About the Author - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He was a famous scientist and statesman who led India's missile and space programmes. He served as the President of India from 2002 to 2007 and was known as the "People's President."
His Greatest Interest: Sharing ideas with young people and inspiring them
Famous Books:
- India 2020 (1998)
- Wings of Fire (1999)
- Ignited Minds (2002)
- You are Born to Blossom (2008)
- Target 3 Billion (2011)
Awards: Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour) and several other prestigious awards
ലേഖകനെക്കുറിച്ച് (About the Author in Malayalam)
എ.പി.ജെ. അബ്ദുൾ കലാം (1931-2015) തമിഴ്നാട്ടിലെ രാമേശ്വരത്തിൽ ജനിച്ച പ്രശസ്ത ശാസ്ത്രജ്ഞനും രാഷ്ട്രതന്ത്രജ്ഞനുമായിരുന്നു. ഇന്ത്യയുടെ മിസൈൽ, ബഹിരാകാശ പരിപാടികൾക്ക് നേതൃത്വം നൽകി. 2002 മുതൽ 2007 വരെ ഇന്ത്യയുടെ രാഷ്ട്രപതിയായിരുന്നു. യുവമനസ്സുകളുമായി ആശയങ്ങൾ പങ്കിടുന്നതിൽ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് വലിയ താൽപര്യമുണ്ടായിരുന്നു. ഭാരതരത്ന ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള നിരവധി അവാർഡുകൾ ലഭിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.
Summary in English
This is a true story from Dr. Kalam's childhood when he was just eight years old. During World War II, his family in Rameswaram faced many difficulties due to British sanctions and rationing. Food and basic necessities became scarce.
Kalam's cousin Samsuddin ran the only newspaper agency in Rameswaram. When the train stopped at the station was cancelled, newspapers had to be thrown from moving trains. Samsuddin offered young Kalam the job of collecting these newspaper bundles and distributing them throughout the town.
Despite being only eight years old, Kalam eagerly accepted because he wanted to help his family. He noticed his mother and grandmother eating less food to feed the children first. This motivated him to contribute to the household income.
Kalam's daily routine was extremely busy. He woke up before dawn for his mathematics tuition, then attended Arabic school with his father, collected newspapers from the train, distributed them throughout town, attended regular school, and collected payment dues in the evening. Despite the exhausting schedule, he fulfilled all his responsibilities with dedication.
Through this experience, Kalam learned important life lessons about responsibility, time management, and the value of hard work. He kept his word to Samsuddin and took pride in being a "working man" at just eight years old.
Summary in Malayalam (സംഗ്രഹം)
ഡോ. കലാമിന് എട്ട് വയസ്സുള്ളപ്പോഴത്തെ യഥാർത്ഥ കഥയാണിത്. രണ്ടാം ലോകമഹായുദ്ധകാലത്ത് ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് ഉപരോധങ്ങളും റേഷനിംഗും കാരണം രാമേശ്വരത്തിലെ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ കുടുംബം പല ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുകളും നേരിട്ടു. ഭക്ഷണവും അത്യാവശ്യ സാധനങ്ങളും കുറവായി.
കലാമിന്റെ കസിൻ സംസുദ്ദീൻ രാമേശ്വരത്തിലെ ഏക പത്രവിതരണ ഏജൻസി നടത്തിയിരുന്നു. സ്റ്റേഷനിൽ തീവണ്ടി നിർത്തൽ റദ്ദാക്കിയപ്പോൾ, ഓടുന്ന തീവണ്ടികളിൽ നിന്ന് പത്രങ്ങൾ എറിയേണ്ടിവന്നു. ഈ പത്രബണ്ടിലുകൾ ശേഖരിച്ച് നഗരത്തിലുടനീളം വിതരണം ചെയ്യാനുള്ള ജോലി സംസുദ്ദീൻ ചെറുപ്പക്കാരനായ കലാമിന് വാഗ്ദാനം ചെയ്തു.
എട്ട് വയസ്സ് മാത്രമേ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നുള്ളൂവെങ്കിലും, തന്റെ കുടുംബത്തെ സഹായിക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചതിനാൽ കലാം സന്തോഷത്തോടെ സ്വീകരിച്ചു. കുട്ടികളെ ആദ്യം പോറ്റാൻ അമ്മയും മുത്തശ്ശിയും കുറച്ച് ഭക്ഷണം കഴിക്കുന്നത് അദ്ദേഹം ശ്രദ്ധിച്ചു. ഇത് കുടുംബവരുമാനത്തിന് സംഭാവന നൽകാൻ അദ്ദേഹത്തെ പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ചു.
കലാമിന്റെ ദൈനംദിന ദിനചര്യ അങ്ങേയറ്റം തിരക്കുള്ളതായിരുന്നു. ഗണിതശാസ്ത്ര ട്യൂഷനുവേണ്ടി പുലർച്ചെക്ക് മുമ്പ് എഴുന്നേറ്റ് അറബി സ്കൂളിൽ പോയി, തീവണ്ടിയിൽ നിന്ന് പത്രങ്ങൾ ശേഖരിച്ച്, പട്ടണത്തിലുടനീളം വിതരണം ചെയ്ത്, സ്കൂളിൽ ചേർന്ന്, വൈകുന്നേരം പേയ്മെന്റ് ശേഖരിച്ചു. ക്ഷീണിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ഷെഡ്യൂൾ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നിട്ടും, അദ്ദേഹം എല്ലാ ഉത്തരവാദിത്തങ്ങളും സമർപ്പണത്തോടെ നിറവേറ്റി.
ഈ അനുഭവത്തിലൂടെ കലാം ഉത്തരവാദിത്തം, സമയ മാനേജ്മെന്റ്, കഠിനാധ്വാനത്തിന്റെ മൂല്യം എന്നിവയെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള പ്രധാന ജീവിതപാഠങ്ങൾ പഠിച്ചു.
