Publisher: Rupa
ISBN:978-81-291-2491-3
Pages:147
Price: 195 rupees only
“Think of rising higher. Let it be
your only thought .Even if your object be not attained , the thought itself
will have raised you”.
This is one of the quotes from the book written by the missile man of India and
its only people’s president , Mr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam . His
latest book , my journey-transforming dreams into reality, is a short and brief
auto biography describing his childhood in the temple town of Rameswaram, the
people who influenced him the most, the incidents which left their deep imprint
on his mind , the incidents and failures
that made him what he is today and the books which remained his best friends for forever.
The book
unfolds a story of a boy with an inquisitive bent of mind who found friends in
his elders and for whom there was no age- bar for shouldering responsibilities and whose only
hunger and thirst was the hunger and thirst for knowledge . For him, everything from a tree to a flower
to a teacher to a colleague , was the source of inspiration . Hailing from a
simple and humble background , his book is also very simple , fluid and makes
the reader feel as if she is watching a movie unfolding the various phases of
the great and yet humble man who wants to engage more and more with the youth
of the country and still wants to cover miles and miles for the betterment of
his nation .
It is a
great source of inspiration for the youth who wants to achieve pinnacle of
success within a specified deadline and timeline and tells not only how to
succeed but also how to manage failure and emerge as a real hero , as the iron
is produced only when it passes through the fire. The man, who took birth in
the colonial era has seen the changing phases and contours of India , which at
one point of time was just a piece of land and now has emerged as one of the
forces to reckon with.
The book
comprises of short simple tales , with an inherent magic in each one of them ,
disclosing the simple lessons of life , taught at the very young age when we
all were children with a world of our own .
Mr. Kalam tells how dedication, determination , passion are necessary
but the most important thing is to never stop dreaming . For him
, dreams are not the ones you see while sleeping but dreams are those which
never let you sleep .He also gets the reader acquainted with the never
ending phenomenon of life and death , how discipline one should be and that
even he though, science formed an integral part of his life , his roots
remained deeply spiritual .
The book
also reflects upon the caste, communal and gender issues even though the last
one for me holds a critical view because nothing has been said about the
repressive gender roles reflected in the book . Also, the book hardly discloses
about his presidential tenure and the contemporary political scenario in the
country.
I can go on
and on about this book but I would have to restrict myself as I want the readers
as well as the non readers to read this book and let the magic mix with the
breath of their lives.
A must read
for all age groups.
Rating: 9/10
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