupourpileofleavesandmadelittleboatsoutofthem.Imagineourjoywhenitactually
rainedthatday!Ourwholefleetofboatssetsailonthemanypuddles.IfIsawan ant or some other insect I carefullymade sure it got a ride onmy boat tosafety.Idon’tknowiftheantswereanygratefulforthisunexpectedjoyride,butwewerethrilledtoseethemclingingontotheflimsyleafboatsandsailaway.
RamanadhanandIsatnext toeachother inclass too.Onceitsohappenedthat a new teacher joined our school.As soon as he entered the class, he sawfromourattirethatRamanadhanwasaBrahminandthatIwasaMuslim.TheseweredivisionswehadneverthoughtofearlierbuttheteacherwasnothappythataHinduandaMuslimboyweresittingtogether.Hemademegetupandgositelsewhere. I was shocked and heartbroken. I remember crying because I hadbeenmade to give upmy seat next tomy best friend.And,who knew that a
MuslimandaHinduboycouldnotsittogether?
That evening, Ramanadhan’s father, who was also head priest at theRameswaram Shiva temple, heard about this and told my father about it.Together,theyspoketotheteacherandtoldhimthatheshouldnothavebroughtthedivisionsof religion into theclassroom.Childrenshouldgrowup together,studying and playing, without their faiths coming in between. The teacherunderstoodthisandRamanadhanandIwentbacktosittingtogetherasusual.
However, our time together was not indefinite. Soon we had to go ourseparateways.The school inRameswaramhad classes only till the secondarylevelandtostudybeyondthatonehadtogotothebiggertownsnearby.Ihadanother teacher calledSivasubramania Iyer.He, too,wasvery fondofmeandlikeJalaluddin,keptencouragingmetothinkabouthigherstudies.
Sivasubramania Iyer taughtmewhen I was ten years old and in the fifthstandard.Hewasagreatteacherandallofuslovedtoattendhisclassandhearhim.Oneday,hewasteachinghowbirdsfly.Hedrewadiagramofabirdontheblackboarddepicting thewings, tail and thebody structure.Heexplainedhowbirdscreate theliftandfly.Healsoexplainedtoushowtheychangedirectionwhile flying. For nearly twenty-fiveminutes, he gave the lecturewith variousinformationsuchaslift,dragandhowbirdsflyinformationsoften,twentyorthirty.At theendof theclass,hewanted toknowwhetherwehadunderstoodwhathehadbeen teaching. I spokeupand said Ihadnotunderstood.When Isaidthis,heaskedtheotherstudentswhethertheyhadunderstoodornot.Manystudentsthensaidthattheytoohadnotunderstood.Ourresponsedidnotupsethimatall.
When we were scheduled to have our next class with him, he had awonderfulsurprise.Hesaidthathewouldtakeustotheseashorethatevening!ThewholeclasswenttotheseashoreofRameswaram.Weenjoyedlookingoutat the roaring waves. In the sky, there were many birds flying around. Hepointedoutthebirdsthatwereflyinginformationsoftenortwentynumbersandweobserved themarvelous flight formations theymade.Heaskedus towatchhowtheylookedwhentheywereinflightandhowtheyflappedtheirwings.Hethentoldustolookatthetailandseehowtheyusedthecombinationofflappingwings and twisting tail in their flying.We noticed closely and found that the
birds were able to fly in the direction they wanted to by using both tail andwings.
Thenheaskedus,‘Whereis theengineinthisbird?Doyouknowwhatistheenginethatpowerseachbird?’Heexplainedthateachbirdispoweredbyitsown life force and the motivation of what it wants. In the space of fifteenminutes,heexplainedtheconceptofflightdynamicsinbirdsandweunderstoodeverything.Hegaveusatheoreticallessoncoupledwithalivepracticalexampleavailableinnature.Thiswasrealteaching.
Forme, thatevening,Ididnotmerelyunderstandhowabirdflies.Itwentmuch deeper. I felt as though the bird’s flight entered into me and created aspecialfeeling.Fromthatevening,Iwassurethatmyfuturestudyhadtobewithreferencetoflightandflightsystems.Myteacher’steachingandtheeventthatIwitnesseddecidedmycareerpath.
Oneeveningafter theclasses, I askedhim, ‘Sir,please tellme,howcan Iprogressfurtherinlearningallaboutflight?’HepatientlyexplainedtomethatIshouldcompletemyeighthstandardhere,andthengotohighschool.Afterthat,IshouldgotoengineeringcollegewhereIwouldbeabletolearnaboutflight.IfI completed each step, Iwould be able to do something connectedwith flightsciences.Thisadviceandthelessonthateveningbytheseashore,gavemeagoalandamissionformylife.
Ispoketomyfatheraboutmydreamsandambitions,andasaresult,attheage of fifteen, decided to move to the Schwartz High School inRamanathapuram.
Saying goodbye to Rameswaram and the familiar old streetswas difficultandIwasabitscaredtooofgoingawayfromthisplacewhereeveryoneknewmeandwhereIkneweverybendandcornerand tree. Ihadnevergonesofarawayfrommyfamily,and to leavemymotherbehindmademespeciallysad.She,too,shedtearsandmadeboxesoffoodthatwouldlastmeforafewdays.Those polis that I was so fond of, went with me on my first trip outsideRameswaram.
Weleftbythetrain.JalaluddinandSamsuddincamealongwithmetohelpmesettledown in thenewplace. I rememberwavinggoodbye toeveryone tilltheywerelittlespecksinthedistance.MyeyeswerethreateningtowaterbutIheldbackthetears.IwasabigboynowandhowcouldIcryformymotherinfrontofeveryone?Butwhateverone’sage, to liveawayfromyourparentsforthefirsttime,howeverexciting,canalsobeabitfrightening.
My first glimpseofmynew schoolwasof a plaque thatwasnailed to itsentrancethatread:‘Letnotthywingeddaysbespentinvain.Whenoncegone,nogoldcanbuythemback.’Itmeantthatthebestdaysofourliveswerenow,whenwewerelearning,andwehadtomakethemostofthistime.Oncegone,thetimewouldrunlikesandbetweenourfingersandwewouldnevergetitbackagain.Thewordsfilledmewithhopeandexpectationsandalsohelpedmeputasidemyhomesickness and look forward to all that Iwould learn at this newschool.
And it indeed turned out to be a place that helpedme grow as a student.
After the first fewweeks that I spent settling down, I got to love the pace ofstudiesandclasseshere.The teacherswere justasdedicatedas theones Ihadhad back home. I also made new friends. At the same time, my love forMathematicsandwonderaboutanything thathadwingsandcouldbeairbornecontinued. In this, I was encouraged by my teacher Iyadurai Solomon. Hebelieved that the best learning happened when we saw how things workedaroundus,ratherthanlearningaboutthemonlyfrombooks.
Inotonly learntnewsubjectsatSchwartzbut I also learnt toobserveandquestion. Instead of a childishwondering about theworld aroundme, I felt athirst for knowledge grow inside me. All the questions that had crowdedmymind back home in Rameswaram I now brought out and tried to explain byreadingupbooks and askingmy teachers.Manynewdiscoveries and theorieswerebeingmadeatthetime,fore.g.,inthefieldsofPhysicsandChemistry,andslowlythesenewvistasofknowledgegotopenedupformetoo.
Yet what is school if funny and strange experiences didn’t happen there?Isn’t it true that on some days themostmemorable occurrence happenswhenyouareinschool?Forme,too,onesuchthinghappened.Oneday,IwasdeepinworkingoutaparticularlydifficultMathsproblemandIgotdelayedinreachingtheclassroom.ItsohappenedthattheclassthathadstartedwastheMathematicsclass.Theteacherwasveryupsettoseemewalkintotheclasslate.Infact,hewassoupsetthathecanedme!InschoolsnowthepracticeofcaninghasbeenstoppedandnooneishappieraboutitthanI.Thereisnothingashumiliatingasbeingpunishedinfrontofyourclassmates.Iwas,naturally,veryupsetaboutitfordays.
Soonafter,weweresetaverydifficulttestinMathematicsbythisteacher.Ihappenedtoscoreverywellinthetest.MyteacherwasthrilledtoseemymarksandhowIhadgraspedthe topicshehadbeenteachingus.HecalledmeuptohimintheassemblyandsaidIwasgoingtoreachnewheightsofsuccess—andwhoeverhecanedwassuretobeassuccessful!
BynowI toohadforgottenmypainandsadnessat thepunishmentand infactafterIfinishedschoolIremainedintouchwithmyteacher.Decadeslater,whenIbecamethePresidentofIndia,teachersandstudentscelebratedinmyoldschoolbydistributingsweets!That is the loveagoodschool lavishesupon its
students—to correct when you are going wrong, to open new doors ofknowledgeandgiveexperiencesthatwelearnfromallourlives.
ChapterThree
MytimeatSchwartzHighSchoolmadememoreconfidentandawareabouttheworld.BythetimeIfinishedstudyingthere,IknewwhatIwantedtodonext.IdecidedtodoB.Sc.inPhysics.ThenearestcollegethatIcouldgotoforthiswasStJoseph’sCollegeinTiruchirappalli.
College life was very different. The teachers here gave us much morefreedomtostudythetopicsthatinterestedus.IhadsomeverydedicatedteacherswhoencouragedmyinterestinMathematicsandPhysics.Oneoftheprofessorswho had a deep impact on me was Professor Thothatri Iyengar. He taughtMathematics, and was held in great awe by other teachers as well as all thestudents for his deep knowledge of his subject. I remember the sight of himwalking around the college campus, engrossed in his thoughts. My otherMathematics teacher was ‘Calculus’ Srinivasan. Professor Srinivasan andProfessor Thothatri took a few joint classes where they talked to us aboutmodernalgebra,statisticsandonceoncomplexvariables.
The reason why these teachers had an impact on me was not just theteachingof their subjects,whichwas, of course, exceptional, but alsobecausethey brought in many more interesting aspects about Mathematics into theirlessons.Don’tyouenjoy itwhenyour teachersmoveoutof the textbooksandhelpyouroamoverdifferentpartsofthesubjectbytellingyouinformationyouhadnotknownbefore?
ThishappenedtomeatoneofProfessorIyengar’slectures.Hespoketous
about ancient Indian mathematicians and the discoveries that they had made.One day, in 1952, I still remember, he gave a one hour lecture on three greatancientmathematiciansandastronomersofIndia.Hespokefornearlyonehourand the lecture still rings in my ears. I was introduced to the pioneers inastronomy and mathematics from India like Aryabhata, Bhaskara andRamanujamwho gave to theworld the number zero,who computed the orbitperiodoftheeartharoundthesunandwhodiscoveredmanystunningconceptsinnumbertheoryrespectively.Sittingthereinthatlecturehallandhearingaboutthesegreatpersonalities,itwasasifsunlightwasstreaminginandlightingupallcornersofmymind.IstartedbelievingthatevenIoranyofmyclassmateswerecapableofmakingdiscoveriesanddoingsomethingnewandfreshwithall theknowledgeweweregaining.Thisfeelingofconfidenceandhopewasoneofthegreatestgiftsthatmyteachersgaveme.
ItwasatStJoseph’s that Iwasalso introduced to theworksofmanynewauthorsbymyEnglishteacherRev.FatherR.N.Sequeira.Istartedvisitingthelibraryoftenandmyteacher,noticingthisinterest,wouldgivemelistsofbooksandauthorswhoseworksIcouldlookforoverthere.Forthefirsttime,IstartedreadingauthorslikeThomasHardy,LeoTolstoyandWalterScott.