All Questions and Answers
While We Read Questions
Q1. How did Kalam stay in touch with news from India on his travels abroad?
Answer: When Kalam traveled abroad, he stayed in touch with news from India by going online to read news articles and editorials in magazines and newspapers.
Q2. Mention a few people who influenced Kalam's early life.
Answer: The people who influenced Kalam's early life were his cousin Samsuddin and Jalalluddin. Samsuddin had great affection for young Kalam and encouraged him in many ways, becoming a guiding light for him.
Q3. What was the effect of the sanctions on Kalam's family? How did the family cope with this?
Answer: The British sanctions during World War II affected Kalam's large family severely. Food, clothes, and basic necessities for babies became very difficult to get. The family coped by rationing their food. The women, especially Kalam's mother and grandmother, ate less and divided the food among all family members, making sure children were fed first. None of the children ever went hungry because the women compromised on their own nutrition.
Q4. Why does young Kalam say 'my enthusiasm knew no bounds'?
Answer: Young Kalam said "my enthusiasm knew no bounds" because he was excited and happy that at just eight years old, he could contribute meaningfully to the household income. He had noticed his mother and grandmother eating less food to feed the children, and now he could help the family financially through his work.
Q5. What was the condition posed by the mathematics teacher and how did it impact Kalam's daily schedule?
Answer: The mathematics teacher had a strict condition that students must reach his home at dawn after having taken a bath. This impacted Kalam's daily schedule significantly. He had to wake up while it was still dark outside. His mother would wake him, prepare his bath, help him bathe, and send him to the teacher's home. He studied there for an hour and returned by 5 a.m., making his day start very early.
Q6. How did Kalam go about the work of newspaper distribution?
Answer: Kalam worked out the best spot at the railway station to watch for the newspaper bundles thrown from the moving train. After collecting them, he divided the bundles into batches according to different neighbourhoods. Then he spent about an hour running around Rameswaram, delivering newspapers to everyone. He identified people by the papers they read and delivered them cheerfully. The work was completed by 8 a.m.
Q7. Newspapers opened up new worlds for young Kalam. Do you agree? Give reasons.
Answer: Yes, I agree that newspapers opened up new worlds for young Kalam. In the evenings, he would read the Dinamani newspaper with Samsuddin and Jalalluddin near the sea. They read about important leaders like Gandhiji, Congress, Hitler, and Periyar E.V. Ramasamy. Through these news items, the larger outside world entered his consciousness. He traced the photos and words with his fingers and dreamed about visiting big cities like Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, and meeting great leaders like Gandhiji and Pandit Nehru.
Q8. Kalam says he grew 'taller and browner' in a year. What does this suggest?
Answer: When Kalam says he grew "taller and browner," it suggests that he grew physically during that year because of all the running and physical work. He became "browner" because he worked outside in the sun every day, especially collecting and delivering newspapers in the morning when the sun was high. This shows how the outdoor work affected his physical appearance and helped him grow stronger.
Q9. How was Kalam able to ignore the intense tiredness at the end of each day?
Answer: Kalam was able to ignore his intense tiredness because he felt proud and happy knowing that his earnings were helping his family. He knew his mother was secretly proud of him for taking on the role of a working man at just eight years old. This sense of purpose, pride, and the joy of contributing to his family kept him going with a smile on his face despite the exhaustion.
Let's Rewind - Part A (Multiple Choice)
Q1. What motivated Abdul Kalam to take on the newspaper delivery?
Answer: D. to help and support his family
Kalam was motivated to help his family during the difficult times of World War II when food and necessities were scarce.
Q2. What do you think was the biggest challenge Abdul Kalam faced as a newspaper delivery boy?
Answer: A. the need to balance work and learning
Kalam had to manage mathematics tuition before dawn, Arabic school, newspaper collection and distribution, regular school, and evening collection of dues—all while being just eight years old.
Q3. What was the major effect of World War II on Kalam's family? They ...
Answer: B. had to ration food.
The British sanctions made food and basic necessities scarce, forcing the family to ration food carefully, with women eating less to feed the children.
Q4. What important skill did Kalam develop by newspaper delivery?
Answer: C. time management
Through his work, Kalam learned to judge distances, calculate time accurately, arrive at different localities at the same time daily, and balance multiple responsibilities.
Let's Rewind - Part B
Q1. What did Kalam's mother do to support him in his daily routine?
Answer: Kalam's mother supported him in many ways. She would wake up before him every morning while it was still dark outside and prepare his bath. She would shake him awake, help him bathe, and send him on his way to the mathematics teacher's home. After he finished his newspaper delivery work and returned home by 8 a.m., she would be waiting with breakfast. She made sure he ate every morsel before sending him off to school. Though she worried about the toll the additional work was taking on him, she was secretly proud of his dedication.
Q2. Kalam balanced his work and school, playing his part in a way that truly mattered. What is your opinion on children evolving into responsible members of the family?
Answer: Children can definitely become responsible family members when they take on age-appropriate duties. Like Kalam, children can learn valuable life skills such as time management, responsibility, and hard work through contributing to their families. However, education should always remain the priority. Kalam's example shows us that with proper support from parents and a balanced schedule, children can handle both studies and responsibilities. This helps them mature, build confidence, and understand the value of their contributions. Parents should encourage responsibility while ensuring children's education, health, and childhood are protected.
Key Lessons from the Story
- Responsibility: Taking on duties and keeping your word
- Hard Work: Being dedicated despite difficulties
- Family Values: Contributing to help your loved ones
- Time Management: Balancing multiple tasks efficiently
- Perseverance: Not giving up despite tiredness