INDIAN CENTRAL SCHOOL, KUWAIT

GRADE –VII

ENGLISH

LESSON -1

MY CHILDHOOD

An extract from “Wings of fire” --- an autobiography by Dr APJ Abdul kalam.

 Sketch a mother serving food to her son.

A family influences a child’s childhood. Every member has a

key role to play. So was the influence in Abdul Kalam’s

childhood in Rameshwaram.

I. NEW WORDS ( WRITE TWO TIMES)

1. Innate

2. Austere

3. Amicably

4. Conservative

5. Aromatic

6. Predominantly

7. Intolerance

8. Optimism

II. Vocabulary
1. Amicably – in a manner that is pleasant and friendly

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2. Innate – inborn

3. Austere – simple, strict and severe

4. Conviction – a strong opinion or belief

III. Give one word:

1. For the most part – predominantly

2. Armies of UK, USA and Russia – allied forces

IV. Synonyms and Antonyms

Word Synonym Antonym

1. Conservative illiberal liberal
inflexible unsteady
2. Hesitation reluctance eagerness
wavering assurance
3. Conviction belief disbelief
determination distrust

V. Reference to context:
1. “He told me as if thinking aloud. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Your children are not your
children. They come through you but not from you _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _”

a. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines? To whom is he talking?

Ans: “He” refers to Jainulabdeen, father of Abdul Kalam. He is talking to his wife.

b. What does he mean by son and daughters of life’s longing itself?

Ans: When Kalam was to leave Rameswaram and study in Ramanathapuram, his father quoted
Kahlil Gibran and told his wife that her children are not their own children. He explained
Kalam’s mother to give her son opportunity to get higher education to make progress. He said
this to control the emotional attachment of his wife for Kalam.

c. Why did he say “Your children are not your children”?

Ans: He said, “Your children are not your children” because he believed that a force greater than
ourselves, God is responsible for our design.

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I. Answer each of these questions in short (about 30 words).

Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
A. During his childhood, Abdul Kalam had three friends. Their names are Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan
and Sivaprakasan. When they grew up, Ramanadha Sastry became the priest of the Rameswaram
temple, Aravindan started a business of transporting pilgrims to and from the Rameswaram temple and
Sivaprakasan became a caterer for the railways.

How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?

A. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by catching the bundle of newspapers thrown out of the moving
train at the Rameswaram station. He helped his cousin in distributing newspapers in Rameswaram.

5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?

A. When the second World War started, there was a great demand for tamarind seeds. Kalam would
collect them and sell them to a grocery store located on Mosque street. He would earn an anna which
was a meagre sum but for him, it was a handsome sum of money.

1. How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?
A. (i) Kalam’s father’s name was Jainulabdeen. He was not educated and was not a wealthy man.
Kalam says that despite this, his father possessed innate wisdom, honesty and was a generous
man. He did not believe in wasting money on luxuries but provided them with all the necessities
of life like food, clothing and medicine.

(ii) Kalam’s mother’s name was Ashiamma. She supported her husband in his decisions. She was
a kind – hearted woman. Kalam recollects that his mother would feed meals to numerous people.
He inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness from her.

(iii) Kalam was short and had ordinary looks while his parents were tall and looked handsome.
He was brought up in a secure atmosphere. He grew up to become and honest and self –
disciplined man. He believed in goodness and deep kindness.

2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

A. Kalam inherited honesty and self–discipline from his father. His mother imbibed in him faith
in goodness and deep kindness.

Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two
or three paragraphs each.

1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of
different social groups,” says the author.

(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for
example, by the way they dressed)?
A. The social groups mentioned by Kalam were the Hindu Brahmins and the Muslims. Yes,
these groups were easily identifiable by the way they dressed. As Kalam was a Muslim, he wore
a cap which distinguished him from his Hindu Brahmin friends who wore the sacred thread.

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(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships
and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were;
and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)
A. No, they were not aware of any differences. Kalam and the other children listened to bedtime
stories from their mother and grandmother. These were from both the Ramayana and from the
life of Prophet. The family participated in the Hindu festival of Shree Seetha Rama Kalyanam by
arranging boats for transporting the idols from the temple to the pond located near their house.

