Abdul Kalam was born in a middle class Muslim family in town of Rameshwaram in Madras State. He had three brothers and one sister. His father, Jainulabdeen was a generous and wise man and his mother, Ashiamma was a hospitable lady. They lived in an ancestral house on Mosque Street. His father lived a simple life but provided all necessities to children. His parents had neither much formal education nor much wealth. Many outsiders ate with the family every day.
The Second World War broke out in 1939, when he was 8 years old. Then there was great demand for tamarind seeds. Abdul used to collect those seeds and sell them in the market. His cousin Shamsuddin distributed newspapers and employed him as a helping hand. This way he earned his first wages. Abdul inherited faith in goodness, kindness and self – discipline from his parents.
Abdul and his famiy respected all religions. They took part in the Hindu festivals. His mother and grandmother told stories from the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet to the children at bed time. Kalam had three friends- Ramanandha Sastry (the son of a high priest of the Rameshwaram temple) ; Aravindam ( he used to arrange transport for visiting pilgrims ) and Sivaprakasan ( a catering contractor for Southern Railways ). They had different religious backgrounds and upbringing.
One day when Abdul was in 5th standard at the Rameshwaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to their class. Abdul used to wear a cap, which marked him as a Muslim. Kalam always sat in the front row next to Ramanandha Sastry, but the teacher could not tolerate a Hindu Priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. Kalam was asked to sit on the back bench. Both the friends felt very sad and told their parents about the incident after school. Ramanandha’s father Lakshmana Sastry called the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of communal hatred and social inequality in the minds of innocent children The teacher apologized and reformed himself.
Once Abdul’s science teacher Sivasubramania invited him to dinner at his home. His wife refused to serve Kalam dinner in her kitchen. Abdul’s teacher himself served him food and sat beside him to eat his own meal. His wife observed it from behind the door and did not find any change in Abdul’s behaviour. After dinner, the teacher again invited him to join them next weekend. This time Sivasubramania’s wife served Abdul’s food inside the kitchen with her own hands.
The second world war ended and India’s freedom was imminent. Abdul asked his father to permit him to go to Ramanthapuram to study. His father knew that Abdul would have to go away to grow up and so he permitted him. He told his hesitant wife that they should give their children their love but not force their thoughts on them because they have their own thoughts.
