Dr. A.P.J ABDUL KALAM , 11th President of our country known as PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT and also the very successful scientist who was responsible for the development and operation of AGNI and PRITHVI missiles for which he also got a name ” MISSLE MAN OF INDIA ” . We can continue talking about his accomplishments and the list goes on and on. Recently, I read his autobiography titled ” WINGS OF FIRE” and today I will be sharing with you 5 reasons why that book is a must read . So, let’s begin :-

1. Despite being a brilliant scientist , his firm belief in God and religion. He says ” I feel convinced that there exists a divine power that can lift me up from confusion ,misery, melancholy and failure, and guide one to one ‘s true place. And once an individual severs his emotional & physical bondage , he is on the road to freedom, happiness and peace of mind. I WONDER WHY SOME PEOPLE TEND TO SEE SCIENCE AS SOMETHING WHICH TAKES MAN AWAY FROM GOD. AS I LOOK AT IT,THE PATH OF SCIENCE CAN ALWAYS WIND THROUGH THE HEART. FOR ME, SCIENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT & SELF REALISATION”.
2. His secular & democratic values are what we need in today’s world. He says “ I never doubted that the prayers in the temple reached the same destination as the ones offered in our mosque.” This book teaches us that you have to dream before your dreams can come true . Some people stride towards whatever it is that they want in life ;others shuffle their feet & never get started because they do not know what they want—-& do not know how to find it either.
3. His attachment with the nature . Once while he was working on one of his projects in CHANDIPUR , he saw that there was a beautiful bird sanctuary there and the work of engineers might disturb the birds so he himself went to the engineers and asked them to design the test range without disturbing the bird sanctuary.
4. He gives the best definition of a productive leader. He says ” In my opinion , a productive leader must be very competent in staffing . He should continually introduce new blood into the organization . He must be adept at dealing with problems & new concepts . The leader must be capable of instilling enthusiasm in his team. He should give appropriate credit where it is due, PRAISE PUBLICLY,BUT CRITICIZE PRIVATELY. “
5. When he talks about the strength of INDIANS . He says ” TWO CENTURIES OF SUBJUGATION, OPPRESSION & DENIAL HAVE FAILED TO KILL THE CREATIVITY & CAPABILITY OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE . WITHIN JUST A DECADE OF GAINING INDEPENDANCE & ACHIEVING SOVEREIGNITY , INDIAN SPACE & ATOMIC ENERGY PROGRAMMES WERE LAUNCHED WITH A PROJECT ORIENTATION TOWARDS PEACEFUL APPLICATIONS . There were neither funds for investing in missile development nor any established requirement from the armed forces .”

HIS WORDS ” Let the latent fire in the heart of every Indian acquire wings, & the glory of this great country light up the sky.” will always remain etched in our memories and will motivate us to work towards the development of our great nation. Let’s not leave these leaders behind in books, monuments and places but work together to make our INDIA what they had dreamt of .