Haveyoueverstoodbeforeashelfofbooksthatstretchesfromthefloortotheceiling,lookingatthenamesonthespinesofthebooks,runningyourhandsoverthem,sometimessquattingdownonthefloortolookcarefullyatthebookskeptonthebottomshelf,andthenbringingoverastepladderorstooltoclimbupandseethebooksthathavebeenkepthighup?FindingthecopiesofbooksIwassearchingfor,orbringingdownadustycopyofaforgottenbookthatnoonehadissuedinmanyyearsandtakingitawaywithmetoreadwasathrillingnewexperience. Till today I read all kinds of books.Many authors sendme theirbooksjust tohearwhatIwillsay,andIhavecomeacrosssomanyinterestingnewvoicesinthisway.
AtStJoseph’s,therewasalsothetraditionofaMondaymorninglecturebyRev.FatherRectorKalathil, thehighestauthorityof the institution.In thatonehour,hewouldtalkaboutgoodhumanbeings,whetherinthepresentorfromthedistantpast.Hesharedhisthoughtsonwhatmakesapersongood.Hewouldtellus about personalities such asBuddha,Confucius, StAugustine,CalifaOmar,MahatmaGandhi,Albert Einstein,AbrahamLincoln andmanymore.He alsotold stories that made us understand the values of our heritage and taught usmoral lessons. Father Kalathil would show how the greatestmen andwomenbecame such. Even though these lessonswere given tome in the 1950s, theyinspiremetilltoday.
I strongly believe that teachers need to tell students about great lives andmakechildrenunderstandtheirhistoryandheritage.Itisonlythroughthisthataloveforthecountryisbornthatisbasedonknowledgeandunderstanding.Thisishowchildrennotonlyknowwhat isgoodandwhat isevilbutalso learn tojudgefor themselvesthedistinctionbetweenthetwo.Theythenknowthebestwaytobehaveinmanysituations.Theselessonscanformthemoralcorearoundwhichourpersonalitiesareformed—somethingthatnoonecantakeawayfromushoweveroldweget.
MytimeatatStJoseph’sflewbyandbeforeIknewit,Iwasabachelor’sdegree holder in Physics. However, by now I had also realized that I did notwanttostudyPhysicsanymore.IneededacareerpathbeforemeandthemoreIthought aboutwhat excitedme, the scene by the seasidewithSivasubramaniaIyercamebacktome—oflookingupattheskyandwonderingaboutthestars
andhowonecanreachthem;ofwatchinginwonderthebeatingofthewingsofthebirdsandlaterlearninghowobjectscanbeairborne.Iwantedtostudyaboutairplanesandaeronauticalengineering.
One of the best colleges offering this course was theMadras Institute ofTechnology(M.I.T.).Ihadheardhowdifficult itwastoobtainaseathereandfilledintheapplicationformwithbothhopeandthefearofnotmakingitinmyheart. But as luck would have it, I soon got a letter saying that I had beenacceptedatM.I.T.andthatIshouldpaythefeesandjointhenextsession.
Mywhole family and evenmyold friends andneighbours and teachers atRameswaramwereburstingwith joyandprideat thisnews. Itwasas if abigdam of happiness had burst and swept over each one of us. But then anunexpectedproblemarose.The fee for thecoursewasquitehigh.Fromwherewouldwegetthemoney?Likeanangel,mysisterZohracameforwardwithherhelp.Shesuggestedwepawnhergoldjewelleryfortheloanandpaythecollegefees. Iwas also eligible for a scholarship and I vowed right then and there tomakesureIearnedenoughmoneyassoonasIwascapableofdoingso,andgetthejewellerybackformysister.
IknewIhadmadetherightdecisionbyjoiningM.I.T.assoonasIwalkedinthroughthegates.Forthere,infrontofthebuilding,weretwodecommissionedairplanes.Theyhadbeenplacedtheresostudentscouldexaminehowtheyworkandthevariousfeaturesinsidethemfromupclose.Ithadbeenmydreamtobenear airplanes and herewere two that I could look atwhenever Iwanted andevenstudytheirfeatures!ItsohappenedthatafterthiswheneverIgotsometimeI would take my notebook and walk around the planes to study them. Thestructureofthewingsandthebody,thecontrolsinside,thefactthatthesehadatone time flown high above the earth and had been controlled with skill andprecisionbyapilotmadeitallthemoreinterestingforme.
AtM.I.T. too I had the good fortune of having somewonderful teachers.They not only taught me my subjects in depth, they also made me morehardworking,dedicatedandprecise inmy thinking.Remember thestoryaboutmykindMathematicsteacherwhocamehometotelleveryonethatIhadscoredwellintheexams?Here,Imetanotherkindofteacher,onewhorefusedtolistentoanyexcusetillmyworkwasperfectandtimely.
Inthethirdyearofmycourse,Iwasassignedaprojecttodesignalow-levelattackaircrafttogetherwithsixotherstudents.Iwasgiventheresponsibilityofsystem design and system integration. I was also responsible for theaerodynamicandstructuraldesignoftheproject.Theotherfiveofmyteamtookup thedesignofpropulsion,control,guidance,avionicsand instrumentationoftheaircraft.OurdesignteacherProfessorSrinivasan,thethendirectorofM.I.T.,was our guide. Somehow, our progress was slow and we had a tough timegettingourdataandother requirements inorder.Oneday, Igot summoned to
Professor Srinivasan’s office. Have you ever been asked to appear before aprincipaloraheadmaster?Itisoneofthescariestexperiencesforastudent.Thatday,theprofessorwasindeednothappywithme.Hesaidtheworkwehaddonesofarwasnotuptohisstandardsandweweregoingtooslowly.Thenhesaid,‘Kalam,Iexpectedbetterworkfromyou.IwantthecompletedprojectwithmeonMondaymorning.OrelseIwillhavetostopthescholarship.’
Thosewordsshockedmeintosilence.Withoutthescholarshiptherewasnoway that I couldcontinueatM.I.T.And for agoodstudent tobe told that theworkhasnotbeendonewellenoughislikeabaddreamcomingtrue.Iaskedformore time, for itwas alreadyFriday, but Professorwas adamant. It had to bedonebyMondayorelse…
After that, theway Iworked is something I havenever forgotten. I didn’tlookupfrommyworktable, IhardlyateandIworkedall through thedayandnight on Saturday and Sunday. By Monday morning my work was nearlycomplete.IfoundProfessorSrinivasanstandingbehindmeandlookingovermyshoulder at thework.He nodded and tomy immense relief said, ‘Well done,Kalam. I knewyouwere capableofmuchmorewhen I calledyouonFriday.Andyouhaveprovedmeright.’
This incident taught me to always put in my best and also to neverunderestimatethepowerofhardwork.Evenifa taskseemsimpossible, ifyougrit your teeth and set your mind to completing it by shutting out the entireworld, you are sure to achieve what you set out to do. Professor Srinivasantaught each teammember thevalueof timeandbroughtout thebest from thesystemdesignteam.Irealizedthatifsomethingisatstake,thehumanmindgetsignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. This is one of thetechniquesofbuildingtalent.It is importanttoworkhardtowardsyourchosenpath—successismoreafunctionofeffortthananythingelse.AteacherhastobeacoachlikeProfessorSrinivasanandstudentsshouldbepreparedtoputintheirfullenergybehindthegoal.
ThedaysatM.I.T.flewbyfilledwithstudiesandworkandotherinterestingactivities.Istartedwritingandwonafirstprizeinanessaycontest.ThetopicIwroteonwas‘HowtoMakeYourOwnAircraft’andtheprizewasgivenbytheTamilweeklyAnandaVikatan.
Beforeweknewit, thedayofourgraduationwasannounced.Wewereallengineers now, ready to start working in the outsideworld. Our teachers hadmentored and taught andhonedour skills.Thiswas the last threshold thatwewerecrossingintoadulthood.Afterthistherewouldbenomoreassignmentsandtestsandprojectstosubmit.ButneitherwouldtherebeaSivasubramaniaIyertotake us by the hand and point out the flight patterns of birds. Or a ThothatriIyengar to opennewdoors of knowledge.Or aProfessorSponderwhowouldteachthebasicsofasubjectsothoroughlythatIwouldneverforgetthem.
On the last day at M.I.T., we were supposed to have a class photographtaken.Istoodthinkingofall these teachersoldandnewasaphotographergotready to take a picture of the graduating studentswith the teachers.Weweredressed neatly and our hair was oiled and combed. As we waited for thephotographertosetuphiscamera,ProfessorSponderstartedlookingaround.Itseemed likehewassearching for something.Orsomeone.Hewas looking forme.Whenhespottedmestandingin thebackrowhebeckoned.‘Come,sitbyme,Kalam,’hesaid.SoIwent infrontandsatnext tohim.Istraightenedmyspineandsmiledatthecamera.
And that’s what I see whenever I look at the photo even today—myprofessors sitting next to each other and there’s me, sitting by one who hadnothing but affection for me, looking ahead, as if I was looking not into thecamerabutintoabrandnewworldthatwasawaitingmeoutsidethegatesofmycollege.
ChapterFour
The train had picked up speed. Iwas sitting by thewindowandwatching thecountrysiderushby.Fieldsandvillagesandforestsandriverswhooshedawayasmy trainmade itsway up north. I looked out for awhile, readmy book, anddozed. The rhythmic swaying of the train was relaxing. But I was not veryrelaxedmyself.IwasonmywaytoDelhitoattendtwojobinterviews.Thefirstone with the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTD&P[Air])wasinDelhi,andtheother,withtheIndianAirForce,wasinDehraDun.Thiswasmyfirst trip to thenorthof thecountryandIwasalready lookingatlandscapesandpeoplesodifferentfromwhatIhadseentillthen.
IwasverypleasedthatIhadbeenaskedtogivetheinterviews.Thecalltoappear for the interviews had come soon after I had finishedmy internship atHindustanAeronauticsLimited(H.A.L.)inBangaloreandIhadbecomeafull-fledgedaeronauticalengineer.
AfterfinishingfromM.I.T.,IstillneededtodoaninternshipandIchosetobeatH.A.L.There,Ihadgatheredalotofhands-onexperienceofworkingwithaircraft.IhaddonethisbyspendingasmuchtimeasIcouldontheshop-floor.Ashop-floorhasnoshopsthough!Itistheareawhereworkonmachinesisdoneinafactory.Inthiscase,itwaswhereaircraftenginepartswerebeingoverhauled.Ilearntfromandobservedthemanyengineersandtechniciansthere.Finally,allthebookishknowledgeIhadobtainedincollegewasbeingputtouse,andIwasworking on real aircraft engines!The peoplewhoworked there never tired ofshowingmehow theenginesworkedor theproblems theyneeded to tackle inthem. I stood alongside them and watched what they did or followed theirinstructionsandinthiswayIbegantoseetheseengines,thesemachines,asnotjust inanimatebits andpiecesof steel andwire andwheelsbut asobjects thatgavelifetotheaircraft,poweringthemhighupintothesky.
AndnowhereIwassittinginatrainthatwasgoingrapidlytowardsDelhi.The journey was long but as I read and prepared and looked outside at thecontoursofmycountry,timeseemedtoslipawayfastandsoonIfoundmyselfinDelhi.RightaftermyinterviewattheDTD&P,ImademywaytoDehraDuntoappearfortheinterviewattheIndianAirForce.Frankly,thiswasthejobonwhichIhadsetmyheart.AttheAirForceIwouldbeabletoflytheplanesIhadbeenseeingandstudyingabout.Atlast,thatchildhooddesiretobeonewiththebirdsandtolookdownattheearthfromhighabovewouldgetfulfilled.
