My Childhood-A.P.J Abdul Kalam

MY CHILDHOOD By A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (an extract from Wings of Fire)

Lesson - 6 (Page No: 68)

Question: Can you think of any scientists, who have also been statesmen?

Answer: There have been many other scientists who have ventured into the field of politics. Some of them are Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Chu and Claude Allègre.

(The list is only indicative. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.)

Activity:

Question: Find Dhanuskodi and Rameswaram on the map. What language(s) do you think are spoken there? What languages do you think the author, his family, his friends and his teachers spoke with one another?

Answer: According to me, Tamil and English are the two languages spoken there. Almost certainly, the author, his family and his friends spoke in Tamil with one another. However, his teachers probably spoke English with the students.

(A model answer has been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer based on their own understanding.)

Q1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s House? [Text I. 1.]

Answer : Abdul Kalam’s house was Mosque street in Rameshwaram, Madras (now known as Chennai).

Q2. How does the author describe: (i) his father (ii) his mother, (iii) himself? [Text II.1]

Answer :
(i) his father
The author describes his father as a person with neither formal education or wealth, but a wise person with true generosity of spirit. He was a person who believed in simple living.

(ii) his mother.
The author describes his mother as an ideal wife and mother. Her generosity and care was not limited to her family alone but extended to others as well.

(iii) himself.
The author describes himself as a short boy with undistinguished features, born to tall handsome parts.

Q3. Who were the author’s parents?

Answer : The author’s parents were Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma.

Q4. Describe the author's house.
Answer : The author, Abdul Kalam, lived in a family large pucca house made of limestone and brick. It was their ancestral home built in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Q5. How do you know that Kalam’s father was a man of simple living?
Answer : In the text, Kalam tells us that his father was an austere person. While all necessities were provided for and the children never suffered from lack of material comfort, Jainulabdeen avoided all inessential comforts and luxuries.

Q6. When did World War II take place? How old was Kalam then?
Answer : The second world war broke out in 1939. Kalam was eight years old then.

Q7. What unusual thing happened as a result of the world war? How did the author use the opportunity?
Answer : The eruption of the second World War resulted in a sudden rise in the demand for tamarind in the market.
Kalam would collect the seeds and sell them to a provision store in Mosque street at the end of the day for one anna.

Q8. Who would tell Kalam stories about the war?
Answer : Kalam’s Brother- in law, Jallaluddin used to tell him stories about the war.

Page No : 75

Question - I.

Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.

1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
Ans. Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram in the former Madras state.

2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Ans. Dinamani could be the name of a newspaper because Abdul Kalam used to try to trace the stories of the Second World War, which his brother-in-law told him, in the headlines in Dinamani.

3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Ans. Abdul Kalam had three close friends in school – Ramanandha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. Ramanandha Sastry took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father; Aravindan started a business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims; and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
Ans. During the Second World War, the newspapers were bundled and thrown out of a moving train. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by helping his cousin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, to catch these bundles.

5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Ans. Yes, Abdul Kalam had earned some money before he started helping his cousin. He used to collect and sell tamarind seeds at a provision shop, during the Second World War, earning one anna for a day’s collection.

Question - II.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

1. How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?

Answer:

(i) Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen was not a wealthy or educated person. However, he was an honest and generous man, who possessed great innate wisdom. He was self-disciplined and avoided all inessential luxuries.

(ii) Kalam’s mother, Ashiamma was an ideal helpmate to her husband. She believed in goodness and profound kindness, and fed many people everyday.

(iii) The author describes himself as a short boy with undistinguished looks, who had a secure childhood. He is an honest and self-disciplined person, who believes in goodness and deep kindness.

2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

Ans. The author inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father, and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.

Question - III.

Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author.

(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way they dressed)?

Ans: (i) The author mentions the two major religious groups of India—Hindus and Muslims—as the social groups predominant in Rameswaram.

Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. The factors that demarcated these groups from one another were their dressing sense and the place they lived in. Abdul Kalam wore a cap, which marked him as a Muslim. Besides, he lived on Mosque Street. On the other hand, his friend, Ramanandha Sastry, wore the sacred thread as he belonged to an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family.

(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)

Ans: (ii) They naturally shared friendships and experiences. Abdul Kalam was a Muslim while his friends were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. However, they were tied with a strong bond of friendship. Besides this friendship, during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, Kalam’s family arranged boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site. Moreover, events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories his mother and grandmother would tell the children of their family. All these incidents show that different social groups co-inhabited in Rameswaram.

(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
Ans: (iii) Kalam mentions two people who were very aware of the differences among the two religious groups. One of them was the new teacher of Abdul Kalam’s school, who did not let Abdul Kalam and his friend, Ramanadha Sastry, sit together.

The second person was the wife of Sivasubramania Iyer (Abdul Kalam’s science teacher). She was very conservative and did not want Kalam to eat in her pure Hindu kitchen.

The people who tried to bridge these differences were Lakshmana Sastry (Ramanadha’s father) and Sivasubramania Iyer (his science teacher).

(iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?

Ans: (iv) When Kalam was in the fifth standard, a new teacher came to his class. The teacher was a bigot and could not tolerate Kalam, who was a Muslim, to sit with Ramanandha Sastry, who was a Hindu priest’s son. Thus, he changed Kalam's seat. This broke the heart of the two boys. When Ramanandha Sastry’s father came to know about it, he rebuked the teacher for spreading communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. The teacher apologized and regretted his behaviour.

In another incident, Kalam’s science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, invited Kalam for a meal to his house. But his conservative wife refused to serve a Muslim in her pure Hindu kitchen.

The unperturbed teacher served Kalam himself and even invited him for another meal the next weekend. Iyer believed that once a person has decided to change the system, such problems have to be confronted. However, by Kalam's next visit, Iyer’s wife’s views had changed. She took Kalam inside her kitchen and served him food with her own hands.

