My LifeAn Illustrated Autobiography

My LifeAn Illustrated Autobiography

My LifeAn Illustrated Autobiography
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(as of Nov 07, 2023 20:12:59 UTC – Details)


From the Publisher

Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)

In Conversation with A P J Abdul Kalam

I Will Fly

I am born with potential.

I am born with goodness and trust.

I am born with ideas and dreams.

I am born with greatness.

I am born with confidence.

I am born with wings.

I am not meant for crawling,

So I won’t, I have wings,

I will fly, fly and fly.

Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)

Have you ever seen a beautiful sunset? I have, when I was a little boy, standing near the sea at Rameswaram, the town where I grew up. As the suns goes lower and lower, the sky turns a vivid red and golden. The sea reflects this beautiful play of colours, and as you keep watching, the sun dips further till it seems to disappear into the water.

This is one of my favourite memories of my boyhood—of standing by the seashore, watching the sun go down, and then racing home to my mother. Our house was in a street called Mosque Street, and it was built by my father. I was born in this house on 15 October 1931. In fact, I am told that I was the first child to be born in this house! I was the youngest of all my siblings. There were so many of us living in that house! Some of you may know what it is like to live with brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and grandparents.

Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)Biographies & Autobiographies (Books),Children's & Young Adult (Books)

We, too, lived like that—always surrounded by elders and children, old and young. We had so much fun, playing games, studying and going to school together.

This does not mean that we were very rich. My father had some land where he grew coconut and other plants. He also had a boat that was used to ferry pilgrims. We were comfortably off and I went to the local school with all the other children. My mother, Ashiamma, was a wonderful cook. I may be old now, but I still remember the taste of the sambar and chutney she made for us that we ate from banana leaves sitting on the kitchen floor.

My father would visit his coconut grove frequently. On the days he went there, he woke up very early and walked to the plantation which was some distance from the house.

I loved to accompany him but could go only on some days, when I didn’t have school or classes to attend. We would set out from our home before the sun was up and the light was only beginning to appear in the sky. It was usually cool and there would be a breeze coming in from the sea. I would hold his hand and walk quietly by his side for he would be saying his prayers under his breath. Then, something interesting would catch my attention, and I would forget to be quiet.

‘Appa, did you hear how loudly that crow just cawed?’

‘Appa, why does the sky change in colour so many times from morning to night? Do you think it likes to change clothes like us?’

‘Appa, why does it rain? I like rain because then my friends and I can splash in the puddles in school and Amma makes special bhajjis.’

My father would listen to all this chatter patiently, with a smile on his face. We walked to the end of the road, went by the mosque, past the famous Rameswaram temple and then took a route to his coconut grove. There, I sat by his side and listened to him talk to the caretaker about soil and manure and rains. I loved standing under those tall trees and looking into the swaying fronds. The light would flicker in and out between the leaves, teasing my eyes. I would close one eye and the light would seem even brighter, as if the morning sun was winking back at me, telling me to have fun through the day.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rupa Publications India/Red Turtle; First Edition (25 October 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 119 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8129137895
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8129137890
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 12 years
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 150 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 0.76 x 21.59 cm
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1.00 count

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