STRONG ROOTS : A.P.J.KALAM

I was born into a middle-class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras state. My father, Jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. I do not recall the exact number of people she fed every day, but I am quite certain that far more outsiders ate with us than all the members of our own family put together. My parents were widely regarded as an ideal couple. My mother’s lineage was the more distinguished, one of her forebears having been bestowed the title of ‘Bahadur’ by the British. I was one of many children—a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the 19th century. It was a fairly large pucca house, made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally. I normally ate with my mother, sitting on the floor of the kitchen. She would place a banana leaf before me, on which she then ladled rice and aromatic sambhar, a variety of sharp, home-made pickles and a dollop of fresh coconut chutney. The famous Shiva temple, which made Rameswaram so sacred to pilgrims, was about a ten-minute walk from our house. Our locality was predominantly Muslim, but there were quite a few Hindu families too, living amicably with their Muslim neighbours. There was a very old mosque in our locality where my father would take me for evening prayers. I had not the faintest idea of the meaning of the Arabic prayers chanted, but I was totally convinced that they reached God. When my father came out of the mosque after the prayers, people of different religions would be sitting outside, waiting for him. Many of them offered bowls of water to my father who would dip his fingertips in them and say a prayer. This water was then carried home for invalids. I also remember people visiting our home to offer thanks after being cured. My father always smiled and asked them to thank Allah, the benevolent and merciful. The high priest of Rameswaram temple, Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry, was a very close friend of my father’s. One of the most vivid memories of my early childhood is of the two men, each in his traditional attire, discussing spiritual matters. When I was old enough to ask questions, I asked my father about the relevance of prayer. My father told me there was nothing mysterious about prayer. Rather, prayer made possible a communion of the spirit between people. “When you pray,” he said, “you transcend your body and become a part of the cosmos, which knows no division of wealth, age, caste, or creed.” My father could convey complex spiritual concepts in very simple, downto-earth Tamil. He once told me, “In his own time, in his own place, in what he really is, and in the stage he has reached—good or bad—every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine Being. So why be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems? When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.” “Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you for help and advice?” I asked my father. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes. For quite some time he said nothing, as if he was judging my capacity to comprehend his words. Then he answered in a low, deep voice. His answer filled me with a strange energy and enthusiasm: Whenever human beings find themselves alone, as a natural reaction, they start looking for company. Whenever they are in trouble, they look for someone to help them. Whenever they reach an impasse, they look to someone to show them the way out. Every recurrent anguish, longing, and desire finds its own special helper. For the people who come to me in distress, I am but a go-between in their effort to propitiate demonic forces with prayers and offerings. This is not a correct approach at all and should never be followed. One must understand the difference between a fear-ridden vision of destiny and the vision that enables us to seek the enemy of fulfilment within ourselves. I remember my father starting his day at 4 a.m. by reading the namaz before dawn. After the namaz, he used to walk down to a small coconut grove we owned, about 4 miles from our home. He would return, with about a dozen coconuts tied together thrown over his shoulder, and only  then would he have his breakfast. This remained his routine even when he was in his late sixties. I have throughout my life tried to emulate my father in my own world of science and technology. I have endeavoured to understand the fundamental truths revealed to me by my father, and feel convinced that there exists a divine power that can lift one up from confusion, misery, melancholy and failure, and guide one to one’s true place. And once an individual severs his emotional and physical bondage, he is on the road to freedom, happiness and peace of mind.

QUESTIONS: COLLECTED, COMPILED & EDITED

Q. What was Kalam’s Father’s response to his son’s query about prayer and spirituality ?

Q. How did his father’s attitude to adversity influence to young Kalam ?

Q. “I have endeavoured to understand that fundamental truths revealed to me by my father.” What was the fundamental truth? Who revealed it to him ?

Q. Give an account of the author’s reminiscences of his early life at Rameswaram.

Q. Does a man have any relation with the universe? How, according to the author’s father, can a man establish a link with the cosmos?

