Chittaranjan Bhoi
Lives of great men all remind us
we can make our life sublime
departing leave behind us
footprints on the sands of time.
– Longfellow
The life story of a great man shows us how to attain success and thereby set examples for others to follow. One such great Indian who passed away last evening is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam who ardently felt “Every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine Being.” Human beings are basically spiritual beings and are capable of being inspired and also to inspire. The subtle difference in the way some intellectuals handle their experiences is noteworthy for, the super-intelligence within us gets stimulated to introspect our deeper layers of thoughts.
Kalam enjoyed an unparalleled career as a defence scientist and was the recipient of the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. Born to a little educated boat owner in the small island town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, by dint of dogged determination Dr Kalam rose to the position as the chief of the country’s defence research and development programme by demonstrating the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund research establishment.
This is the story of Kalam’s own rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles, as well as the story of Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag missiles that have become household names in India and that have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international reckoning.
At every significant turn in his life, Kalam indulged in memorising bouts of poetry of famous poets like Khalil Gibran, Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost and a lot of others that suited his mood. He cherished their inspiring and soothing lines. During one of his speeches he had said that after falling in love with literature he had devoured an enormous quantity of literary work. He dedicated his autobiography to his parents and especially to his mother. He writes thus:
My mother, you transformed into pious strength
With kneeling bowing five times.
For the Grace of the Almighty only, My Mother.
Sleeping on your lap to the envy of my elder brothers and sisters
It was full moon night, my word only you knew
Mother! Mother!
When at midnight I woke with tears falling on my knee
you knew the pain of your child, My Mother.
Your caring hands, tenderly removing the pain
your love, your care, your faith gave me strength
to face the world without fear and with His strength.
We will meet again on the great Judgment Day, My Mother!
As President of India, he left golden and awe-inspiring thoughts behind him. It was these thoughts that made him populous amongst the youth of India, who look at him as a scientist-leader, for inspiration. What he believed was that anyone could do anything only if he really wanted it badly enough. The experiences that he absorbed in life are evoked and recalled with well-reasoned conclusions and are churned along in his expressions with eloquence born of frankness and acceptance. He rendered his life’s momentous moments with a philosophical insight and did not cling to fate but strove to achieve his dream.
We know that Dr Kalam was blessed with ‘the soul in the brain’; if we too are blessed with that fine ability to grasp his finer thoughts, we understand that the soul turns out to be a vital force that inspires, energises and stimulates human beings in all activity. He very fondly narrated his inspirational experiences, elaborated on them to learners whom he exhorted to develop skills and acumen. Thus he will be remembered for his significant contribution to society.
The writer is associate
professor, Hi-Tech College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar
