#176: Happy Birthday, Dr. Kalam!

A small story of my inspiration!

Imagine this:

Year is 1958

India got Independence JUST 11 years ago.

You are just 23,
You love to see the birds fly
So much so that you want to be one!

Your next obvious career choice is to join AIR FORCE
You 'fly' from Rameswaram in the south to Himalayas for the exam

9 aspirants are to be selected out of 10.

You are the 10th.
Feels like an end of the world for you.
You are wandering on the banks of the holy Ganges

Your mind is full of doubts

Cut short to 2002

You walk up a hill, a hill of power: Raisina Hill

You sold newspapers back in the day
You are now the first citizen of India
You are Kalam, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

In a country of over a billion, what does it mean to be Kalam?

Kalam means Consistency

Consistency in making small efforts everyday
Efforts that range from selling newspapers to missiles

Consistency that inspires young Indians and especially UPSC aspirants

Kalam is a face of a consistent effort,
An effort that we all can relate to!
He gives us self-belief on how someone ‘like us’ did it and how
We can do it, too!

Kalam means Hard Work

Think of an example of Agni, the missile

Initial attempts at Agni’s first launch failed

Dr Kalam owned the responsibility and decided to work harder with his team.

Result? Next attempt and Agni took off!

Great win for his team and a giant leap for the Indians.

Kalam showed a way on how to stand eye to eye with the major powers of the world.

Kalam means Innovation

You pick any major scientific development in India

Be it weapons or nuclear bomb,
Be it science or space,
Be it 1984 or 2023,

Kalam's action impacted both:

- India's first nuclear test
- India's first moon landing (even after his death)

Kalam means Teacher

In one of his student interactions, he was asked which job did he love the most?

"I am a teacher" said the legend

Here in India, when we look at Kalam, we feel ownership

One that is reflected in the work of the greatest teacher.

A sense of relatable confidence on how we can do it too, just like him!

A small effort to pay a worthwhile tribute to our inspiration: KALAM

Happy birthday, Sir!

To celebrate our greatest teacher,

We now have a unique intersection of Teacher-Technology-Innovation in India.

Click here to try out Kalam, a personal mentor for all UPSC aspirants!