According to me, inspiration is the process of motivating a person to do something. It is a feeling of excitement you get from someone, that stimulates you to do many creative things.
The person who inspired me was a gentle and kind hearted Indian Scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. He is the most common inspirer for all the science lovers.
Dr Kalam was loved by millions of people, not only in India but was also celebrated abroad. His life story and achievements have attracted a great deal of interest in the minds of people. He wrote a number of books, including an autobiography Wings of Fire, which everyone loves to read.
He has contributed to Indian society as a scientist, writer, leader and a great teacher. He played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear programs of India. For his involvement in the Nuclear power he was known as “Missile Man of India”. He also served as the 11th President of our Nation.
Kalam was a real treasure of India and a person with no haters. I was inspired by him because he proved that with determination and hard work anything can be achieved. He is one of the great persons in India who has plenty of admirers. Now Let us know a little more about his early life.
Abdul Kalam, whose real name was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on October 15, 1931 to a Tamil Muslim family in Rameswaram. His birth day is observed as World Students’ Day. His father’s name was Jainulabdeen, who was a boat man. His mother was a housewife. He was the youngest of five siblings.
To help his father in managing family expenses, Kalam started selling newspapers at an early age. In his school days, he had poor grades but was a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn. Mathematics was his main interest. He also had a hobby of reading and writing books.
He faced many difficulties and failures on his way to success. There was a time when his sister sold her jewellery to pay his college fees. He got a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) and joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He soon joined the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO).
Kalam was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981 and Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and Among his several awards were the country’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna (1997). He became the second scientist after Sir C V Raman to receive this award.
He was a man of dreams and creative ideas. He dreamt of making India one of the super-nations in the world. His way of dreaming was really different. He told that, “The dreams are not those which you see when you sleep but are those which never let you sleep.” Undoubtedly, these are golden words of wisdom. He was a great inspiration to me as he encouraged everyone to work hard and not think about the result. He believed that, if you work hard, you will definitely get a good result.
He gave many precious speeches and lectures at different places to educate people. In one of his speeches Kalam told the three step guide to achieve goals in life, they are: Finding an aim before you are twenty years old; Acquire knowledge continuously to achieve this goal; Work hard so you can defeat all the problems and succeed. He also told that, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you have a vision and determination to achieve that vision, you will certainly do so.
The Indian people have a huge love towards Kalam. So, he was known as the People’s President. The whole nation reacted to his death with sorrow. He was a great asset to India. His contributions in the field of space science and technology took India to great heights.
Leaders keep on coming and going. His name will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest scientists that India has ever seen. He was a precious gem for each and every Indian and a great inspiration to all students, including me.
But, the biggest grief is that we no longer have this great person among us. While giving a speech at the Institute of Management, Shillong he got cardiac arrest. Even after great efforts he left us, making 27 July, 2015 one of the miserable days in the history of India.
At last I would like to say that even though he left us, he is still living in our hearts as an inspiration and a great role model. His valuable words and miraculous deeds will always be remembered. He was a man of great value who taught us the way to make India well developed and we shall always be thankful to him.
By B. Shivani, Chennai
