My Life: An Illustrated Biography: An Illustrated Autobiography

by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

My eyes were threatening to water but I held back the tears. I was a big boy now and how could I cry for my mother in front of everyone? But whatever one’s age, to live away from your parents for the first time, however exciting, can also be a bit frightening.

He believed that the best learning happened when we saw how things worked around us, rather than learning about them only from books.

strongly believe that teachers need to tell students about great lives and make children understand their history and heritage. It is only through this that a love for the country is born that is based on knowledge and understanding. This is how children not only know what is good and what is evil but also learn to judge for themselves the distinction between the two. They then know the best way to behave in many situations. These lessons can form the moral core around which our personalities are formed—something that no one can take away from us however old we get. My

This incident taught me to always put in my best and also to never underestimate the power of hard work. Even if a task seems impossible, if you grit your teeth and set your mind to completing it by shutting out the entire world, you are sure to achieve what you set out to do.

realized that if something is at stake, the human mind gets ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. This is one of the techniques of building talent. It is important to work hard towards your chosen path—success is more a function of effort than anything else. A teacher has to be a coach like Professor Srinivasan and students should be prepared to put in their full energy behind the goal.

lot of what happens in our lives is predetermined and that the only way forward is to accept what has happened and to move on. Who knew, perhaps what destiny had in store would be better than what one is grieving over now.

I learnt that dreams should be those that keep us awake, they are ideas that become actions that lead to change.

If you have been good and loving, you live on in the hearts of those who held you dear.

learnt that patience and calmness can help you deal with all kinds of obstacles. To get the work done without becoming angry and frustrated but by setting achievable targets and ticking them off one by one was what we needed to do.

The first is about having the resilience and courage to get up after a setback and carry on with the task. And the second is about the role of a leader in managing failure. A leader should give the credit of the success to the team members. But when failure comes, leaders should absorb the failures and protect the team members. I learnt this important lesson in failure management not from any text books but by observing Professor Dhawan’s leadership style.

trick is to tell yourself that you are the captain of your problems and never let the problems become the captain; defeat the problem and succeed. Once you tell yourself: ‘I can solve this and I will do it well’, there is nothing that can stop you from doing so.

I had only one formula for my team to follow—goal-setting, positive thinking, visualizing and believing.

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Prizes and awards are good to receive, but they cannot be the measure of one’s success as a human being.

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‘It speaks for the power and vitality of India’s democracy that a poor boy from a small island in Tamil Nadu can travel far in the service of the motherland and now be considered for the responsibilities of Rashtrapati Bhavan.’

Courage is a very important trait for all sections of society in overcoming these challenges. I would like to narrate one incident.

Having an aim in life gives purpose to every action and orientation to every result.