Apr 11, 2003 05:08 PM
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(Updated Apr 12, 2003 04:55 PM)
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam needs no introduction. He is The President. He officially holds the most powerful position in world’s largest democracy.
So, without further introduction, let me tell you about this book. It is the autobiography of the Indian President, who is also known as the man behind India’s missile technology.
This book is divided into four parts- Orientation, Creation, Propitiation and Contemplation.
The biographer is Mr. Arun Tiwari, who has worked under Dr. Kalam for over a decade in the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL).
1)Orientation- The first chapter of the book starts with a hymn from the Atharva Veda.
In this part, Dr. Kalam describes his childhood days, in Rameswaram in South India, his school days and his college days. He talks about growing up in an atmosphere of religious harmony. He recalls that his father- a religious Muslim, and the head priest of the Rameswaram temple were close friends, who respected each other’s beliefs.
He tells us about his trials and triumphs.
After finishing Aeronautical Engineering, Dr. Kalam joined the DTD & P (air) at the Ministry of Defence.
2)Creation- this part covers the period 1963-80. He tells us in detail about his mentor- Prof. Vikram Sarabhai- the legendry scientist who planned India’s space technology.
Dr. Kalam beautifully describes that period in the history when a young nation- left impoverished and cunningly partitioned by its former invaders, was building up its own space and defence technology. An era filled with excitement and challenges- a new generation of young Indian scientists and military officials who made impossible tasks possible by sheer talent and determination.
There were problems like poverty, brain-drain, conservative thinking, negative attitude and many more, but they still achieved great success.
It’s not just the story of Dr. Kalam, it’s the story of modern India itself.
Dr. Kalam tells us about his seniors like Prof. Sarabhai, Prof. Dhawan, Dr. Brahm Prakash- all great visionaries who worked hard and diligently to build this nation.
3) Propitiation- this is the period 1981-91. Now, Dr. Kalam was the senior scientist- leading others and taking up big responsibilities. He writes about his SLV-3 project. This is the where we get to read about those projects that made Dr. Kalam‘The Missile Man of India”. He gives details about ‘Agni’-his dream project – the missile he had personally named as ‘Agni’. He recalls how the western countries were first shocked and then angry due to India’s successes in warfare rocketry. He plainly states that India needs to continue its advances since it otherwise faces the threat of subjugation.
4) Contemplation- this is the fourth part of the book, and it starts with a verse from the Holy Quoran. This period is 1991 onwards. So, Dr. Kalam discusses the first gulf war in detail from an Indian perspective. He recalls how the first gulf war made India concerned - how top officials including him discussed the possibility of an attack by nations that are technologically superior and how they felt compelled to speed up our warfare technological development for the sake of our own safety.
In the epilogue, he briefly mentions his role in the 1998 tests.
He gives his thoughts and views regarding the country’s development and goes in a retrospective mode.
He remembers how some of his colleagues left India in a desire to make more money. He doesn’t condemn them, and acknowledges their freedom to make decisions for themselves, and he simply states- “It is true that they definitely get greater monetary benefits, but could anything compensate for this love and respect from one’s own countrymen?”
The book will sound very technical, especially to people from backgrounds other than engineering, but it’s also very inspiring. When he says that India was 6th nation to explode a nuclear device, and 5th nation to achieve Satellite launch capability, I was like- “Ok, not bad for a poor, bleeding nation!” But Dr. Kalam almost terms this as a ‘failure’ saying that- We have got to be the first ones to do such stuff.
A lot of thoughts crowded my mind while reading this book.
I felt a sense of pride and respect while reading the Creation part.
Dr. Kalam states that the real threat to Indian sovereignty is not from the ‘neighboring countries’ but from the ‘developed’ nations. And note that this book was published in 1999- 4 years before the second gulf war. His vision amazes me.
It is evident from this book that India’s message to the world is- Since we happen to be civilized people, we don’t attack and kill innocents, but you mess up with us and we’ll greet you with Trishul, Akash, Agni, and Astra.
Dr. Kalam’ s humility, simplicity, vision, scientific knowledge, penchant for indigenous technology, love for his motherland-India, spiritual depth and clear and positive thinking really touched my heart. This is indeed one of the best books I have ever read.
