I finished reading an important book that was on my list: Wings of Fire, written by the former president of India, Doctor APJ Abdul Kalam. He was dearly called the "people's president" as well as "Missile Man of India" for his work in aerospace engineering and defense technologies.
Wings of fre is an autobiographical work in which Dr Kalam examines his early childhood, lessons he learned from his life experience and pioneering work as a rocket scientist. He has shown, in as little words as possible, that the brave face adversity without fear.
Dr Kalam says in the book, a quote I will always remember: "We are all born with a divine fire in us, and our efforts should therefore be to give wings to this fire, and fill the world, with the glow of its goodness."
What a beautiful thought indeed.
The book starts off really good, with anecdotes from his childhood and adolescent years. His first job was that of a newspaper hawker which taught him the importance of waking up on time. The little bit of money he earned helped him purchase his favorite books.
Dr. Kalam has also included "spirituality" in the middle of this book, and for once, I thought I was listening to a really wise, learned guru. However, that was not what I came in for, but anyway, it was a worthwhile read.
Towards the end, the book became way too technical, even for me a physics student. The sudden jump from plain and simple language to complicated jargon did not sit well with me. However, one has to be patient to understand what is written so wonderfully, with friend Arun Tiwari, that I kept reading on.
By the time I finished, I felt that this book will surely serve as a guiding light to those young adults who have run astray due to the naivety of their youth. Kalam has shown that despite many failures, it is possible to succeed in the end, only if you persist a little longer. Perseverance never loses.
Hence, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who's dying to start anew in their life.
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