Attheinterview,IspokepassionatelyaboutthereasonswhyIwantedtobeapilot.Iwasalsoquizzedextensivelyonmytechnicalknowledge.Weweretoldto wait for a while before the results were announced. To my greatdisappointment,whenthe listofselectedcandidateswasputup,mynamewasnoton it.Theyhadchoseneightpeopleand Iwas told that Ihadbeenplacedninth.Ihadmissedrealizingmydreambyawhisker.
Iwasoverwhelmedbyadeepdisappointmentanddejection.Sometimesonesetsone’sheartsostronglyonacertaingoalthatonnotreachingit,thesadnessis overpowering. I wandered around Dehra Dun and then decided to go toRishikeshtoseetheriverGangaandalsovisittheashramofSwamiSivananda,aboutwhomIhadheardearlier.
At Rishikesh, I met the swami and his calm manner as well as soothing
words gavemehope and the courage to get overmydisappointment.He saidthata lotofwhathappens inour lives ispredeterminedand that theonlywayforward is to acceptwhat has happened and tomove on.Who knew, perhapswhatdestinyhadinstorewouldbebetterthanwhatoneisgrievingovernow.
Withthisadvice,IreturnedtoDelhitofindthatIhadbeenacceptedattheDTD&P. I had been offered the post of Senior Scientific Assistant. My firstassignmentwastodesignanaircraftthatcouldreachthespeedofsound.Oncetheprojectwasover,ImovedtoKanpur.HereIcarriedoutstudiesforafighteraircraft called Gnat. I also did work on the maintenance aspect of aircraftincludingoverhaulingdamagedandwornoutparts.OverthenextthreeyearsIwasassignedvariousprojectsandIenjoyedthemall.
Yet,thedreamofcreatingmachinesthatfleweverhigherandthefascinationwith space remainedwithme. It didn’tmatter if Iwas inKanpur orDelhi orbackhomeforavisit.Theskywasvastandlimitlesseverywhere.Tostopeverynightaftertheworkforthedaywasdoneandtolookupattheinkyblackness,tospottheconstellationsthatwereoncepointedouttomebyJalaluddinandwhosenamesInowknewmyselfandtohopethatIcouldonedaytakeourcountryintothespaceagewerethoughtsthatcametomeoften.
So it was very exciting when I heard that a new aerospace developmentcentre had opened in Bangalore. I applied and got a job at the AeronauticalDevelopment Establishment (A.D.E.). The A.D.E. was supposed to work onaeronauticalresearchthatwouldhelptheIndianAirForce.Istartedreadingandresearching the latest developments in this field. Then one day, Dr O.P.Mendiratta, who was the director of the establishment, decided to put me inchargeofateamthatwoulddevelopahovercraftfortheAirForce.Iwouldbeworkingonthiswithateamofscientists.
Whatisahovercraft?Itisacraftthatfliesalittleabovethegroundusingthecushionofairblownbyit.ItwasthoughtthatahovercraftwouldbeusefulfortheArmedForcesasthesoldierscouldmoveacrossanyterrainusingthis.Thethendefenceministerof India,V.K.KrishnaMenonwasveryenthusedby theideaandgaveusa lotofencouragement.However,oncewestartedourwork,werealizedthattherewasverylittleindigenousknowledgeorresearchavailableonthis.OurhovercraftwasgoingtobefullyIndian,yetwehadlittlesupportbywayofexistingworktohelpus.
OnepersontowhomwereachedoutandwhogaveusvaluablelessonswasProfessorSatishDhawanwhowasteachingaeronauticsintheIndianInstituteofScience,Bangalore. ProfessorDhawan gave the entire team a few lectures on
howtodesignapropellerfor thehovercraft.Butfor themanyotheraspectsofthisjobwehadtosearchfarandwideforinformationandalsodeviseourownsolutions.
Finally, after many months of research a prototype was built in ourworkshop.Theentireestablishmentwasexcitedaboutitandsoonweheardthattheministerwould be coming to see it and also ride in it. On the day of theminister’svisitwewerebothexcitedandalittlebitnervous.IwashappytoseeProfessorDhawan had come towatch our progress too. The defenceministerarrived andwas escorted to theworkshop to see the craft from up close.Ourteamexplainedhow itwouldworkand thevarious innovationswehadhad tothinkuptocreateit.Hethensaidthathewantedtotakeashortrideinit.
Wehadexpectedthis,andIwasreadyatthecontrolsasthehovercraftwasmovedtoalocationoutsidethefacility.However,justastheministerwasgoingto takehisseat,someonefromthedefenceforcessaid itwouldnotbesafeforhimtositinacraftpilotedbyanuntrainedpilot.Iwasamazedtohearit.Afterall,thishovercrafthadbeencreatedbymeandmyteam,sohowcouldanyonethinkthatIwasnotcompetentenoughtoflyit?Thankfully,theministerdecidednottoheedthewordsofthesepeopleandchosetoflywithme.
Theflightwasasuccessandeveryonewashappywiththewaytheprojecthad taken shape.Therewas talk of us building amore powerful version next.However, to our great disappointment, Krishna Menon soon resigned as thedefenceministerandwiththatthesupportfortheprojectdecreasedalot.Yet,noeffortreallyevergoesinvain.AswewentaboutcreatingNandi—thatwasthenamegiventothehovercraftbyKrishnaMenon—welearntalotnotonlyabouthowtomakeahovercraftfromscratch,butalsoaboutresearch,andhowtothinkwithcourageandoriginalitywhenfacedwithproblemsforwhichonlywecouldfindthesolutions.
The success of Nandi was appreciated in aeronautical circles, and someothersarrivedatourfacilityinBangaloretolookatitfromupclose.Onepersonwhonot only camehere, but also took a tenminute ride in itwasDrM.G.K.Menon who was the director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research(T.I.F.R.) in Mumbai. What I had thought was another visit by a respectedperson in the scientific circles actually heldwithin it the seeds of the biggest
chapterofmylife.
Afewdaysafterhisvisit Igotacall fromtheIndianCommitteeofSpaceResearch (I.N.C.O.S.P.A.R.). They wanted me to come to Mumbai for aninterview.Thepositionwasthatofarocketengineer!
Iwasdelightedandoverwhelmedatthesametime.Ihadnotappliedfortheposition,butDrMenon,afterseeingNandi,hadbeenimpressedandhadthoughtI had the capabilities towork in the newly set up committee that would takeIndiaintothespaceage.Inowmadeyetanotherjourney,thistimewestwards,toMumbai.There,Ilookedattheseaandfeltthemuggycoastalaironmyface.Imade my way to the T.I.F.R. campus where I.N.C.O.S.P.A.R. was housed. Iremember standing thereand just lookingat thebuildingand the surroundingsfor a while before I walked in. I knew that if I succeeded at the interview, Iwouldbedoingthemostexcitingworkofmylife.
My interview was taken by Dr Menon, Vikram Sarabhai who was thenlaying the foundation of India’s space programme and Saraf from theDepartmentofAtomicEnergy.Iwasaskedmanyquestionsthatnotonlytestedmyscientificknowledgebutthatwerealsodesignedtounderstandmyambitionanddesire towork in this field. InVikramSarabhai, I felt therewas someonewhocouldbeamostunderstandingmentor.
Thenextday,IwastoldthatIhadbeenchosentojoinI.N.C.O.S.P.A.R.asarocket engineer. From a little boy looking up at the sky in Rameswaram toMumbai,myjourneysofarhadbeenexciting.Butthiswasonlythebeginning.TherewassomuchmorethatIneededtodo.Theskywas,literally,thelimitfor
mefromhereon.
ChapterFive
Iwascarefullywheelingacyclealongasandyroad.Itwasacloudydayandtheskieswerethreateningtosendadownpouranytime.YetIcouldn’thurry.WhatI was carrying on the cycle was too precious and it would be a disaster if itsomehowgotruined.Myfriendwhowaswalkingontheothersideofthecycle,washoldingtheobjectsoitwouldn’tslideoff.Iglancedattheskyandpickedupmypaceafraction.Weneededtoreachtheassemblycentrebeforeitbegantopour. On the cycle was a part of a sounding rocket that would be assembledalongwithalltheotherpiecesbroughtinfromtheworkshops.
Arocketonacycle!Itisperhapsunbelievablenow.Now,weseeourIndianSpaceResearchOrganisation(I.S.R.O.)sendhugerocketsthatdeliversatellitesintoorbitsorgotothemoonandtoMars.Buttheorganizationstartedsmall.ItallbeganinatinyfishingvillagecalledThumba,andbecausethedreamswerealways big, it grew from there to becomeone of theworld’s successful spaceprogrammes.AndIwasapartofthisfromthebeginning.
Thisstorystartedin1962.DrHomiBhabha,whowasthepersoninchargeofIndia’snuclearprogrammeandDrVikramSarabhaiwerelookingforaplaceto set up I.N.C.O.S.P.A.R.'s rocket assembly and launching facility. TheydecidedonThumba,which is near theEarth’smagnetic equator and thereforeideal for space research related activities.However, the village,which is nearThiruvananthapuram,hadapopulationoffishingpeoplelivingthereandinfact,theonlyexistingbuildingavailablewastheStMaryMagdalenechurch.
IhadrecentlystartedworkingatI.N.C.O.S.P.A.R.asarocketengineer,and
IsoonheardhowthevillageofThumbabecametheplacefromwherewewoulddoourfirstexcitingprojects.DrSarabhaivisitedThumbainthehopeofseeinghow this area could be handed over to our organization. It seemed like animpossibleandcomplicatedtask.Buthelpcamefromanunexpectedperson.Hewas the bishop of Thiruvananthapuram, theRight ReverendDr Peter BernardPereira.One Sunday, after saying themass at the church, he explained to theworshippers that their place of worship and even where they stayed wererequired to house India’s ambitious space programme.Fromhere Indiawouldtakeabig leapforwardin itsgoalofbecomingadevelopingnation.Theworkdone here would benefit everyone in the country, he said. But before thathappened, theyneededtogiveuptheirchurchanditssurroundings.Weretheywillingtodoso?
There was some discussion among the people and then there was a loudrumble of ‘Amen’ from the congregation. They had agreed to give up theirvillagetomakeIndia’sspacedreamcometrue.Theywere,ofcourse,providedwith an alternate place to stay by the government. And that’s how our spacedreams started, in a church building where the main work was done. Thebishop’shousewaswherewehadaworkshop.Andtheprayerroombecameourlaboratorytodotheexperimentsonthebuildingofsoundingrockets!
ImovedtoThiruvananthapuramandlifeatThumbasoonfellintoacertainroutine.We stayed at Thiruvananthapuram, which was a twenty-minute driveawayfromThumba.Thedayswereabitchaoticasweworkedwithoutabreakontheweekdaysandoftencouldn’tgetourmealsontimeatthehotelwherewewere staying. Then we would have to go to the railway station where thecafeteria served meals late into the night. This was also where we got ourbreakfast from andwould pack our lunch too.Wewould reach Thumba on aKeralaStateRoadTransportCorporationbus.