Q. What was Kalam’s father’s advice about dealing with adversity?

Q.Who is the author of the piece Strong Roots?
Q.What is the full name of A.P.J.Abdul Kalam?
Q.What is the name of the book from which the extract “Strong Roots” has been taken?
Q.In which family was Abdul Kalam born?
Q.Where was Kalam born?
Q.In whom did Abdul Kalam's father have an ideal helpmate?
Q.Who was the high priest of Rameswaram temple?.                                                                                                          

 Q.How was Kalam's locality where he was born?
Q.What would Kalam's mother serve at lunch?
Q.Where was APJ Abdul Kalam born?
Q.What did Kalam ask his father when he grew up?
Q.Where did Kalam normally eat and with whom?
Q.What made Rameswaram famous to pilgrims?
Q.What was the name of Kalam's mother?
Q.What would Kalam's father and Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry discuss?
Q.With whom did Kalam eat?
Q.How does Kalam describe his appearance?
Q.What did Kalam's father avoid?
Q.How has Kalam tried to emulate his father?
Q.How was Kalam's ancestral house?
Q.Why would Kalam's father take Kalam to the local mosque?
Q.When did Kalam's father start his day?
Q.In which language did Kalam's father convey complex spiritual concepts?
Q.How far was the coconut grove from Kalam's house?
Q.What does adversity always present?

MORE QUESTIONS:

1.    Who was born into a middle-class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras state. ?

2.    What did Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen, lack?

3.    What did Jainulabdeen  possess?

4.    Who had  an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma ?

5.    What do not Kalam recall ?

6.    About what Kalam was certain?

7.    Who were widely regarded as an ideal couple?

8.    How was kalam’s mother’s lineage ?

9.    How was Kalam?

10. Where did Kalam live in and when?

11. How  was the house, and where?

12. What did my austere father use  to avoid ?

13. How were  all necessities were provided ?

14. How  was the childhood, both of Kalam?

15. How did Kalam eat? Where and with whom?

16. Why was  Rameswaram so sacred to pilgrims?

17. How was Kalam’s locality?

18. Where did Kalam’s father use to take him and why?.

19. What  was  Kalam’s idea  about  the prayers and  about what he was convinced ?

20. What happen when Kalam’s  father came out of the mosque after the prayers?

21. What did many of them offered ?

22. Whom did Kamal’s father always smiled and asked them to thank ?

23. Who was a very close friend of  Kalam’s father?

24. What was one of the most vivid memories of Kalam’s early ?

25. What did Kalam ask his father about the relevance of prayer?

26. What was Kalam’s father’s answer?

27. What could Kalam’s father convey ?

28. What did Jainulabdeen  once told Kalam?

29. What did Adversity always presents ?

30. “Why don’t you say this to the people who come to you for help and advice?” Why did Kalm ask his father and what was the answer?

31. When and how did Kalam’s father starti his day ?

32. Where was the small coconut grove ?

33. When did Jainulabdeen  would  have his breakfast?

34. Till when this remained Jainulabdeen’s routine ?

35. What did KalamI try to do throughout his life in his own world of science and technology?

36. What did Kalam endeavoured to understand and feel convinced ?

37. When a person  be  on the road to freedom, happiness and peace of mind.

 

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

1.      Abdul Kalam is born in the year ______________________

2.      strong roots is an ________________________________

3.      Kalam began his career at ________________________________

4.      strong roots taken from _________________________________

5.      strong roots is  chapter number  in Wings of Fire ________________

6.      Rameshwaram was in _____________________________

7.      Kalam was born to ___________________________________

8.       Kalam and his family leave in the large pucca house made of ___________

9.      Kalam childhood was ______________________________________

10.  Kalam’s father possessed ______________________________________

11.  Prayers were chanted in _____________________________________

12.  The highest priest of Rameshwaram temple was ______________________

13.  Peoples use to offer bowls of water to Kalam father _____________________

14.  The famous Shiva temple was ____________________________________

15.  Rameshwaram was famous to pilgrims for ___________________________

16.  The days of Kalam’s father usually starts at ________________________________

17.  Kalam tried to emulate his father __________________________________

18.  Kalam’s  father started his Day __________________________________

19.  Kalam’s father was well known in the locality for ______________________

20.  Kalam’s father  was known as a spiritual person because __________________

21.  The coconut garden was ___________________ from the house of Kalam

22.      He had an ideal ___________________________________________________

23.      This water was _________________________________________________________

24.      My austere father ________________________________________________________

25.      Then he answered ______________________________________________________