Give us a role model A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

 

Give us a role model

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

1. What helps to preserve one’s own freedom?

Abundance, for it brings along with it security and confidence, and these eventually help preserve our

freedom.

2. How can one spread love and joy?

Whatever one do must come from the heart, express one's spirit, and

thereby one will also spread love and joy around them.

3. Name Kalam’s teacher.

Sivasubramania Iyer was Kalam's teacher

4. How did Kalam assess his worth?

Kalam  always assessed his worth by the value of his contribution.

5. The desire for material things according to Kalam is

a. Not shameful

b. Spiritual

c. Both a and b

d. Non-spiritual

6. The relationship of Education and the teacher-student should be seen as not in business terms but with the nation’s growth in mind.

7. Who is the first scientist according to Kalam?

According to Kalam, child is the first scientist,

8. According to Kalam, Agni symbolizes

a. All capabilities of India

b. Our strength

c. Both a and b

d. Fire

9. Mention four books that shaped Kalam’s mind.

The first is Man the Unknown by Dr Alexis Carrel,The second book,was Tiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, which provides an excellent code of life. The third is Light from Many Lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson . and the Holy Quran 

10. Mention the one trait that is needed for survival.

The one trait that is needed for survival is the desire for achievement.

Paragraph Answer Questions

1. Write briefly about Kalam’s first meeting with students and teachers in a high school in Tripura.

Kalam's first  meeting took place in a high school in Tripura. It was a gathering of 500 students and teachers. After his talk on the second vision for transforming India into a developed nation,there were a series of questions, two of which he would like to discuss. The first question was:  where they  get a role model from and  how to get a role model?’For that he said, that when they are growing up, say till the age of fifteen, the best role model he could think of would be their father, their  mother and their school teacher.’ They, to his mind, are the people who can impart the best guidance during this period. He turned to the teachers and parents present there and told them what a big responsibility they have. The children enjoyed that answer .Another girl in all seriousness asked about  who were the atankvadis which they read everyday in newspaper and wanted to know whether they belong to our country.That question really shocked him. He himself was searching for an answer, and said that the question reminded him  of  the  epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. In The Ramayana, the battle was between the divine hero Rama and The Demon king Ravana. It was a long-drawn battle that finally Rama wins. In The Mahabharata, there is the battle at Kurukshetra. In that fight between good and evil, Dharma wins again. The battles are many but finally peace triumphs. He told them that in his times too they have seen this battle between good and evil - for instance, the Second World War.It seems to him that both good and evil will survive side by side and he said that the Almighty does help them both to various degrees! He said that how to minimize the evil through our spiritual growth was a question that has persisted throughout human history.’

2. Explain the Triangle role models in Kalam’s life.

The Triangle role models in Kalam’s life was his father,  mother and his teacher. They, to his mind, are the people who can impart the best guidance during that period. He personally believed that  the full development of a child with a value system can only come from these people. In his own home, when he was growing up, he used to see his father and mother say namaz five times a day, and in spite of their modest financial resources, he found them always giving to the needy around. His teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, was responsible for persuading his father to send him to school setting aside financial constraints.According to him it is very important for every parent to be willing to make the effort to guide children to be good human beings — enlightened and hard-working. The teacher, the child’s window to learning and knowledge, has to play the role model in generating creativity in the child. This triangle was indeed the real role model he could think of.

3. What are the views of Kalam on abundance and spirituality?

According to Kalam there is nothing mysterious about the abundance in developed nations. The historic fact was that the people of those nations  believed over many generations that they must live a good life in a strong and prosperous nation. The reality became aligned with their aspirations. He do not think that abundance and spirituality are mutually exclusive or that it is wrong to desire material things. For instance, while he personally cherish a life with minimum of possessions, he admired abundance, for it brought along with it security and confidence, and those eventually helped preserve one's freedom. Nature too does not do anything by half measures, as one will see if one look around oneself.If one go to a garden,in season, there is a profusion of flowers. Or if one looks up, the universe stretches into infinitude, vast beyond belief. All that one see in the world is an embodiment of energy. We are a part of the cosmic energy too, as Sri Aurobindo says. Therefore when one begin to appreciate that spirit and matter are both part of existence,  and are in harmony with each other, one shall realize that it was wrong to feel that it was somehow shameful or non-spiritual to desire material things.  There is nothing wrong with an attitude of making do with the minimum, in leading a life of asceticism. Mahatma Gandhi led such a life but in his case as in one's it has to be a matter of choice. One must follow such a lifestyle because it answers a need that arises from deep within oneself. However, making a virtue of sacrifice and what is forced upon one— to celebrate suffering — was a different thing altogether. That was the basis of Kalam's decision to contact our young. To know their dreams and tell them that it was perfectly all right to dream of a good life, an abundant life, a life full of pleasures and comforts, and work for that golden era.

4. Explain Kalam’s views on materialism.

According to Kalam there is nothing wrong in desiring material things.For instance, while he personally cherish a life with minimum of possessions, he admired abundance, for it brought along with it security and confidence, and those eventually helped preserve our freedom. Nature too does not do anything by half measures, as one will see if one look around oneself.If one go to a garden,in season, there is a profusion of flowers. Or if one looks up, the universe stretches into infinitude, vast beyond belief. All that one see in the world is an embodiment of energy. When one began to appreciate that spirit and matter are both part of existence,  and are in harmony with each other, one shall realize that it was wrong to feel that it was somehow shameful or non-spiritual to desire material things.  There is nothing wrong with an attitude of making do with the minimum, in leading a life of asceticism. Mahatma Gandhi led such a life but in his case as in one's it has to be a matter of choice. One must follow such a lifestyle because it answers a need that arises from deep within oneself. However, making a virtue of sacrifice and what is forced upon one— to celebrate suffering — was a different thing altogether. That was the basis of Kalam's decision to contact our young. To know their dreams and tell them that it was perfectly all right to dream of a good life, an abundant life, a life full of pleasures and comforts, and work for that golden era.