Work began at a frenetic pace to build the facilities we needed, like thelaunchpad,laboratoriesandworkshops.AfteraboutayearcountrieslikeFrance,theUSandRussia tooknoticeof theworkbeingdonehere.Still, thefacilitieswere quite basic compared to what was there in those countries. As I havedescribed,sincethevanweusedfortransportofmaterialandpersonnelwithinThumbawasoftenbusy,weusedcyclestogoaroundeverywhereandevencarryrocketpartsonthem!
By 1963, the complex at Thumba had come up well and now we had alaunchpad,amissioncontrolcentreandother required facilities. Itwascalledthe Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (T.E.R.L.S.).Wewere alsogiven our first big project—to launch sounding rockets. A sounding rocket isused mainly for atmospheric studies. It carries payloads to various altitudesranging from48 to 1,287 km.Once a sounding rocket is sent up, the payloaddetachesandfliesfurtherintotheatmospheretoconductstudies.Onceitisdone,itenterstheatmosphereagainandcomesbacktoadesignatedspotwiththehelpofaparachute.
Wehadnotyetdevelopedasoundingrocketofourownbutweregoingtolaunch one that had come from the US. We did that successfully on 21November1963. Iwas in chargeof integrating thevarious parts of the rocketand safety operations. The first flight gave us the confidence and requiredknowhow to start building our own rockets. We began work on a series ofrocketscalledRohini.Theserocketswereusedtostudytheweatherandledtoourcurrentexpertiseindevelopingourownrockets.
Dr Vikram Sarabhai was the one who gave direction to our entireprogramme. Itwashewhohaddrawnupavisionarydocumentonwhat Indiashouldaim toachieve in thisareaandhewas theonewhodecidedeverynewpath to take. ItwasDrSarabhai’s vision that India should start developing itsown satellite launch vehicles. A nation with a strong base in science andtechnologyisanationwithastrongbackbone.Bydevelopingourownsatellitelaunchvehicleswewerealsosettingthegroundforfuturerocketdevelopments.
Asatellitelaunchvehicleisarocketthatcanplaceasatelliteinorbit.CalledSLV for short, itwouldplace a satellite calledRohini in orbit.Onceweweretoldaboutthisnewproject,workstartedinearnestincomingupwithadesignorconfigurationfortheSLV.Itwasexcitingthatsuchnewtechnologywasbeingdevelopedinournationwhichhadbecomeindependentonlytwodecadesback.From a country that had been left ravaged by years of colonization, we hadlearnttodreambigandwereworkingonfulfillingthisdreamfearlessly.
DrSarabhaiwaspresentedwithfourdesignconfigurationsandhechosethethird.HencethevehiclebeingdevelopedwascalledSLV-3.Henowdecidedtocreate the teams thatwould be in charge ofworking on various stages of therocket.Sincethereweregoingtobefourstages,therewerefourteams,oneforeach stage. He decided to put me in charge of one such team that wasresponsible for the fourth stage. This is the upper stagewhich gives the finalvelocitytotherockettoplacethesatelliteinthecorrectorbit.
Mylifenowbecameanendless roundofworkwithsomebreaks forsleepandfood.LikethetwodaysIhadworkednon-stoptofinishmyprojectontimewhileatM.I.T.,Inowworkedalmostashard,anditwasnotfortwodaysthistimebutformonthstogether.IgottoseeVikramSarabhaifromcloseandalsoobservedhisstyleofworkingandhisleadershipqualities.Hehadstrongviews
aboutthewayourprojectshouldbeimplementedorhowthefacilityshouldberun. Yet, he also knew how and when to listen to the views of others. Herespectedtheiropinionsandlistenedtothemcarefully.Wheneverweweretoldthathewasexpectedtovisitus,wewouldgetveryexcitedandstartpreparingforthemeeting.Wewantedtopresentsomethingneworanaddedimprovementinourdesigntohim.Hecertainlyknewhowtoinspireustogiveourbest,notonly in terms of the time we spent on the work but also the quality. I washonouredthathehadthoughtmecapableofleadingateamandsawasparkofafutureleaderinme.
AtThumba,whilewedevelopedSLV-3,InotonlyworkedveryhardbutIalso made many new friends. I still remember the days spent in and aroundThiruvananthapuramtakingthelittlefreetimewesometimesgottovisitnearbybeachesandtakingadipinthesea,orplayingbadminton,ordrinkinglemonadesinthehothumidweather.WhenImeetthemnowwelaughaboutthoseolddayswhenwewereallyoungandhadgreatdreamsofbuildingrocketsandreachingforthestars.
At this time I also started thinking about the reasons on why we shouldexplorespaceandwhatthepurposebehindbuildingtheserocketswas.Afterall,wewerestillayoungnationwithlimitedresources.Whenitisdifficulttomakeendsmeetonearth,shouldwebelookingatthestarsandbeyondandreachoutsohigh?
AfterhearingvisionarieslikeVikramSarabhaiandworkingatT.E.R.L.S.Ibegan to understand that being self sufficient alsomeant developing our owntechnologies and using that for the good of the nation. Our satellites providemany benefits to the ordinary people of the country—from communication toinformation that is utilized by soldiers, fishermen, farmers, teachers, studentsand people from almost every walk of life. By making our own rockets thatcouldgointospaceandputsatellitesintoorbitortouchthesurfaceofthemoonor even reach Mars, we have become a nation that is respected for ourtechnological capabilities. Our satellite launch vehicles and facilities bring invaluablerevenuewhentheyareusedbyothercountries.Itisimportanttodreamandsetbiggoals foroneself. I learnt thatdreamsshouldbe those thatkeepusawake,theyareideasthatbecomeactionsthatleadtochange.Perhapsonedaywewillbeabletoliveonthemoonoronotherplanets,perhapswewillbeable
to harness energy from space and make our planet even better. There are somanychallenges that seem impossible at one time, butbecomea reality ifwestudythemandfigureouthowtotacklethem.
With Dr Sarabhai that is what we all started to learn—how to recognizechallenges and work out the ways to overcome them. He would listen andparticipate inourheated technicaldiscussions thatwentwell into thenight tillsome resolution was arrived at. It was an exciting time and I enjoyed everyminuteofiteventhoughIwasworkingharderthaneverbeforeinmylife.
Then, all of a sudden, on 30December 1970,DrVikramSarabhai passedaway. That day, I was in Delhi attending aMissile Panel meeting. After themeeting, I had called Dr Sarabhai and he had asked me to meet him atThiruvananthapuram airport when I landed, as he would be on his way toMumbai.Thatmeetingneverhappened,forwhenI landed,I learnt thathehadpassedawayfromasuddenheartattack.Notonlywasthisahugepersonallossfor me, for I had looked up to him as a mentor, it left all of us working atThumbaandeveryotherspacerelatedstationindisarray.Wewerewithoutourguidinglight.
Ourworkdidnotstopthough.Thecompletionoftheprojecthadbecomeourmission.Thegovernment renamed thefacilityatThumba theVikramSarabhaiSpaceCentre(V.S.S.C.)andin1972wegotanewchairman.HewasProfessorSatish Dhawan, whom I had first met in Bangalore while working on thehovercraftNandi.DrBrahmPrakashwasappointedthedirectorofV.S.S.C.andtheonewhonowoversawourworkonadailybasis.
ProfessorDhawanmade some changes to theway the SLV-3 projectwasstructured. He decided that there should be one project director for the entireoperation.Hechosemeasthatperson.WhenIheardthisIwasoverwhelmed.Iknewtherewereotherswhowereacademicallybetterqualifiedthanmeandyetotherswhoweremoresenior.ButDrBrahmPrakash,onseeingmynervousness,toldmethatbothheandProfessorDhawanthoughtIcouldbringateamtogetherwell.Therewouldbemanydifficulties andobstacles inmyway, and Ihad tofindtheresilienceandtheimaginationtoovercomethosewhilekeepingtheteammotivated.Istillrememberthewordshesaidtome:‘TheSLVmissionwillbeaccomplishedwith, and through, a largenumberofpeople.Youwill require a
tremendousamountoftoleranceandpatience.’
Thetimehadcometochannelallmydisciplineandenergytowardsonegoal—building theSLV-3. Itwas the rocket thatwouldnotonlyput satellites intospacebut also takeus to a brighter,more confident future. Iwas sure I couldcreatejustsuchafutureformycountry.
ChapterSix
Itwasveryearlyinthemorning.Here,intheeasternpartofIndia,dawnbrokeevenearlier,butIwasalreadyawake.InthelastsevenyearsIhadlearnttogetbywith less and less sleep.Work andmaking use of everywaking hour andminutewasallIthoughtaboutthroughtheday.Notnow,though.Now,intheseearlyminutesofthedaywhenthesunhadnotappearedfully,Ilikedtolookoutof thewindow and feel the cool, fresh breeze onmy face. I liked to hear thebirdswakingupat thenearbyPulicatLakeand start their chirpingandcryingand flappingofwings.For them itwasgoing tobeadayof looking for food,findingthebestgrubandcaringfortheiryoung.Formetoo,itwasgoingtobeadayofendlesswork.Icouldnotwaittogetstarted.
Ibeganmydaywithamorningwalk.Theearlymorningwithitsunbrokenpromise for theday, its stillnessnotyetdisturbedbyvoicesgaveme the timeandspacetogathermythoughts.AsIwalked,Irememberedthelongagodaysofwalkingwithmyfather,ofcominghometomymother,ofJalaluddinholdingmyhandandpointingoutthestarsinthesky.Allthesepeoplehadgoneinthelast few years. Jalaluddin died suddenly, while still young, leaving my sisterZohraawidow.Withhimgone,IfeltasifIhadfinallyshutthechapterofmychildhood days. Soon after that my father too passed away. He was over ahundredyearsold,butstillfit.Ivisitedmyoldtownandsaidmyfinalgoodbyetothemanwhotaughtmetopray,tohavefaithinsomethinglargerthanmyselfand theonewhoshowedme that thepersonwho is rich inspiritcanneverbepoor.Hisdeathleftmymotherlonelyandsad.Theonewhosesideshehadnotleftforoverseventyyearswasgone.Shetoofollowedhimsoonafter.Witheachpassing I rememberedwhat they had taughtme,what I had loved about each
personandknewthatnoonereallyeverdies.Ifyouhavebeengoodandloving,youliveonintheheartsofthosewhoheldyoudear.
ThishourortwointhemorningwasreallytheonlytimeIhadtoreflectandlookback.Therestofmydaywastakenoverinmakingsurethatwebuilt theSLV-3 perfectly and on time. Since I had beenmade the project director forSLV-3,thatwasmyoneandonlygoaldespiteallthepersonallosses.Myteamwas a close knit and united one. Every day I decided the goals and all of usworkedtowardsachievingthat.Ilearntthatpatienceandcalmnesscanhelpyoudealwithallkindsofobstacles.Togettheworkdonewithoutbecomingangryandfrustratedbutbysettingachievabletargetsandtickingthemoffonebyonewaswhatweneededtodo.Itwasasiftherewerenotenoughhoursinthedayfor us towork. And even if there had been, who had the time to look at thewatch!Peopleworkedtirelesslydayandnighttillwewerereadywiththefourthandfinalstageofourrocket.
During this exciting phase I had the privilege of meeting Wernher vonBraun.Braunwastheworld’sleadingexpertinrocketscience.HecametoIndiaandhavingheardaboutourworkwantedtoseeforhimselfwhatweweretryingtodo.IhadthegoodfortuneofescortinghimfromChennaiairporttoV.S.S.C.at Thumba. There, he told me, ‘Do not make rocketry your profession, yourlivelihood—make it your religion, yourmission.’ He appreciated that we hadtakenthelongandhardrouteofdevelopingourowncapabilitiesinthisareaandtoldusthatthisiswhatwewouldprideourselvesononeday.
