Learning How to Fly: Life Lessons for the Youth

by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

have a great aim in life, continuously acquire the knowledge, work hard and persevere to realize the great achievement.

‘Let not my winged days, be spent in vain’.

The culture of excellence is driven by innovation and creativity. A nation’s economic development is powered by competitiveness. Competitiveness is powered by knowledge. Knowledge is powered by technology. Technology is powered by innovation. Technology and innovation are powered by resource investment. Innovation opens up new vistas of knowledge and new dimensions to our imagination to make everyday life more meaningful and richer in depth and content. Innovation is born out of creativity.

A creative mind has the ability to imagine or invent something new by combining, changing or reapplying existing ideas.

The important aspect of creativity is seeing the same thing as everybody else, but thinking of something different.

It is important to remember that science thrives when it converges to solve pressing challenges of the world and this is the 21st century requirement from engineers.

Science is driven by compassion and empathy often to alleviate the pains of humanity.

Look at the telephone; it would remind you of a unique scientist, Alexander Graham Bell. He, besides being a great inventor, was also a man of great compassion and service. In fact, much of the research which led to the development of the telephone was directed at finding solutions to the challenges of hearing impaired people and helping them to be able to listen and communicate. Bell’s mother and wife were both hearing impaired and it profoundly changed Bell’s outlook to science. He aimed to make devices which would help the hearing impaired. He started a special school in Boston to teach hearing impaired people in novel ways. It was these lessons which inspired him to work with sound and led to the invention of the telephone. Can you guess the name of the most famous student of Alexander Graham Bell? It was Helen Keller, the great author, activist and poet who was hearing and visually impaired. About her teacher, she once said that Bell dedicated his life to the penetration of that ‘inhuman silence which separates and estranges’.

Write your dreams down on a piece of paper. That page may be a very important page in the book of human history.

When I reached the age of seventeen, I had one great companion. That companion was nothing but great books. Throughout my life, books enriched me. I would suggest and recommend all of you to read the following books: • Light from Many Lamps by Lillian Eichler • Empires of the Mind by Denis Waitley • Thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar • Everyday Greatness by Steven R. Covey • The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

You have to say: I will become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.

We need to realize that we are as young as our faith and as old as our doubts. We are also as young as our self-confidence and as old as our fears. We are as young as our hopes and as old as our despairs. We will develop faith, self-confidence and hope.

Leaders must have a vision. • Leaders must have passion to realize the vision. • Leaders must be able to travel into an unexplored path. • Leaders must know how to manage success and failure. • Leaders must have the courage to take decisions. • Leaders should have nobility in management. • Leaders should be transparent in every action. • Leaders must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.

History has proven that those who dare to imagine the impossible are the ones who break all human limitations.

‘If I am authorized, I will remove the word impossible.’

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds.

Creative minds have the ability to imagine or invent something new by combining, changing or reapplying existing ideas.

Coming into contact with a good book and possessing it, is indeed an everlasting enrichment.