Quick Q & A with - AVUL PAKIR JAINULABDEEN ABDUL KALAM, 11th President of India

EDUCATION

Schooling from the Schwartz Higher Secondary School.

Graduated in Physics from Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli in 1954.

Study aerospace engineering at Madras Institute of Technology.

• How important is friendship & happiness in life?

One best book is equal to a hundred good friends, but one good friend is equal to a library.
The essence of a happy life and a peaceful society lies in one sentence – What can I Give?.

• How to set up a successful business?

Thinking is the capital, an enterprise is a way, and hard work is the solution. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.

• What is your approach to fulfilling your goals?

Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place - that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have the perseverance to realize a great life.

• Your advice to the youth of the Nation?

My message to young people is to have the courage to think differently, the courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. 

• How to face the competition of recruitment?

All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.

• How to approach failure?

If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means “First Attempt In Learning”. The end is not the end if fact E.N.D. means “Effort Never Dies.” If you get No as an answer, remember N.O. means “Next Opportunity”, So let’s be positive.” Your best teacher is your last mistake.

• Who has been your mentor?

My mentor was Rishikesh Swami Sivananda. When I faced failure in life, he told me, “Motivation is temporary and inspiration is permanent because motivation passes away after some time, while inspiration stays for the lifetime.”

• What according to you is the path to success?

If you want to shine like the sun, first burn like the sun. Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or the top of your career.

DO YOU KNOW?

He refused to sit on special chairs as he always promoted equality.

Despite being born into a poor family, he spent a great deal of time on his studies apart from selling newspapers to help his father support the family.

He had a soft spot for students and children. He inspired millions of young children. He believed that children are the future of any nation.