Withsuchencouragementcomingourway,wewentaboutourworkontheSLV-3 till thedaycameforus to launch it—10August1979.The launchwasgoingtotakeplaceatSriharikotawhereanewrocketlaunchingfacilityhadbeenconstructed.DrSarabhaihaddecided thatweneededa facility fromwherewecouldsendrocketsofvarioussizesandconfigurationsintospaceandtheAndhraPradeshgovernmentgavetheland.Whatwasonceajunglehadbeenconvertedintoalaunchfacility.
SriharikotaisnearthetownofSullurpetainAndhraPradesh.Nearbyisthebeautiful Pulicat Lake where pelicans migrate every year and is rich with allkinds of bird life. I always liked howwe remained so close to nature both atThumbaandatSriharikota.Forscientistsandengineersbuildinglargecomplex
machinesitisveryimportanttorememberthebeautyandpowerofnature.
The Sriharikota rocket launch facility had started functioning from 1971when sounding rockets were launched from here. Eight years later, we wereready to launch theproductofyearsofhardworkfromhere—theSLV-3.Thevehicle had been brought in parts by road under heavy security and had beenfinallyintegratedhere.Thenightbeforeitslaunchitstoodreadyonthelaunchpad,itsmetalbodyglisteninginthemoonlight.ItoohadcometoSriharikotaafew days earlier to oversee the final preparations. I looked up at the hugestructuredominatingeverythingaroundit.Iwasconfidentthatitwouldallworkoutwell.ButIalsoknewthattheoddsweregreat.In1970,Japanhadsufferedfoursuccessivefailuresbeforetheyputtheirfirstsatelliteintoorbit.
Therewasagreatsenseofurgencyandexpectancyintheair.Manyvisitorshadarrivedtowitnessthelaunch.Soonthemorningof10Augustdawned.Ihadhardlyslept thenightbeforeandreachedthemissioncontrolcentreveryearly.Thevisitorswere seated in thevisitors’gallery fromwhere theycould see therocket takingoff.My teamand Iwere in themissioncontrolcentrewherewewentthroughallthelastminutechecksofthesystems.Therowsofcomputersinthemissionroomwereflashingvariousdataandallotherhealthparametersoftherocket.Weweremonitoringthemclosely.Everythinglookedtobeinorderandwasago.Tenminutesbeforethelaunchthecomputertookover.Nowwecouldonlybespectators.Thecountdownhadstartedtwentysecondsbeforeliftoff.Wewaitedwith batedbreath.The clock tickeddown eachnumber.Then,whenonlyeightsecondswereremaining,thecomputerflashedawarning.Ithaddetectedaproblemandhadhaltedthelaunch.
Weput our heads together and analyzedwhat the problemwas.The teamfelttheproblemwasaminoroneandthatweshouldgoaheadwiththelaunch.Iagreed with them and gave the go ahead to proceed with the launch. Thecountdownstartedoncemore.Therockettookoffwithanearsplittingroar.Wewatchedinaweasitrosehigherandhigherinthesky.Weapplaudedbutwerestillwaitingtohearfromthesystemsthatallwasokaybeforeweannouncedthelaunchasuccess.Andthendisasterstruck.Whenweactivatedthesecondstagetherocketbecameunstableandstartedtotumble.Withinminutes,itfellintotheBayofBengal.
Icouldnotbelievethatsomanyyearsworthofworkhadgonetowaste.Aflaw in the second stage control system had washed away all our efforts.EveryonewhohadgatheredtowatchthelaunchwasasstunnedasusandIknewthatnextdaythenewspaperswouldbefullofourfailure.Ifeltanumbingsenseofdejectionwashoverme.Themenwhohadworkednightanddayalongwithmewerealsosimilarlydowncast.
Afterwewereabletoleavethelaunchsite,Iwentawaytomyquartersandfell into a deep sleep. Some time later, I felt a hand shaking me awake andsomeone calling my name. It was Professor Satish Dhawan. He had comelookingformeknowinghowIwouldbefeeling.Hemademegetupandtookme to thecafeteria toeat.Likea friendhewatchedovermeanddidnot evenbringup the failureof themission into theconversation.After that,wehad toface the people from the press. There, Professor Dhawan stood by me andanswered the questions put by the media. He said such failures happen withrocket launches and have happened in other countries too. Itwas a temporarysetback and that we would soon be back with a flawless launch. Dr BrahmPrakash toostoodsteadfastlybymysideandwesoonstartedgettingwordsofencouragementfrommanyothers.
Therewasno timetositandbroodover thefailure.Wehad toaccept thatsomething had gone wrong as things might when complex machinery isassembled,andweneededtoanalyzethefailureandseethatwedidn’trepeatit.Work started once again on the second flight of SLV-3. The launch datewasfixedfor18July1980.
Thistime,thereweren’tasmanypeopleasthefirsttime.Thescientiststoowereonedgeandhopingthateverythingwentoffwithoutahitch.At8.03a.m.the rocket took offwith the satelliteRohini.Wewatched the glowing end gohigherandhigherupintothesky.Thenthesystemsstartedreporting—thefirststage had performed perfectly… the second stage too…the third stage wasactivatedandallwasgoingwell…thefourthandfinalstagetookoverandgavetherocketjustthecorrectthrusttoputsatelliteRohiniintoorbit.Werejoicedaseachstagepassedsuccessfully.FinallyIwasabletoannounce—themissionwasasuccess!
Thefewhoursafterthatareablurinmymemoryofthumpingeachother’sbacks,shakinghandsandhuggingeachotherinjoy.Innotimethenewsspreadeverywhere that our first satellite launchwas a success.We had overcome allkinds of difficulties and setbacks and become one of the few countries in theworldatthetimetohaveputasatelliteintospaceonourownefforts.Thistime,ProfessorSatishDhawansaidIshouldaddressthepressconference.
There are two lessons that have remainedwithme from this episode.Thefirstisabouthavingtheresilienceandcouragetogetupafterasetbackandcarryon with the task. And the second is about the role of a leader in managingfailure.Aleadershouldgivethecreditofthesuccesstotheteammembers.Butwhen failure comes, leaders should absorb the failures and protect the teammembers.IlearntthisimportantlessoninfailuremanagementnotfromanytextbooksbutbyobservingProfessorDhawan’sleadershipstyle.
MessagesofcongratulationspouredinfromIndiaandabroad.TheMembersofParliamentpraisedusandsodidalmosteverynewspaper in thecountry.Ateachmoment Igave thanks toallmymentors fromVikramSarabhai toSatishDhawantoBrahmPrakashwhohadguidedmeandkepttheirfaithinme.Thenone day I got a call from Professor Dhawan. I was to proceed to Delhiimmediately.Why?BecausePrimeMinisterIndiraGandhiwantedtomeetandcongratulate me personally. I didn’t know whether to feel excited or a bitnervous. Iwasdressed inanordinaryshirtandonmyfeetwereanoldpairofsandals!WhenIsaidso toProfessorDhawan,whatherepliedhasstayedwithme always: ‘You are beautifully clothed in your success.’ Even today IrememberthosewordsandIdon’townmorethanthreesetsofsuitsandfiveorsixshirts.
MymeetingwithIndiraGandhiwentwellandsoonIwasbackattheIndianSpaceResearchOrganisationworkingon theplans for the future.Thesatelliteprogrammenowneededtogotothenextlevelandothertypesofvehicleswerebeingplanned like theAugmentedSatelliteLaunchVehicle (ASLV), thePolarSatellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geo-Synchronous Satellite LaunchVehicle (GSLV). I was appointed the director of Aerospace Dynamics andDesigngroup.
Iwashappywithallthesenewplansandstridesthatweweretakinginthefield when a sudden new turn occurred in my life. In 1981, I was invited toDehra Dun to speak at the Defence Electronics Applications Laboratories onSLV-3. There, I met Dr Raja Ramanna, the eminent nuclear scientist andscientific adviser to the minister of defence. Over a cup of tea, he made anexciting new proposal. Would I want to head the country’s Guided MissileDevelopmentProgrammeattheDefenceResearchandDevelopmentLaboratory(D.R.D.L.)inHyderabad.
I thought long and hard on what to reply. I could stay at I.S.R.O. anddevelop rockets, or I could go to D.R.D.L. and develop military rockets ormissiles. I decided that the time had come, after spending eighteen years atI.S.R.O.,totakeupanewchallengeandtoservemycountryinadifferentfield—defence.IdecidedtomovetoHyderabad.
My years at I.S.R.O. and in the developing of SLV-3 taughtme somanythings—thatproblemswillcomewithanyendeavour.Yourassignmentcouldbetobuildarocketortodoaschoolproject,butthetrickistotellyourselfthatyouarethecaptainofyourproblemsandneverlettheproblemsbecomethecaptain;defeat theproblemandsucceed.Onceyoutellyourself: ‘Icansolve thisandIwilldoitwell’,thereisnothingthatcanstopyoufromdoingso.
ChapterSeven
Whydoesmanproduceweapons?Thatisaquestionmanythinkersandleadershaveaskedthemselvesoverthecenturies.Yetwekeepgoingtowaragainsteachother,andtheworldkeepsproducingmoreandmoresophisticatedweapons.Inthisscenario,canourcountryaffordtonothavethelatesttechnologytoprotectourselves? For centuries, others were able to rule over us and dominate usbecause we refused to innovate with the times and adopt new means ofprotection.Didyouknowthatatonetime,weweretheonestohavedevelopedthe technology to use rockets in war? Yet we didn’t develop this knowledgefurtheranditwastheBritishwhoadoptedthefirstrocketsusedasweaponsinIndiaanddeployedthemtowinwars.
Weaponscannotbuypeace,buttheycanhelpustonotrepeathistory.
TheseweresomeofthethoughtsthatranthroughmymindasIpreparedformynewassignmentatD.R.D.L.inHyderabad.ThemissionherewastodevelopIndia’s indigenousmissile programme. Along with us scientists, experts fromvarious fields in engineering and defence as well as members of the ArmedForces would help us develop five indigenous missile systems. These werePrithviSurface-to-Surfacemissile,TrishulShortRangeSurface-to-Airmissile,NagAnti-Tankmissile,AkashSurface-to-AirmissileandAgnianIntermediateRangeTwo-stageBallisticmissile.
The project was flagged off on 27 July 1983. I had however moved toHyderabadayearearlierandhadstarted interactingwith the scientistsalready
working at DRDL. I had been astonished to find that they were quitedemotivated. The missile programme had been awaiting the green signal andnowthatwehadfinallygotit,weneededtostartworkroundtheclocktomakeitasuccess.Isoongottoknowmostofthekeypeoplewhowouldbeworkingonitandwestarteddevelopingourplansandgoals.Ispoketoeveryoneasoftenas I could, talking to them about the mission, encouraging them to takeownership and working out the most effective ways in which to go aboutfulfillingourresponsibility.Soonthevariousteamscametogetherwellandwestartedworkinginawellplannedmanner.Ihadonlyoneformulaformyteamtofollow—goal-setting,positivethinking,visualizingandbelieving.
