PUBLICATION INFORMATION

NUMBER OF PAGES:141
PUBLICATION YEAR :1999
PUBLISHER:UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRICE:RS. 149

REVIEWED BY
MR GAUTAM KUMAR
B TECH 1ST YEAR,DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING,NIT
WARANGAL
EMAIL:GKASHYAP1860GMAIL.COM

THE BOOK “WINGS OF FIRE” IS THE SAGA OF INDIA JOURNEY TO BECOME

A SELF SUFFICIENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND NUCLEAR WEAPON.IT IS THE
STORY OF THE CHILD KALAM WHO HAILS FROM UNPRIVILEGED FAMILY
OF A SMALL COASTAL VILLAGE OF RAMESHWARAM AND ULTIMATELY
TURNS INTO THE REAL GEM OF INDIA BREAKING ALL BARRIERS OF
STREOTYPES.THIS BOOK IS DEALS WITH EVERY MILESTONE AND
DECISIONS TAKEN BY OUR VISIONARY SCIENTISTS LIKE DR. VIKRAM
SARABHAI,PROFESSOR MK MENON,DR BRAHMPRAKASH AND MANY
MORE UNSUNG HEROS.THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN IN VERY SIMPLE
UNDERSTANDABLE WITH USE OF PROFOUND ENGLISH STYLE.IN LATER
PART OF THIS BOOK WE CAME TO KNOW THAT OUR NUCLEAR
PROGRAMME WENT THROUGH MANY ACID TESTS BUT IT IS THE
DETERMINATION AND PERSEVERENCE OF OUR NONSTOPPABLE
TECHNOZENS THAT AT PRESENT TIME OUR SPACE AGENCIES ARE IN THE
FOREFRONT OF WORLD LEADERSHIP.

THE GOAL OF THE BOOK IS TO MAKE SOME PEOPLE OUT OF MENTAL

CONFUSION THAT HOWEVER UNPRIVILEGED THEY ARE,DO NOT CURSE
THE FATE BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS WAYS OPEN FOR DREAMERS, NO
MATTER HOW SMALL THEY ARE.IN THE JOURNEY TO DESTINATION
OFCOURSE HURDLES WILL COME,BUT IS SURE IT IS NOT
PERMANENT.ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT IS VERY COMMONLY
SEEN IN ALL OVER THE BOOK IS THAT DR. KALAM HAS THE HUGE RESPECT
FOR THEIR PARENTS,TEACHERS,MENTORS.

IN THE FIRST SECTION OF THE BOOK DR KALAM EXPLAINED ABOUT HIS

STRUGGLING CHILDHOOD DAYS WHEN HIS PARENTS LEFT NO STONE
UNTURNED TO RUN THEIR LARGE FAMILIES.IN ONE OF THE INCIDENT OF
SCHOOL DAYS DR KALAM WROTE WHEN ONE NEW TEACHER SEND HIM
TO BACK BENCH ON CAUGHT SITTING WITH HIS HINDU FRIEND.AFTER
THAT WHEN THEIR PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, PAKSHI
LAKSHMAN SHASHTRI WHO WAS HEAD PRIEST OF NEARBY SHIVA
TEMPLE WARNED THE NEW TEACHER AND DISMISSED FROM
SCHOOL.THIS INCIDENT REALLY SHOWS HOW RELIGIOUS TOLERATED
THESE PEOPLE ARE AND AT TIME HINDU,MUSLIM LIVE AMICABLY WITH
LOVE AND AFFECTION.THAT WAS THE GOLDEN ERA.

IN SECOND SECTION OF BOOK DR KALAM SEEMS TO PLAY THE ROLE OF

COOL GUARDIAN OF THE NEWLY DEVELOPED DEFENCE AND RESEARCH
INSTITUITIONS.HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT THERE IS MANY FAILURES
OF PSLV 3 LAUNCHING MISSION EVEN TIME CAME WHEN WHOLE WORLD
IS AGAINST US,IMPOSED MANY SANCTIONS ON INDIAN
GOVERNMENT,PEOPLE STARTED LOOKING IT AS FAILED MISSION.BUT
HARD LABOUR AND NOT ENDING ENTHUSIASM OF OUR ALL TEAM
MEMBERS PAYS OFF WHEN SOONAFTER INDIA BECAME THE THIRD
LARGEST COUNTRY TO HAVE OWN NUCLEAR WEAPON LEFT BEHIND
MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

IN THE LAST PART OF THE BOOK DR KALAM SHARES SOME CRYPTIC

REMINISCENCES WHICH ITSELF TELLS THE SUCCESS OF THE BOOK AND ITS
RELEVANCE IN BEYOND YEARS OF HIS TIME.HE TOLD THAT IN JOURNEY
OF DUTY HE LOST MANY DEAREST ONE WHO MOULDED HIM AS THE
PERSON HE IS,HIS FATHER JAINULLABDEEN ,HIS MOTHER
ASHIYAMMA,HIS BROTHER INLAW SHIVPRAKSHAN AND HIS MENTOR
DR. VIKRAM SARABHAI.BUT SICE HE REPRESENTS INDIA IN ALL FORUM
HE PUT ALL PAIN INSIDE AND SERVED INDIA TILL HIS LAST BREATH.

THIS BOOK WILL PROVE THE BEST BOOK OF THE DECADE AND ALWAYS
WILL BE TORCH BEARER FOR ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE. THE MESSAGE
BEHIND WRITING THIS BOOK IS NOT TO TO TELL THAT DR. KALAM IS
GREAT PERSONALITY BUT TO TELL THAT” IF ANY TIME IN LIFE YOU ARE
HOPELESS OR SHATTERED,MAY BE FROM THIS STORY YOU WILL GET
RAYS OF HOPE WHICH IS ETERNAL AND ULTIMATE GUIDER”.