5. What is the opinion of the author on atankvadis?

The  question about atankvadis really shocked Kalam. He himself was searching for an answer as they  were our own people and sometimes we created them through political and economic isolation. Or they can be fanatics, sometimes sponsored by hostile nations, trying to disrupt normal life through terrorism. He then  said to children,  that the question reminded  him of our epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. In The Ramayana, the battle is between the divine hero Rama and The Demon king Ravana. It is a long-drawn battle that finally Rama wins. In The Mahabharata, there is the battle at Kurukshetra. In this fight between good and evil, Dharma wins again. The battles are many but finally peace triumphs. In his times too they have seen this battle between good and evil - for instance, the Second World War. It seemed to him that both good and evil would survive side by side. The Almighty does help them both to various degrees! How to minimize the evil through our spiritual growth is a question that has persisted throughout human history.’

6. Write briefly about Kalam’s visit to Tezpur. 

During Kalam's visit to Assam, he visited Tezpur. He had gone for the convocation ceremony of Tezpur University and also to receive the honorary doctorate conferred on him. After the convocation, he took off to meet school children. It was a big gathering of young people. The theme of his address was ‘Indomitable Spirit’. As soon he finished his talk the youngsters mobbed him for autographs. When he finished giving autographs he faced two interesting questions. One was why cannot water from the Brahmaputra, which was in flood much of the time, be diverted to Rajasthan or Tamil Nadu which are starved of water. He knew that only children would have those innovative ideas. Grownups tend to see more impossibilities. It was such a powerful question, he was completely beaten. He was sure even the Prime Minister would not have been able to answer it! He didn't knew how to tell the boy, rivers are a state subject and our states are fighting for the rights to their waters? That those would bring them prosperity some day but meanwhile they were flowing wastefully into the sea and causing floods every year.

7. What are Kalam’s reflections on the four books that influenced him?

Four books in his life had been very close to his heart. He told that he cherished reading them. The first was Man the Unknown by Dr Alexis Carrel, a doctor-turned-philosopher and a Nobel laureate. The book highlights how the mind and body both have to be treated in an ailment as the two are integrated. One cannot treat one and ignore the other. According to Kalam ,In particular, children who dream of becoming doctors should read the book. They will learn that the human body is not a mechanical system; it was a very intelligent organism with a most intricate and sensitive feedback system. The second book, one he venerate, was Tiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, which provides an excellent code of life. The third was Light from Many Lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson which had touched him deeply. It illuminated how we live and had been an invaluable guide to him- for fifty years. And the Holy Quran was, of course, a constant companion for him.

8. Explain Nature’s instinct as stated by Kalam.

It was said that nature gave us this instinct because the need to achieve, like the need to reproduce, the need to eat, the need to drink and the need to breathe, was simply too important to be left to chance. History shows the hunger for achievement was a highly evolved one and undoubtedly the strongest one. We tend to forget it but it underlines much of our experience. Most importantly, without that, how would one learn and grow,  and aspire to greater perfection.

9. Consider Vikram Sarabhai and Lata Mangeshkar as role models as stated by Kalam.

Kalam had  seen Dr. Vikram Sarabhai’s vision succeeding over three decades through sustained and coordinated achievement. At work in that and any other endeavour was this same desire to exceed the limits. As we try and excel, role models play a guiding role.The power of Vikram Sarabhai was such that others took up his vision and completed it long after he was no more. For one it could be someone else whom one admire — a sportsperson, a teacher, a successful entrepreneur. He recently had the chance to met a legendary personality, a role model herself. Lata Mangeshkar was presiding over a function in remembrance of her father, Master Deenanath Mangeshkar. Lata Mangeshkar was a recipient of the Bharat Ratna and he felt honoured that she had asked him to inaugurate the 450-bed Deenanath Hospital and Research Centre in Pune. He visited the hospital just before the inauguration. He found that it would be treating nearly 30 per cent of the patients free. He was touched by the fact that despite her wealth and fame, she had not lost sight of the fact that one needs to do all one can to help relieve the suffering of others.Role models can help us focus on what is correct for us as individuals, as groups and, of course, as a nation. They can also lead us to great success.

10. Comment on Kalam’s perceptions on Role Models and ancient Indian knowledge as stated in the last paragraph. 

According to Kalam's perception, role models can help us focus on what is correct for us as individuals, as groups and, of course, as a nation. They can also lead us to great success. We seem to have gotten carried away with the success of a few in the field of information technology. But that was indeed nothing compared to what we can and should achieve. Ancient India was a knowledge society and a leader in many intellectual pursuits, particularly in the fields of mathematics, medicine and astronomy. A renaissance was imperative for us to once again become a knowledge superpower rather than simply providing cheap labour in areas of high technology.Nation's wealth is the young generation of the country. When they grow, mother, father and elementary school teachers play a very important part as role models. When the child grows, the role models will be national leaders of quality and integrity in every field including politics,the sciences, technology and industry.

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