The government had set up a high technology research centre inHyderabad’s Imaratareaandwecalled the facilityResearchCentre Imarat.Atthesame timewealsoneededaplace toconductmissile flight trials.For this,space was found at Chandipur in the Balasore district of Odisha. Somewhatcoincidentally, like theSatishDhawanSpaceCentre inSriharikota,whichwasnear the Pulicat Lake with its rich bird life, Chandipur, too, was near a birdsanctuary.The facilitywasdesigned in such away that the sanctuarywasnotdisturbed.Forournationtotakeflightintospaceorinbecomingselfreliantinmissiletechnology,weneededtoflywiththebirds,notdisplacethemandtakeovertheirhabitat!
AlloureffortsandplanningstartedtobearfruitandtheTrishulmissilewassuccessfullylaunched.ThenPrithviwaslaunchedin1988andtheworldhadtositupandtakenoteofthestridesweweremakinginthistechnology.Thatmeantthereweremoreobstacles forusassomecountries in theWest thought itwasdangerousthatweweredevelopingourownweaponsystems.However,wehadour sights trainedon thenext achievement—launchingAgni. Itwas scheduledfor20April1989.
Amissile launch is somewhat different from a satellite rocket launch andmany more precautions need to be taken for the people living in the nearbyareas.Ourmissilewasreadyandsowereallthesystems.BythetimethatdayinApril dawned, we felt we had travelled a hundred miles from where we hadstarted just seven years earlier to come to this point. For amissile launch thecountdownstartsthirty-sixhoursearlierandwewatchedtheclocktickingdownwithanxietyandgrowingexcitement.However,withfourteensecondstogo,thecomputer signaled that we should ‘hold’ as there was a problem. Soon therewere more ‘hold’ signals and we had to abort the launch. It was greatlydisappointingbutbynowIwasmoreexperiencedinhandlingsetbacks.Iralliedourteamtogetherandwegotbacktoworktolaunchthesecondtimetendayslater.However,thattoodidnothappenbecauseofsometechnicalglitches.
IcouldseethemoraleofmyteamflaggingandIhadtoworktopickthemupbefore theystarted thinkingofgivingup.Like IhadoncebeenencouragedandsupportedbymymentorsProfessorSatishDhawanandDrBrahmPrakash,InowdidthesametotheteamofscientistsworkingonAgni.Iknewwhattheywerefeelingandhowtomakethemfocusbackonthejobathand.
WefinallydecidedonanewdateforlaunchingAgni.Itwouldbeon22May1989. In themeanwhile,we had faced a lot of criticism from the newspaperswithcartoonsmakingfunofourdelaysappearinginthem.Weremainedfocusedonly on our one aim—to create a successfulAgnimissile.Now thatwewerereadyonceagain,Iwassurewewouldbesuccessful.
On the night before the launch, I was walking with the defenceminister,K.C.Pant.Heaskedme,‘WhatwouldyoulikemetodotocelebratethesuccessofAgnitomorrow?’Iwashappytohearthathewassoconfidentthatwewouldsucceed. I looked around at the lush greenery aroundme, and thought of therockybarrenareainImaratwherewehaddonealotoftheworkonthemissileprojects. I wanted to bring this beauty and tranquility from nature into thatfacility too. I knew my answer immediately: ‘We need 100,000 saplings atResearchCentreImarat.’
The nextmorningwas the crucial day of the launch. The countdown hadalreadystartedandwewereoncemorewaitinganxiouslyforthetake-offtime.At 7.10 a.m., Agni took off flawlessly from Chandipur. We watched it risehigherintheskyandscannedoursystemstocheckthateverythingwasinorder.All systems worked perfectly. The flight lasted 600 seconds, just as we hadplanned. We had launched a missile that had a range of 1,500 to 3,000kilometres andhad thecapability to launchanuclear strike.Agni alsohad re-entrytechnology,whichmeansthatthewarheadofthisweapon,thatstrikesthetarget,canwithstandveryhightemperatureswhilehittingtheenemytarget.
Themessagescongratulatingusand theawardsandaccolades flowed in. I
was honoured to be chosen to receive the Padma Vibhushan in 1990. Thelaunchesoftheothermissiles,AkashandNagwerealsoconductedsuccessfully.Witheachmissilethatwentthunderingintotheskywegainedinknowledgeandpower.Wewerenolongeranationthatneededotherstoprotectus.
Agni,forme,wasaprojectveryclose tomyheart. IhadchosenthenameforIfeltitsymbolizedallthefirethatweasanationhadlyinglatentwithinallofus.ItwasAgninotbecauseitwasdestructive,butbecauseitgaveusstrengthandconfidenceand indeveloping it indigenouslywemadegreatstrides inourowntechnologicalcapabilities.ThewingsIhadoncedreamtofflyingonwerenowa reality.Theywerewings thatmadedreams into reality, hardwork intosuccess, they were the wings of fire that can destroy ignorance andbackwardnessandflyustowardsbecomingastrong,developednation.
ChapterEight
OnceAgni tookwings,mywork toobecamemoreandmore interesting.AftersomeyearsIbecamethescientificadvisertothedefenceministerwhichmeantthatIhadtohavemorediscussionswithpeopleinthegovernmentaboutmattersofscienceand technology indefence. ItwasadifferentworldfromtheoneofresearchandprojectsandtimelinesIhadgottenusedtoatISROandDRDL,butIwasalwayshappyto learnnewskillsandtakeonnewresponsibilities. IalsowrotemyautobiographyWingsofFireatthistime.Itgavemeachancetorelivethedaysofmychildhoodandyouthandtalkaboutthemanyinfluencesandthepeoplewhohavehelpedshapemylife.
WiththesuccessofSLV-3andAgniandthevariousotherspace-relatedanddefence-relatedprojectsIhadseenfromupclose,mybiggestinterestnowwasexploringhowtechnologycanhelpIndiabecomeadevelopednationbytheyear2020.Icametounderstandthatscienceanditsbenefitshavetomoveoutfromlaboratories,researchfacilitiesandbecomeapartofgovernmentpoliciessothatwhentheyareimplementedtheyhelpthecommonpeopleofthecountry.Fromcommunicationtofarmingtodefencetonewareasofemployment,weneededtobringthebenefitsofthelatestinnovationstothepeople.
IalsorediscoveredatthistimethedeeploveIstillhadfortheprofessionofteaching.AfterAgniwaslaunched,Iwasinvitedbymanyinstitutions,includingschoolsandcolleges to talk to thestudents.Each timeImetagroupofyoungpeople,Iwasfilledwithanewenergy.Italkedtothemabouthowmissilesandsatellitesarebuilt,Itoldthemtolearnnewthingsandtomakealltheirdreams
intoreality.Iwantedtoopennewwindowsofthoughtforthem.Inreturn,IwasgivensomuchloveandrespectthatIwasoverwhelmed.
In 1997, the government honouredmewith the Bharat Ratna, the highestcivilianhonourof thecountry.Prizesandawardsaregoodtoreceive,but theycannotbethemeasureofone’ssuccessasahumanbeing.YetwhenIreceivedtheBharatRatna,Ifeltasthoughitwasanacknowledgementofthedreamsofeverychildofthiscountry.Speakingatapressmeetaftertheawardceremony,Ispoke about how I rememberedmy parents and teacherswho first shapedmydreams.
The work on the nuclear weapon programme started and picked upmomentum.Oneday,in1998,VajpayeejicalledameetingwhereIwaspresentinmyroleasscientificadviserandsowasR.Chidambaram,chairpersonoftheAtomicEnergyCommission.Heaskedhowlongitwouldtakeforustoconductnucleartests.Myreplywas‘T-30days.’Thismeansweneeded30daysfromthedateoftakeoffonceitwasplanned.AdecisionwastakentobeginthetopsecretOperation Shakti. The testswould be carried out at Pokhran inRajasthan andwouldbejointlycarriedoutbytheDepartmentofAtomicEnergy(D.A.E.)andtheDefenceResearch andDevelopmentOrganisation (D.R.D.O.).The nucleardevices that were to be tested were being developed at the Bhabha AtomicResearchCentreinMumbai.
Itwasamassiveundertakingthathadtoremaincompletelysecret.Wehadto visit Pokhran often but that too had to be done with great care so that nounusual movements were tracked by foreign satellites. I, too, spent time atPokhranoverseeingthefinalpreparations.Pokhranis106kmfromJaisalmerintheextremelydryandariddesertregionofRajasthan.Formilesonecanseeonlysandandduneswitha fewoccasional scrubs.Desert snakesand scorpionsarenot uncommon here. Sandstorms can pick up at any time, especially in thesearinglyhotmonthofMay,whenwehadplannedthetests.Tokeepourworkinvisible,weworkedinstructuresthatwerecoveredwithsandandscrubsothatfromtheairtheylookedliketheywereapartofthelandscape.
TheArmyhaddugdeeppitsinthegroundwherethenucleardeviceswerekept. Placed so deep, the radioactive fallout from themwould be limited andcontainedwithinthepit.WewereallgivenArmyuniformstoworkinwhilewewerethereandIwasreferredtoasColonelPrithviraj.Thiswasbecauseofmyrole in thedevelopmentof themissilePrithviandalsoa reference to thegreatRajputwarriorkingPrithvirajChauhan.
The date of the testwas 11May 1998.By now I hadwitnessed somanylaunches and takeoffs but the same feeling of apprehension and excitementfloodedwithinmebeforeeach. Ihadalso seensomany facetsof thephysicalbeautyofIndiawhenweplannedtheseoperations.Thumbawiththesealappingatthebeach,SriharikotawiththebeautifulPulicatLakenotfaraway,Chandipurwithitslushgreeneryandbirdsanctuary.Andnowwewerehere,onthedesertsands of Rajasthan, looking anxiously at the sky and monitoring the windsituation.Itwasawindydayandifwindspeedspickedupanyfurtherwewouldhaveaproblem.Wewaitedinthecontrolroomforthewindspeedtodrop.At3p.m., the wind had finally slowed down enough for me to inform the PrimeMinister’sOfficethatweweremakingthefinalpreparationsandthatthedeviceswouldbetestedinthenextsixtyminutes.
Thefinalokaytogoaheadhadtocomefromme.Iwascompletelyfocusedon doing the job flawlessly. I gave the signal to proceed. Two officials fromD.A.E.andD.R.D.O. turnedon thekeys thatgave thesignal to thepitswherethedeviceswerekept.Thetimewas3.45p.m.andaswescannedthemonitorscloselywegottheconfirmation—thenucleardeviceshaddetonatedasplanned.The tests were a success. The blasts had occurred 150 to 200 m below thesurfaceoftheearthandhadreleasedenergyof53kilotonnesofTNT.Aswegotconfirmationofallhavinggonetoplan,R.ChidambaramandIshookhands.Wesentthenewsouttotheprimeministerandfromtherethenewstravelledswiftlyallover thecountryand theworld.Theeffect ithadon theoutsideworldwas
nothing short of a nuclear blast in itself. Thatwe hadmanaged to do all thissecretlyandsuccessfullywasunbelievable formanycountries, specially in theWest.TheUS spy satellites hadmistaken our preparations for the tests as thesetting up of another military outpost in the Jaisalmer area that is near thePakistanborder.
In India, our success was greeted with much enthusiasm. We werecongratulatedbytheprimeministerandmanymoremessagespouredin.Itwasnotallunadulteratedpraise forus, though.Somepointedout thatasacountrywiththeconceptofahimsaornon-violenceplayingsuchanimportantroleinourhistory,werewenot abandoning thatprinciplebybecominganuclear-capablestate?Manyjournalistsaskedmethis,particularlyinapressconferenceinNewDelhi. I said that these tests had signaled to the world that we are a strongcountry.Asanationwewouldusethemonlyforoursecurityandasadeterrentforanyonewhomightattackus.
