Wings of fire – APJ Abdul Kalam

Abdul Kalam’s Perspective

Abdul Kalam was one of India’s most distinguished scientists.
He was an Aerospace engineer, professor, and chancellor of
the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. On top
of this, he also served as the 11th President of India from
2002 to 2007. During his term as President, he was popularly
known as the People’s President.

He was responsible for the development of India’s first

satellite launch vehicle, the SLV-3. Kalam is popularly known
as the Missile Man of India for developing ballistic missiles
and space rocket technology. Kalam also played a pivotal role
in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since
India’s initial nuclear test in 1974.

He also received honorary doctorates from thirty universities

and the country’s three highest civilian honors — Padma
Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), and Bharat Ratna
(1997).

Introduction
Wings of Fire is the autobiography of the former President of
India, Dr. Abdul Kalam. Kalam went from being a humble
boy in South India to developing India’s nuclear weapons and
becoming President. Through this autobiography, the reader
gains a glimpse into pre-partition India. Kalam also exposes
readers to the positive thinking and ideas that helped him
become such a success. This is the story of Kalam’s rise from
obscurity and his personal and professional struggles. It is also
a saga of independent India’s struggle for technological self-
sufficiency and defensive autonomy.

#1: Kalam’s Upbringing

Kalam starts the book at the beginning of his life. He was
born in Rameswaram, India, to a secure middle-class Tamil
family. His father owned a boat, which is a sign of wealth.
Rameswaram was a great environment to grow up in, as there
was a tight-knit community where everybody supported each
other. People were willing to talk about religion and
spirituality openly. From a young age, Kalam developed a
respect for other religions. His father also worked as an Imam
in the local mosque. Kalam grew up believing that faith is an
essential part of being human.

All family members encouraged Kalam to work hard and

excel at school. Kalam’s family talked a lot about the latest
advancements in science and new groundbreaking literature
over dinner. These conversations formed a foundation for the
passion for academia that Kalam developed. Kalam was close
to his parents and described his mother as more like a friend
than a parent. He also introduces the readers to his closest
friend, Ahmed Jalaluddin. Kalam developed intellectual and
spiritual maturity from a young age because Ahmed was
about 15 years older. They frequently visited the mosque
together and talked about Islam.
2: Learning Difficult Lessons at High School
To fulfill his dream of learning about the most advanced
technology and science, Kalam left his hometown to attend
Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram. At first, Kalam
thoroughly enjoyed his time at school. However, one day a
new teacher arrived. This teacher, called Rameswaram
Shastry, saw Kalam sitting next to a Hindu student. He told
Kalam that this was not allowed and decided to send Kalam to
the back of the class. This was an early example of the beliefs
people held during the partition of India. After this
experience, Kalam decided to stop the poison of prejudice
from spreading, rather than spreading it himself. He continued
to be open to all religions throughout his life, including during
and after India’s partition.

When Kalam was a young boy, he sold newspapers to help his

brother reduce their financial struggles. In the book, Kalam
praises the demands and support of friends and family as the
cornerstone of his life’s successes.

3: Kalam’s First Experiences With Engineering

Kalam continued to excel throughout high school and
remained particularly interested in science. After completing
the B.Sc. in physics, Abdul Kalam noticed that he needed to
engage with engineering to make his dreams a reality. So, he
chose to apply for an engineering course at the Madras
Institute of Technology. That said, despite coming from a
relatively wealthy background, the admission fees were still
too expensive for him. Luckily, his eldest sister saw his
potential and was willing to help him obtain a place. She
supported him financially throughout the early stages of his
time at the Madras Institute of Technology.

4: Learning to Fly
This generosity encouraged Kalam to work as hard as possible
to obtain a scholarship. His hard work eventually paid off, and
he took some financial burdens off his elder sister. As well as
academic success, Kalam was working towards living his
dream. He had always dreamed of flying an aircraft. So, it
makes perfect sense that Kalam decided to choose
aeronautical engineering as his major at university.

Kalam provides advice to future engineering students.

Specifically, he says, ‘When they choose their specialization,
the essential point to consider is whether the choice articulates
their inner feelings and aspirations.’ Kalam decided to pursue
aeronautical engineering because it aligned with his passions.
Kalam suggests that future engineers, and all future
professionals, should choose a role that aligns with their
dreams. This is the most critical factor.

5: Looking for Work

After graduating from university, Kalam had to choose
between two passions. His first option was joining the Air
Force. His second option was to seek a job at the Directorate
of Technical Development and Production. Essentially, the
latter would involve working for India’s Ministry of Defence.
Kalam applied for the Air Force to achieve his dream of
flying, but he was ultimately rejected.
Kalam was initially deflated. Deeply disappointed, he trekked
down to nearby Rishikesh, where he met Swami Sivananda, a
spiritual teacher, author and yoga guru. Kalam considers this
meeting to be one of the most important events in his life.
Sivananda taught him that he had to accept his destiny and go
ahead with his life. It is not worth mulling over things in the
past. Instead, Kalam was better off moving forward. This is
exactly what Kalam did. He could still use his passion for
aeronautical engineering by working for the Directorate of
Technical Development and Production as a Senior Scientific
Assistant.

