APJ Abdul Kalam's Childhood

Childhood and Family

• The author was born into a middle-class Tamil family in Rameswaram, Madras State.
• His father, Jainulabdeen, had little formal education and wealth, but possessed great wisdom and generosity.
• His mother, Ashiamma, was an ideal helpmate and would feed many outsiders daily, more than their own family members.

Ancestral Home and Upbringing

• The author lived in his ancestral house, built in the mid-19th century, on Mosque Street in Rameswaram.
• The house was made of limestone and brick, and his father avoided unnecessary comforts and luxuries.
• Despite this, all necessities were provided, including food, medicine, and clothes.
• The author had a secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.

The Second World War

• The Second World War started in 1939, when the author was eight years old.
• A sudden demand for tamarind seeds emerged, and the author would collect and sell them for one anna per day.
• The war had little impact on Rameswaram, but India's involvement led to the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station.
• The author's cousin, Samsuddin, needed help to catch newspaper bundles thrown from the moving train, and the author filled the slot.

First Job and Earnings

• The author earned his first wages by helping Samsuddin, which gave him a sense of pride.
• This experience, half a century later, still evoked a sense of pride in earning his own money.

Inherited Traits and Childhood Friends

• The author inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father, and faith in goodness and kindness from his mother.
• He had three close friends, Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan, from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families.
• Despite their religious differences, they never felt any distinction among themselves.

Annual Ceremonies and Bedtime Stories

• The author's family would arrange boats to carry idols of the Lord during the Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony.
• Bedtime stories told by his mother and grandmother included events from the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet.

Incident in the Fifth Standard

• A new teacher in the fifth standard at Rameswaram Elementary School asked the author to move to the back bench because of his Muslim cap and seating arrangement next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore a sacred thread.