This is a question that I have been asked by many children too in thesubsequentyears.Iunderstandchildren’sconfusionwhentheyaretoldaboutourgloriousfreedomstruggleledbyGandhijiandhisdoctrineofnon-violence,andthentheyreadthatnowweareacountrythatmanufacturesthedeadliestweaponknown toman. I tell themeach time thatweas a countryhavenever invadedanyoneinourhistory.Yet,wehavealsosufferedalotbecausewedidnotadoptthelatesttechnologicalcapabilitiesinourdefencesystems.Wehavebeenruledover by outsiders for centuries because of this. Sowhilewe remain a countrythat is peaceful andwill not be the first touse theweapons,wealsoneed thesecurityofknowingthatwehavethemeanstodefendourselves.
AfterthePokhrantestswereconcluded,IwasmadetheprincipalscientificadvisertothegovernmentofIndiaintherankofUnioncabinetminister.Atthetime, I was also the chairman of Technology Information Forecasting andAssessment Council (T.I.F.A.C.) under the Department of Science andTechnology.AtT.I.F.A.C.wewerelookingatadvancesintechnologiesallovertheworld and tracking how India could adopt them.Weworkedwith expertsfrom various fields as well as the government, industries and financialinstitutions.Ourworkwascarriedoutovereightyearsandwecreatedthevisiondocument Technology Vision 2020. Its aim was to transform India into adevelopednationbytheyear2020byworkingonvariousparameters.
AtthistimeIalsostartedtouringthecountrywidelytotalktostudentsandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.Ienjoyedthissomuchthatoncemyworkasprincipalscientificadviserwasover, Iwent toChennaiandstarted teachingattheAnnaUniversity there.The lecturehallwhen Igave the lectureswouldbeoverflowingandIenjoyedeveryminuteoftalkingandinteractingwithstudents.
InthiswayIsettledintoadifferentpatternof life.Itwasoneof ideasandsharingthoseideasandmeetingandinteractingwithmanypeople.Startingthenand till date Ihavemetmore thanamillionyoungpeople and theyare inmythoughtsalways,asIwritemybooksorasIworkonmyvisionforadevelopedIndia.Ihopethismutualloveandrespectandaffinitylastsforever.
ChapterNine
IwasattheAnnaUniversitycampus,goingaboutmydaythathadbeenjustlikeanyothertillnow.Ihadgivenalectureon‘VisiontoMission’.Ithadgonewell.Almost 350 students had come to listen, though the classwas for about sixtystudents.Thequestionsandanswershadalsogoneon for a long timeandmyonehour slotgot extended to twohours.After the lecture, I cameback tomyofficeandatelunchwithsomeofmystudentswhilewediscussedtheirresearchprojects. In theevening, Iwent forawalkafterpreparing formyclass for thenextday.ThatwasmyroutineatAnnaUniversity.WhenIreturnedtomyoffice,Iwastoldthattherehadbeennumerousphonecallsforme.Atthatmomentthephonestartedringingagain.Ipickeditupandthevoiceontheotherendaskedmetoholdastheprimeministerwantedtotalktome.
Iwonderedwhy thePMwas callingme.Was it something todowith theVision 2020 document? Or another scientific mission? However, what PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said to me next was something I had notanticipatedatall.Hesaid,‘Wehavedecidedunanimouslythatthenationneedsyou as its Rashtrapati.Will you agree to this?’Hewas asking if I wanted tobecome the president of the country.At once I started thinking of the variousoptions that lay beforeme in the future. Onewas of continuing as a teacher,something that I loved doing. Having students and teachers around me wasindeed enjoyable. At the same time, I thought of addressing Parliament andpresentingmyvisionforthenationtothem.AsthepresidentIcouldmakemyvoice heard much more effectively on matters that I wanted to talk aboutparticularlytheDevelopedIndiavision.Ineededtothinkaboutthissomemore.I askedVajpayeeji for two hours to think this over and to give himmy final
decision.
InthenexttwohoursIspoketomanyfriendsfromdifferentareasofwork.SomesuggestedthatIcontinueintheacademiclifethatIwasinthenandstayaway frompolitics.Others said that thiswas the bestway tomake the nationknow about the vision for India 2020. Finally, after listening to over thirtypeople,Imadeupmymind.
I called the primeminister back. ‘Vajpayeeji, I consider this to be a veryimportantmissionandIwouldliketobeanall-partycandidate.’Ifallthepartiesagreedonmycandidatureforthepositionofpresident,Iwasreadytoacceptthisproposal.
Intheend,allthepartiesexcepttheLeftFrontagreed.Theelectionforthepresidentwasconductedon15July2002.Beforetheelection,IsentoutalettertoalltheMembersofParliament(MPs)andMembersofLegislativeAssemblies(MLAs)whowouldbevoting.IntheletterIputdownmyvisionforadevelopedIndia.
The letter said: ‘It speaks for the power and vitality of India’s democracythatapoorboyfromasmallislandinTamilNaducantravelfarintheserviceofthe motherland and now be considered for the responsibilities of RashtrapatiBhavan.’Itthenwentontooutlinemyvisionandmission.
Thedaysleadinguptotheelectionwerefilledwithmeetingswithjournalistsandschoolchildrenandlotsofotherpeople.On15July,electionday,Iwasquiterelaxed.Afterthevotingprocessgotover,thecountingbegan.Thistookaboutthreedays.On18JulyIwasdeclaredelectedasthepresident.
Ifitallseemedabitunbelievabletome,itwasjustasamazingandjoyousfor my family and friends back home at Rameswaram. There were manycelebrations, I am told, over there. The temple and themosque felicitated thenewswithspecialprayers.Peoplecamefrommanyplaces togreetmybrotherwhowas eighty-seven years old then. I felt blessed to have received somuchloveandgoodwishes.
Thedatefor theswearing-inwasfixedfor25July2002.Ihaddrawnupaguestlistthatconsistedofthirty-sevenpeoplefromRameswaram,includingmyfamily headed bymy brotherA.P.J.M.Maraikayar.Also fromRameswaram Ihad invited Pakshi Venkatasubramaniam Sastrigal, chief priest of theRameswaramTemple, ImamNurulKhuda of the RameswaramMosque, Rev.A.G. Leonard, from St. Joseph’s College Trichy. I also invited my teachersProfessor Chinnadurai and Professor K.V. Pandalai. Other than all the otherfriends,onehundredchildrenfromallthestatesofthecountrywereinvitedtoo.
Ifeltitwasimportantthatchildrenareengagedinthedemocraticprocessfromayoung age. This way they learn to respect and value democracy and ourConstitution.
Atthistime,IwasstayingattheAsiadVillageinNewDelhi.On25July,Iwokeupasusualandgotreadyfor theday.Ihadmybreakfastandthenworemy new bandhgala suit. It was in my favourite navy blue colour, and it sohappened that this was the first time I was wearing a bandhgala! I mostlypreferredtoweartrousersandshirtsbutthentodaywasaspecialday.Isetofffor Rashtrapati Bhavan where, along with the outgoing president, K.R.Narayanan,IproceededtoParliamentHouse.Theswearing-inwasgoingtotakeplace in the Central Hall of Parliament. I was greeted by the vice president,primeministerandthespeakeroftheLokSabha.AttheCentralHallthereweresomanyeminentpersonsincludingthecabinetofministers,thechiefsofArmy,Navy, Air Force, opposition leaders, governors, chief ministers, Members ofParliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and my colleagues from thesciencefraternityalongwithindustrialistsandartistes.
The ceremony started exactly on time at 10 a.m.Thehome secretary readout the communication from theElectionCommission that I had been electedand then Iwas administered the oath of office. I read out thewords loud andclear.Iwasseventyyearsold,andnowtheeleventhpresidentofIndia.
After the oath, inmy speech I said that we needed a collective vision totacklethechallengesofthecountry.ItwastimetoignitethemindsofthepeopletomakeIndiaadevelopednation.Wecannotemergeasadevelopednationifwedo not learn to transact with speed. I also quoted a favourite doha by Kabir:Whatyouwanttodotomorrow,doittoday,andwhatyouwanttodotoday,doitnow.
Thusbeganamemorableandeventfulperiodofmylife.IfIamaskednowastowhatbeingthepresidentmeanttome,IsaythatIbecamethepresidentasIwantedtotalkaboutacertainvisionforthecountry.ItwasaplantoseeIndiaasadevelopednationby2020, itwasaboutProvidingUrbanAmenities inRuralAreas(PURA)anditwasaboutbeingacertainkindofcitizenofthiscountry—engaged, aware, compassionate and forward looking.This iswhat Iwanted tosay, and I said so too, at thevarious forums Iwas invited to—theParliament,fifteen legislative assemblies, governors’ conferences, the European UnionParliament,atmynumerousmeetingswithpeoplefromallovertheworld.
I was clear in my mind from the very beginning that I wanted to be an‘InteractivePresident’.Tome,thisofficemeantanunprecedentedopportunitytomakecontactwithcitizensacrossthelengthandbreadthofIndia.ItalsomeantthattheRashtrapatiBhawanshouldnotbejustagrandstructure,butalsoaplacewherechildren,artists,thinkersandanyoneelsewhohadsomethingimportanttosaycouldvisitandhaveaccesstome.
Oneof the first thingswedid at theRashtrapatiBhavanwas to initiate e-governance.Weworkedout a systemwhereall the letters anddocuments thatarrivedatthepresident’sSecretariatgotdigitizedandbarcoded.Thepaperfileswouldbearchived,andonlytheelectronicfilemovedbetweenvariousofficersandifrequired,tome.Thisdrasticallyreducedthetimerequiredtodealwithallthecorrespondenceandpaperworkthatcameourwayeveryday.
IorganizedaseriesofbreakfastmeetingswithMPsfromallthestatesandunion territories. These meetings were not social calls but ones where wediscussedour ideas for thedevelopmentofaparticularstateandexamined theuniqueproblemsandissuesthatitfaced.Ifoundthatateverymeeting,theMPscamefullypreparedandwereburstingwithideastoimplement.Igavethemmyinputs, and we worked out concrete ways to improve the states’ waterways,employment,publichealthsystem,connectivityandtheeducationsystem.
OurArmedForcesareremarkablefortheirloyalty,courageanddedication.Ifelt, that as president, I should reach out to them and get to know theenvironment in which they did their work as closely as possible. For this, Ivisitedanumberofunitsoftheforces.IwenttotheKumarpostontheSiachenglacier,theworld’shighestbattleground.Ourtroopsworkhereinconditionsthatare unimaginably inhospitable. Located at an altitude of 7,000metres,when Ilanded at Kumar post, it was snowing and the temperature was minus 35degrees. I was greeted by three soldiers on reaching the station—Naik fromKarnataka,Williams fromWest Bengal and Salim fromUttar Pradesh. I stillremembertheirnamesbecauseIwasastonishedathowstrongandfittheywere.Their motivation and courage were due to the great leadership they receivedfromtheirseniors.ThetimeIspenttherewiththem,seeingtheirpatriotism,wasincrediblyinspiringforme.