(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them
and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
A. The people who were aware of these differences were the young teacher who came to teach
Kalam’s class in fifth standard. He ordered Kalam to sit on the last bench as he belonged to a
lower caste. His science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife was an orthodox Hindi Brahmin.
She refused to serve him food as she felt hat his presence would render the kitchen impure.
The people who bridged these differences were Ramanadha Sastry’s father Lakshmana Sastry
and Sivasubramania Iyer. Lakshmana Sastry was the priest of the Rameswaram temple. He
scolded the young teacher and asked him to apologise for sowing the seeds of religious
discrimination into the innocent minds of the children. Upon his wife’s refusal to serve,
Sivasubramania Iyer served food to Kalam and sat beside him to eat which reformed his wife.

2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

A. Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram and go to Ramanathapuram for higher studies.

(ii) What did his father say to this?

A. His father said that he knew Kalam had to leave home as he had to fulfil his dreams. He gave
the example of the Seagull bird which flies endlessly over long distances and does not have a
nest too. He pacified Kalam’s mother by quoting a few lines from the poem ‘Your children’ by
Khalil Gibran. He said that her children were not her possession but were life’s desire for itself.
She should not impose her thoughts on them but should allow them to fulfil their thoughts.

(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
A. Abdul Kalam’s father’s words had a deep meaning. He inspired Kalam to follow his dreams,
to fly high like the seagull. He wanted him to pursue higher studies and so, allowed him to go to
Ramanathapuram. He explained to Kalam’s mother to allow him to go and pursue higher
education. He spoke these words to encourage Abdul Kalam and to control the emotional
attachment of his mother.

Question 1.
What were the qualities that Abdul Kalam admired in his parents?
Answer:
Kalam’s parents were noble and generous people. Though his father was an austere man, he
provided his family with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. He admired his
father’s honesty and self-discipline and his mother’s faith in goodness and kindness. He admired
his parents for respecting all religions.

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Question 2.
Kalam’s childhood was a secure one both materially and emotionally. Illustrate.
Answer:
APJ Abdul Kalam called his childhood a secure one because he had loving and caring parents
who gave love and guidance to their children and took care of their emotional and physical
needs. They provided their children with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.

Question 1.
How does the author describe:

1. his father
2. his mother
3. himself?

Answer:

1. The author describes his father as a wise and generous person. He felt happy when he
helped others. He did not have much formal education and riches. He was a man of
confidence and great wisdom. He avoided inessential comforts and luxuries.
2. His mother was a noble and kind- hearted woman. She used to feed a large number of
people. She had all the attributes of a typical Indian mother.
3. I was born into a middle-class Tamil family. I was a short boy with rather
undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. I studied physics and aerospace
engineering and became a scientist.

Question 2.
What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Answer:
The author inherited humility and benevolence from his parents. He learnt lessons in honesty and
integrity from his parents. He was self-disciplined because of his parents’ exemplary life.

Question 3 .

1. Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

2. What did his father say to this?
3. What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?

Answer:

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 1. Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram to study at the district headquarters in
Ramanathapuram.
2. His father said that he knew he had to go away to grow. He gave the example of a seagull
and said that a seagull flies across the sun alone and without a nest.
3. He spoke these words because he intended to hone his skills. He knew the harsh reality of
life that children may have to live far from their parents to make their career and earn
their livelihood. So he showed his wisdom and intelligence in uttering these words.

Question: Who was Sivasubramania Iyer Class 9?

Answer: Sivasubramania Iyer was Kalam's science teacher. Though an orthodox Brahmin,
he was something of a rebel. A man of liberal views, he wanted to change the society that
was rigid in terms of segregation of different social groups.

What is the message of my childhood?

The theme of “My Childhood” is that our life is shaped by our experiences and
the people around us. Kalam's secure childhood, inspiring parents, supportive
friends and honest teachers instilled great values in him that gave him 'wings of
fire'.

Thinking about language

(Page 75)

Question 1.
Find the sentences in the text where these words occur:

erupt, surge, trace, undistinguished, casualty

Answer:
The sentences in the text where these words occur are the following:

1.  . . . a sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market.

2.  . . . I can still feel the surge of pride in earning my own money for the first time.
3.  . . . I would later attempt to trace in the deadlines in Dinamani.
4.  . . . a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents.
5. The first casualty came in the form of the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram
Station.

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VI. Assignment
Kalam got the right values at a very young age that set him on the path of greatness.
Elaborate with example from “My Childhood”

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