APJ Abdul Kalam's four steps towards achieving anything

Hindustan Times | ByDanish Raza, New Delhi

Jan 24, 2015 09:59 PM IST

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Kalam ignited minds of younger students through his inspiration speech at JLF. His message was: To become 'unique' the challenge is to fight the hardest battle which anyone can imagine, until you reach your destination.

"To become 'unique' the challenge is to fight the hardest battle which anyone can imagine, until you reach your destination," said APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India on Saturday.

APJ-Abdul-Kalam-with-Bibek-Debroy-at-a-session-on-The-Visionary-Dr-APJ-Abdul-Kalam-at-the-festival-Photo-Mohd-Zakir-HT

Kalam who ignited minds of younger students through his inspiration speech at JLF said, "I have so far met 19.5 million youth of the nation in last two decades and learnt who wants to be unique. The world around you is doing its best day and night to make you just everybody else, including your relatives and friends."

He added that it's you who have to believe that 'I will became captain of problems, defeat them and succeed, and you will become unique.'

Addressing a session over his book 'Ignited Minds' at JLF he said, "Small aim is a crime, have great aim."

Kalam's session was interactive with the participants and he inspired them to set their aim high and to bring glory to the nation while being a good member of the family, nation and the world. He told the youth that success and failure will be there in life, and you have to defeat the fear.

Kalam's session was one of the rare sessions of Jaipur Literature Festival which not only witnessed a jam packed audience but also heard the gathering cheering the guest shouting hip-hip huraay on his arrival. Majority of the audience were school children and youth.

Sharing his life experience from how keen he was to fly from his childhood, to being an aeronautical engineer, making missiles and satellites, and being the president of India, he said, "If four things are followed-having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work and perseverance then anything can be achieved."

He started the session with a message: Wings to fly- believe that I am born with potential, goodness and trust, idea and dreams, greatness and confidence. And I am not meant for crawling because I have wings and I will fly.'

"We have energy and opportunity, let's try to make food, peace and science to everybody," said Kalam.

Replying to a question from the audience about a turning point in his life, he mentioned that he had turning points and events of highest happiness that included the moment when the country conducted nuclear tests in Pokaran range in Western Rajasthan-India became nuclear enabled state.

He concluded the session stating that "Ignited Mind of youth is the most powerful resource on earth, above earth and under the earth."

'I wanted to fly' Kalam

Kalam said in 1941: I was 10 years and studying in class-V. Whenever my science teacher Subramanium entered the class he radiated knowledge and purity of life. One day he drew a sketch of a flying bird and explained how bird flies. 'That day I not only learned how birds fly but my aim in life changed- I wanted to fly.'

I was an aeronautical engineer and I tried to be a pilot, but there were only nine seats and I was at the tenth place, I could not clear the physical exam.

"Sometime you don't get what you want."

In 2002 Indian leaders asked me to be president-I said OK. In 2005 when the chief of air staff came up to me I told him about my unfulfilled dream of becoming a pilot. The air chief asked me to go through the training and finally I flew for 30 minutes in April 2007.

The message is "If you dream and aim in life, gain and acquire knowledge and do hard work, defeat the problem then you will succeed," said Kalam.

At 83, former president APJ Abdul Kalam showed on Saturday that he still has it in him. The scientist-turned-administrator received a rock star welcome at Jaipur Literature festival, drawing loud cheers, whistles and applause from a massive crowd, especially from young people.

"Oh my God. He's so cute," gushed some young women fans.

Even economist Bibek Debroy, who introduced Kalam, when the former missile scientist asked him to participate in the discussion, said, "No sir, they have come to listen to you, not me."