Within this role, Kalam experienced significant setbacks. He

thoroughly enjoyed the freedom he was given to design his
aircraft. He designed an indigenous Hovercraft called Nandi.
Kalam worked hard and used innovation to design this
hovercraft. The new ministry rejected his design for imported
hovercrafts. Essentially, Kalam had been told that his work
was not good enough. Again, his aeronautical dreams had
been quashed, but Kalam remained positive. He remembered
what Sivananda had taught him: Certain events may be out of
your control in life, and you should not take them personally.

6: Kalam’s Destiny Changes

Although Kalam’s design, Nandi, was initially rejected, this
was not the end of its story. The design had already created
interest and buzz. Then, as if destiny came knocking, the
Indian Committee for Space Research invited Kalam for an
interview. They were going to interview him for the post of
Rocket Engineer. In this interview, he met Prof. Sarabhai, the
father of the Indian Space Program. Kalam got the job and
spent many years working as a Rocket Engineer. So, a large
proportion of this part of the book is educational. Kalam
outlines the different space stations and organizations based
within India. After his initial setback, Kalam excelled in
rocket science. He received the Padma Bhushan award after
SLV-3, one of his rockets, was successfully launched. The
Padma Bhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the
Republic of India. He then moved to rocketry at the Defence
Research and Development Organization. Kalam successfully
introduced the Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme for the development of five different missiles. On
the successful launch of India’s missile program, Kalam
received the Padma Vibhushan. Kalam thinks failures are
seeds for learning and believed India could be a technological
leader despite repeated failures.

He also learned many valuable management and leadership

lessons from Prof. Sarabhai. In the early stages of his career,
Kalam trusted that a free exchange of views was more
desirable than giving direction. Kalam also learned that
leaders exist at every level.

7: Kalam’s Approach to Work

Kalam had a strict schedule, even though he was leading
projects. Firstly, he would enter the office and clean his table.
This allowed Kalam to create an environment where he could
work effectively. After cleaning his table, he prioritized the
papers that required immediate action. While doing this, he
would remove everything else from his sight, other than those
papers. His focus allowed him to take action immediately
when he identified work that needed to be done. This was
especially true for time-critical tasks that could make an
impact or make him memorable.
Kalam’s general work attitude was daring, with persistence to
perfection. In his eyes, perfection requires an individual to
make mistakes in the past and learn from them. So, he favored
allowing mistakes as part of the learning process. He decided
to adopt this approach because mistakes are inevitable but
generally manageable. Kalam suggests that you build your
own education by developing the skills that will correct your
mistakes.

Based on this ethos, Kalam was awarded India’s top three

civilian awards, i.e., Bharat Ratna in 1997, Padma Vibhushan
in 1990, and Padma Bhushan in 1981. He was also glorified
with honorary degrees from more than 30 universities around
the world.

8: Kalam’s Death
Although not covered in this book, Kalam’s death follows the
type of person he was. Specifically, Kalam passed away due
to cardiac arrest while giving a speech to scientific students.
He committed his life to advancing India’s scientific and
technological understanding.

9: The Three Mighty Forces

To succeed in life and achieve results, you must achieve and
understand three mighty forces.

1. Desire
2. Belief
3. Expectations
These were the most important forces driving Kalam towards
success. He wanted to make a difference in India through
science and technology. Kalam also believed in his ability and
in God to guide him towards these desires. This belief was
strong and was not swayed by setbacks, such as when he was
rejected from the Air Force. Instead of giving up, Kalam
accepted that his life was just guiding him towards a different
and more complementary path. Finally, Kalam explains that
you need to have expectations for your life. Expectations
allow you to set goals and react accordingly. Without
expectations, you will not have any success or failure.
Importantly, expectations allow you to identify failure and
learn from these experiences.

Review of Wings of Fire

Wings of Fire covers the life of one of the most influential
individuals in India’s history. Abdul Kalam had a huge
political influence on his home country, but he also influenced
the scientific world. The message you can take from this book
is to use desire, belief and expectations to achieve your goals.

Wings of Fire Quotes

“Dreams are not that which you see while sleeping; it is
something that does not let you sleep.” — Abdul Kalam,
Wings of Fire

“When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms. When

creativity blossoms, thinking emanates. When thinking
emanates, knowledge is fully lit. When knowledge is lit,
economy flourishes.” — Abdul Kalam, Wings of Fire
“If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means first
Attempt In Learning. End is not the end, in fact E.N.D. means
Effort Never Dies. If you get No as an answer, remember
N.O. means Next Opportunity.” — Abdul Kalam, Wings of
Fire