MY CHILDHOOD

MY CHILDHOOD

By

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

1. Where was Abdul Kalam's house?

Ans. Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram town of Tamil Nadu state.

2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans. "Dinamani' is the name of a daily newspaper. The author used to look at its headlines to trace the stories of the war told by his brother-in-law Jallaluddin in the major headlines in Dinamani.

3. Who were Abdul Kalam's school friends? What did they later become?

Ans. Abdul Kalam's friends were - Ramanadha Sastry, Arvindan and Sivaprakasan. Ramanadha Sastry took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father. Aravindan went into the business of arranging transport for the visiting pilgrims. Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?

Ans. Abdul Kalam’s cousin was a newsagent. During the days of war, the train halt at Rameswaram was suspended. Now bundles of newspapers were thrown on the road from the moving train. Kalam helped his brother to collect these bundles. He was given som money. Thus he earned his first wages.

5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?

Ans. Yes, he had earned money before that. He used to collect tamarind seeds and sell them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. He used to earn one anna in a day.

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

Ans. (i) The author says that his father had neither much formal education nor much wealth. But he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He was simple, strict and severe. He used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries.

(ii) The author says that his mother was an ideal helpmate of his father. She used to feed a large number of people in her house. She had faith in goodness and deep kindness.

(iii) The author describes himself that he was one of many children of the family. He was a short boy with rather undistinguished looks. He was born to tall and hand parents. They lived in their ancestral house which was built in the middle of the century.

Q.7. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

Ans. He says that he inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father. From his mother, he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness.

Q. 8. "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. He mentions the social groups of Hindus and Muslims living in Rameswaram. These groups could be identified easily.

Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. The Muslims could be identified by their cap and the Hindus by their thread.

(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. No, they were not only aware of their differences but also naturally shared friendships and experiences. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the prophet were the bedtime stories his mother and grandmother would tell the children in their family. His three close friends in his childhood were - Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. All these boys belonged to orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. During Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam annual ceremony, their family used to arrange boats will a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near their house.

(iii) The author speaks both of the 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. Yes, we can identify such people in the text. The young teacher in Kalam's school did not like his sitting with a Hindu Brahmin boy because he was a Muslim. The teacher was spreading the poison of social inequality and communalism among young minds. The people who tried to bridge these differences were Lakshmana Sastry, Ramanadha Sastry's father and Kalam's science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer.

(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. Kalam narrates two incidents from his school days.

When Abdul Kalam was in 5th standard, a young teacher could not tolerate that a Muslim boy should sit with a Hindu Brahmin boy. He asked Abdul Kalam to sit on the backbench. On the other hand, his science teacher was quite the opposite. He wanted to break the social barriers. He even invited Kalam for a dinner at his house. These incidents show how differences can be treated and how they can be resolved.

Q.9 (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

Ans. Abdul Kalam decided to go to Ramanathapuram for his further studies. That was why he wanted to leave Rameswaram.

(ii) What did his father say to this?

Ans. His father was very happy at this. He at once gave his consent. He told him that he knew he had to go away to grow. He then said, “Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?”

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

Ans. We think his words mean that man himself is the maker of his own destiny. One has to go out in the world, establish oneself and face the challenges of life single-handedly. We think he spoke those words because his father was a man of rich innate wisdom. He knew that every person has his own thoughts and dreams in life. The parents can give their love to their children but not their own thoughts.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Q. How did Abdul Kalam eam his first wages?  How did he feel at that time?  Explain. 

Ans. Abdul Kalam's cousin Samsuddin helped him earn his first wages.  It was the time of the Second World – War. Initially, his area, being isolated, was completely unaffected by this war. But soon Indian forces also joined the Allied Forces.  A state of emergency was declared.  The first casualty of state emergency was the suspension of the railway halt of Rameshwaram. Kalam’s cousin, Samsuddin, used to collect newspapers from the station and distribute in Rameswaram.  Now, the bundles of newspapers had to be thrown from the moving train. Samsuddin wanted a helping hand who could catch the bundles thrown from the moving train. Abdul Kalam was engaged for this job by him.  Thus, he earned his wages for the first time. Adul Kalam felt a great sense of pride when he earned his first wages.