WhileIwaspresident,Ifinallyfulfilledmylongcherisheddreamtoflyan
airplane. It was a Sukhoi-30 MKI. Before flying, I received the appropriatetraining and instructions fromWingCommanderAjayRathore.He taughtmehow topilot it andalsohow tohandle theweaponscontrol system.On8 July2006, I climbed into the craft, strappedmyself in and thenwe roaredoff.Wereached a height of 7,500 metres at a speed of over 1,200 km per hour. Iperformed a few turns and maneuvers on Wing Commander Rathore’sinstructions.Iexperiencedgravitationalforcesofupto3Gs, thoughIwaswellprotectedbymyG-suit.DuringmyflightIwashappytoseefeaturesdevelopedbyIndianscientistsintegratedintotheaircraft.Forthirty-sixminutesIflewlikeabird in thiswonderful powerfulmachine. Itwas finally a culminationof thedreamsfirstsownbySivasubramaniaIyerwhenIwasaboyoftenandcametoknowaboutairplanesandhowtheyworked.
Myfiveyearsaspresidentwerefulfillingandhumblinginequalmeasure.Imetpeoplefromalmosteverywalkoflifeandageandgenderandtheytoldmethemanywaysinwhichthecountrycanbecomeabetterplace.IinteractedwithworldleadersandpoliticiansinIndiaandunderstoodtheirwaysofthinkingandsolvingproblems.IinvitedartistsandwriterstotheRashtrapatiBhavanandsawthe country from their viewpoint. Scientists, farmers, religious leaders, non-resident Indians, members of the judiciary and so many more people cameforwardtocontributetothevisionofIndia2020thatIpresentedbeforethem.
Finally,on24July2007,myfive-year termaspresidentgotover.Mydaywaspackedwithinterviewsandmeetingsandsayingmyfarewellstothevariouscallers.Allmybelongingswerepackedintotwosuitcasesandreadytobetakenaway. Ina lifeofsomanyfarewellsandnewbeginnings, thiswasyetanotherchapterthatwasabouttoclose.Ithadbeenaremarkablechapter,nodoubt.Whoknew that the boy once running around the town of Rameswaram in farawayTamilNadu delivering newspaperswould one day be bidding goodbye to themajesticRashtrapatiBhavan.
ManypeopleaskedmewhatIwasgoingtodonext.WouldIretireandleadaquiet life,awayfromthehecticactivityofthelastfewyears?Iwasseventy-fiveyearsold,afterall.ButinmyheartIknewthatwasnotgoingtohappen.Ifanything,IwasevenmoreinspiredtocontinuemyworkofplanningadevelopedIndia. The unique experiences of these years had given me so many newviewpointstolearnfromandabsorb.IwascertainthatwhateverIdidinthenext
fewyearswould involve teaching and talking to theyouth andpresenting thisbeautifulvisionofhopeanddevelopment tomake it come true tomanymanymorepeople.
InmylastRepublicDayaddresstothenationinJanuary2007,Iputdownmanyofthesethoughts.
DevelopedIndiaby2020isamissionofabillionpeople.Everyoneofushasaroletoplay.Itwillbearealityifeveryone‘Giveswhatonecangive’, through individual, societal and nationwide participation in anationalmovementfacilitatedbytheGovernment.Myinteractionswithourcitizens in Indiaandabroad,particularly theyouth,demonstrate tomethepositiveenergyflowingfromindividualswhichmakethemeagertogiveall theycantomakeIndiadeveloped.Theattitudeofgivingbyevery citizen and each groupwill definitely be an enriching factor forthewholenationleadingtoanaccelerateddevelopmentprocess.When the nation marches towards its missions, many challenges willcomeon theway.Courage is a very important trait for all sections ofsociety in overcoming these challenges. I would like to narrate oneincident.On8 June2006, Iwas in the flightofSu-30-MKI.Thecaptainof theaircraftwasWingCommanderAjayRathore.Thedurationoftheflightwas forty minutes. I participated in all flight actions.When I landed,thereweremanyyouthandmediapersonnel.Oneyoungmanaskedmea question, ‘MrPresident, please tellme, since you have flown in thesupersonic fighter aircraft at the age of seventy-four, were you afraidanytimeduringtheflight?’Itoldtheyoungman,‘Allthefortyminutesof the flight, I was busy on the controls and instruments andexperiencing the “g” build up. I was advised by the captain to tracktargetsandalsolookatthegroundusingthesyntheticapertureradar.Inaddition,Iwasobservingtheperformanceoftheinstrumentsdevelopedindigenously. I was continuously busy in the flight operations and Ididn’thavetimetoallowfeartoenterintome.’Now, dear young friendswho have assembled in front ofme and thenation,IhaveamessageofCourageforyou.
COURAGETOGIVE
Couragetothinkdifferent,
Couragetoinvent,
Couragetodiscovertheimpossible,
Couragetotravelonanunexploredpath,
Couragetoshareknowledge
Couragetoremovepain
Couragetoreachtheunreached
Couragetocombatproblems
Andsucceed,
Aretheuniquequalitiesofyouth.
Astheyouthofmynation,Iwillworkandworkwithcouragetoachievesuccessinallmymissions.
MayGodblessyou.
JaiHind.
ChapterTen
IamstandingunderthemajesticArjunatreeatmyresidence10RajajiMarginNewDelhi.ThegovernmentallottedmethishousetostayinafterIdemittedtheoffice of the president, and it is now filled with my collection of books, thecomingsandgoingsofinnumerablevisitors,andthesweetmildsmellofjasmineand rose that grow in the garden. I hear the busy calls of the parrots andpeacocks in the earlymornings and late evenings as they come and go in thevariousneststheyhavebuiltinthelargetreesinthisgardenandthoseallaroundthisleafypartofthecity.Onemorning,Iwasstandingatawindowandspottedamostunusualvisitor.Ilookedatitcarefullyandrecognizedittobeahornbillbird! I often seemonkeys raid the garden andwrestlewith each other on thelawn.OnoccasionIhavebeen told that theyhaveenteredmykitchen tooandmadeoffwithatastytidbitortwo.AlltheserhythmsofdailylifeebbandflowaroundmeasIgoaboutmydays.
My schedule now is perhaps evenmore packed than before and formostdays in a week I travel to various parts of the country and abroad talking tochildrenand theyouth in schoolsandcolleges, toprofessionalsatconventionsandatconferencesandlectureinvitations.IaminvitedtoteachattheIITsandIIMsindifferentcitiesregularly.IhavewrittenanumberofbooksandwitheachbookbeingpublishedIfeelIhavesentoutamessengerofhopeandknowledgeintothewideworld.
Yet,IcontinuetolearnfromeverypersonImeetandalsolearntolovemycountryabitmore.Iamnotunawareofthevariouschallengesthatgovernmentsandcommonpeopledealwitheveryday.But Ikeepmyfaith. Ikeep thefaithbecauseIknowthat thiscountry isgreatand that itscitizensare thekey to itsgreatness. I know that our resources and capabilities, ifmanaged intelligently,can support our ambitions and aspirations. I know that we are a courageous,innovativepeopleandthisworldcanonlybebetteraswerealizeourpotential.
Thestoryofmylifehasbecomeintertwinedwiththestoryofthiscountry.Andsomewherealongtheway,asImetamillionchildrenlivinginallkindsofconditionsacrossthisland,Itoolearntfromamillionminds.Thisbookwasnotwrittentoonlytellmystory.Iwanteveryyoungreadertothinkthatthisbookishisorherstorytoo.Andtherefore,IwillendthisbookwithafewwordsthatIfeelwillbeusefullessonsforeveryyoungpersonTheyoutharethevoiceofthefuture; they are theoneswhowill flywithwingsof fire and turndreams intoreality.
AiminLife
Behind every successful venture and every inspiring career you will find anunflinchingaimthatwassetearlyinlife.Havinganaiminlifegivespurposetoeveryactionandorientationtoeveryresult.
AcquireKnowledge
Having an aim in life is incomplete until you are able to acquire the rightknowledgeneededtoaccomplishthataim.Itisyourdutytomakethebestuseof
theresources,peopleandnetworksprovidedtoyouatyourschoolsandcollegesto acquire the optimal knowledge needed to propel you towards your goal.Knowledge will give you greatness, and will help you accomplish difficultmissionsinlife.
WorkHard
Inordertoachievegreataimsoneneedstoworkrelentlesslytowardsthegoal.Constant effort with application of proper knowledge can help overcomedifficultiesandtoscalegreatheights.
ManagingFailure
Difficultmissionswillbringdifficultchallengeswhichmaysometimesproducetemporary setbacks. The test of a human being is in accepting the failure andgoing on trying until he or she succeeds. Managing failure is the essence ofleadership.
TaskthatLeadstoBliss
Takeupwhateverchallengethatcomesyourwaybutalsofindthatonetaskthatgivesyoubliss.Letmeexplain.WhenwelaunchedthefirstindigenoussatellitelaunchvehicleSLV-3in1980,itgavemealotofhappiness.WhenAgnireachedthetargetat2,000kmin1989,itgavemeadifferentkindofhappiness.Whenour team successfully tested the nuclearweapon in Pokhran desert in 1998, itgave me great joy. When our team prepared the Vision 2020 document fortransforming the nation into an economically developed nation, it gave me agoodsenseofhappiness.Butwhatgavemebliss?Duringmyvisittooneofthehospitals in Hyderabad, I found many children who were affected with poliostruggling to walk with calipers that weighed over 4 kg on their legs. At therequest of Professor B.N. Prasad of N.I.M.S., the Head of the Orthopedicdepartmentat that time,IaskedmyAgnimissilefriendswhywecan’tuse thecompositematerialused for theAgniheat shield to fabricatecalipers forpolioaffected patients. They immediately said it was possible. We worked on thisproject for some time and came up with a caliper for children that weighedaround400gm insteadof4kg.Thedoctorshelpedus fit thenew lightweight
caliperonthechildrenandtheysoonstartedwalkingandevenrunningaround.With the lightweight device provided by the hospital they could run, ride abicycleanddoall sortsof thingswhich theyhadbeendenied fora long time.Theremovalofthepainandthefreedomattainedbythechildrengavemeastateofbliss,whichIneverexperiencedduringanyotherachievementinmylife.
ReadGoodBooks
Books are our companions. Coming into contact with a good book andpossessing it, is indeed an everlasting enrichment of life. Sometimes, they areborn before us; they guide us during our life journey and continue to provideguidanceformanygenerations.
Askyourself,whatIwillberememberedfor?
You have to evolve yourself and shape your life. Ask yourself this question‘WhatwillIberememberedfor’andwriteitonapage.Thatpagemaybeaveryimportant page in the book of human history. You will be remembered forcreatingthatonepageinthehistoryofthenation—whetherthatpageisthepageof invention, the page of innovation or the page of discovery or the page ofcreatingsocietalchangeorapageof removingpovertyor thepageof fightinginjusticeagainstvoicelesscitizensorgivinggoodgovernancetothecitizens.
OathforYouth
1.Iwillhaveagoalandworkhardtoachievethatgoal.Irealizethatsmallaimisacrime.
2.Iwillworkwithintegrityandsucceedwithintegrity.3.Iwillbeagoodmemberofmyfamily,agoodmember
of the society, a good member of the nation and agoodmemberoftheworld.
4. I will always try to save or better someone’s life,
withoutanydiscriminationofcaste,creed,language,religionorstate.
5.Iwillalwaysprotectandenhancethedignityofeveryhumanlifewithoutanybias.
6.Iwilldreamtobecomeagreatwriterorgreatpoetoftheworld.
7.IwillalwaysworkforacleanplanetEarthandcleanenergy.
8. As a youth of my nation, I will work and work withcouragetoachievesuccessinallmytasksandenjoythesuccessofothers.
9. My national flag flies in my heart and I will bringglorytomynation.
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