Hence, attitudes can change if we take initiative to resolve the differences and be the change we want to see.

2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

Ans: (i) Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram for further studies. He wanted to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram.

(ii) What did his father say to this?

Ans: (ii) After giving his consent to Kalam for pursuing his higher studies in Ramanathapuram, Kalam’s father said that he knew Kalam had to go away to “grow” and follow his dreams.

He gave the analogy of a seagull that flies across the sun alone, without a nest. He then quoted Khalil Gibran to Kalam’s mother, saying that their children were not their own. They were the “sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself”. They “come through” their parents, “but not from” them. Parents may give love to their children, but not their “thoughts”, as children have “their own thoughts”.

(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?

Ans: (iii) The words he spoke reveal his viewpoint. He believed that at some point of time, children will leave their home and parents, to follow their dreams and to grow as an individual. Just like a seagull flies away alone and finds its own food and nest, children will leave their parents to make their own life and family. Parents can merely nurture their children with love. They cannot give them their thoughts. The children have their own opinions and beliefs.

He spoke these words to comfort Kalam’s mother, who was probably hesitant to let Kalam leave Rameswaram. Besides, he could also be consoling his own self for the same.

Question 1:

Find the sentences in the text where these words occur:

erupt, surge, trace, undistinguished, casualty

Look these words up in a dictionary which gives examples of how they are used.

(It is strongly recommended that students find the above answer on their own.)

Now answer the following questions.

1. What are the things that can erupt? Use examples to explain the various meanings of erupt. Now do the same for the word surge. What things can surge?

Ans. A few things that can erupt are anger, volcano, tooth, rash, riots, unrest, etc. Erupt has several meanings. Their explanation, with examples, is given as follows:

(i) Start unexpectedly

Example: Riots erupted in the city.

(ii) Start to burn or burst into flames

Example: The spark soon erupted into flames.

(iii) Become active and spew forth lava and rocks

Example: The molten lava erupted out of the active volcano.

(iv) Forceful and violent release of something pent up

Example: The difference in their views soon erupted in a fight.

(v) Sudden appearance on the skin

Example: On the day of the party, a pimple erupted on her face.

(vi) Break out

Example: Eruption of the wisdom tooth gives a lot of pain.

Things that can surge are pride, anxiety, waves, boats, army, etc. The several meanings it has can be explained with the following examples:

(i) Sudden forceful flow

Example: The boy drowned in the surging waves.

(ii) Rise and move forward

The army surged towards their enemy.

(iii) Heave upward under the influence of a natural force

Example: The boat surged in the high tide.

(iv) See one's performance improve

Example: Hard work helped to surge Sandra's scores.

(v) A sudden or abrupt strong increase

Example: The surge in the stock market left people in a shock.

(vi) Rise rapidly

Example: As time passed, her tension surged.

Page No : 76

2. What are the meanings of the word trace and which of the meanings is closest to the word in the text?
Ans. The following are the meanings of the word trace:

(i) Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something

(ii) Make a mark or lines on a surface

(iii) To go back over again

(iv) Pursue or chase relentlessly

(v) Find or discover through investigation

(vi) Make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along

(vii) Read with difficulty

The closest meaning of the word ‘trace’ in the text is ‘to find or discover through investigation’.

3. Can you find the word undistinguished in your dictionary? (If not, look for the word distinguished and say what undistinguished must mean.)

Ans. No, the word undistinguished does not exist in the dictionary. However, its meaning can be derived from the meaning of the word ‘distinguished’, which denotes the ‘special or eminent appearance or behaviour of a person’. Thus, undistinguished symbolises ‘ordinary appearance or behaviour of a person’.

Question 2:

1. Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

Answer: (i) = (c), (ii) = (f), (iii) = (d),

      (iv) = (b),  (v) = (a),  (vi) = (e)

2. Now form the opposites of the words below by prefixing un- or in-. The prefix in- can also have the forms il-, ir-, or im- (for example: illiterate –il + literate, impractical –im + practical, irrational – ir + rational). You may consult a dictionary if you wish.

Page No : 77

Question -IV.

Rewrite the sentences below, changing the verbs in brackets into the passive form.

1. In yesterday’s competition the prizes (give away) by the Principal.
Ans. In yesterday’s competition the prizes were given away by the Principal.

2. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers (pay) on time.
Ans. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers were paid on time.

3. On Republic Day, vehicles (not allow) beyond this point.
Ans. On Republic Day, vehicles are not allowed beyond this point.

4. Second-hand books (buy and sell) on the pavement every Saturday.
Ans. Second-hand books are bought and sold on the pavement every Saturday.

5. Elections to the Lok Sabha (hold) every five years.
Ans. Elections to the Lok Sabha are held  every five years.

6. Our National Anthem (compose) Rabindranath Tagore.

Ans. Our National Anthem was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

Word Meaning:

Erstwhile: former, পূর্ববর্তী।

Innate: inborn (a quality or feeling) in one's nature. জন্মগত; স্বভাবগত।

Austere: simple, strict and severe. কঠোর আত্মসংযমী।

Princely sum: generous amount.

Anna: an old Indian coin, worth about six paise.

Allied Forces: the armies of U.K., U.S.A. and Russia during the Second World War.

Could not stomach: could not tolerate

Downcast: sad or depressed. বিষণ্ণ; হতাশ

Conviction: a strong opinion or belief. দৃঢ় বিশ্বাস।

Ritually pure: kept protected from all outside influences for the observances of religion. ধর্মীয় আচার বিধিমত বিশুদ্ধ।

Undistinguished: common; স্বাভাবিক।

Segregation: Separation; পৃথকীকরণ