Speech on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam – 3

"Dear Students – Good Morning to all of you!

Today’s class is going to be a little different from the rest as I am not going to discuss anything from your textbooks, but would like to talk about one eminent personality who I think everyone admires and looks up to as a source of inspiration even if he is not alive. The personality that I am talking about is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Yes students he is the one accredited with a title called The Missile Man of India and was the 11th President of India. He was a great scientist, deep thinker and motivational speaker as well.

What makes him truly an inspirational figure for all of us is the fact that he hailed from a very humble background in a remote southern village of India called Rameswaram. It was the place where he got his first job of collecting newspaper bundles thrown from a moving train. He has shared his life experiences with everyone, especially with children and mentioned how he used to be filled with pride after recollecting those days of earning money on his own for the first time.

But even this great man, who has inspired millions of people, drew inspiration from many people who helped him in becoming what he was and of course earning the sobriquet The Missile Man of India. Let’s know about one of those personalities who shaped his personality and mentored him. Firstly, he was Iyadurai Solomon who was Kalam’s teacher and Kalam shared a great bond with him. This teacher greatly influenced Kalam’s thinking process as he gave him the mantra, “To succeed in life and achieve results, you must understand and master three mighty forces—desire, belief and expectation.”

Iyadurai Solomon was indeed a great teacher because he helped in shaping the personality of his students and finding a sense of self worth. He also told Abdul Kalam that “With faith, you can change your destiny.” From there began Kalam’s actual journey as he aspired and worked for greater things in life.

He even had this firm belief that he too can leave an impression on the society despite the fact that his parents didn’t enjoy the benefits of education. Abdul Kalam also used to get captivated by the mysteries of the sky and observe the flight of the birds from his early childhood days. Interestingly, he became the first child to fly from Rameswaram.

Many years later when Abdul Kalam visited Madurai Kamaraj University to become a part of the convocation address his most favorite teacher Rev. Iyadurai Solomon was on the dias. When he finished his lecture, Dr. Abdul Kalam bowed down in front of him and said, “Great dreams of dreamers are always transcended”.

His teacher in turn said in a choked voice, “You have not only attained my goals, Kalam, but you have eclipsed them”. Such a man was Kalam who excelled in everything that he did and made not only his teacher, but the whole nation proud. Therefore students try to follow his footsteps and sincerely work towards attaining your goals.

Thank You!
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