Life is too short to wake up with regrets

When I (APJ) was a kid, my Mom cooked food for us. One night in particular when she had made dinner after a long hard day's work, Mom placed a plate of 'subzi' and extremely burnt roti in front of my Dad. I was waiting to see if anyone noticed the burnt roti. But Dad just ate his roti and asked me how was my day at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember I heard Mom apologizing to Dad for the burnt roti.

And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burnt roti."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy, good night & I asked him if he really liked his roti burnt. He wrapped me in his arms & said:

"Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she was really tired. And besides, a burnt roti never hurts anyone but harsh words do!"

"You know beta - life is full of imperfect things... & imperfect people..." I am not the best and am hardly good at anything! I forget birthdays & anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learnt over the years is: To Accept Each Others Faults & Choose To Celebrate Relationships"

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

Love the people who treat you right & have compassion for the ones who don't.

l Dr Kalam always wanted to be a fighter pilot. He was called for interview by Air Force Academy, Dehradun along with 24 other candidates. He secured the 9th rank and got rejected as only 8 slots were available. That was when he decided to take up the offer to work at the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP).

Once, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam rejected the suggestion to put broken glass on the wall of a building that needed protection. Why? Because broken glass would be harmful for birds! This happened when Dr. Kalam was with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and his team was discussing options to secure the perimeter of a building that needed protection. Dr. Kalam reportedly said: “If we do that, birds will not be able to perch on the wall.”

Soon after it was declared that Dr. Kalam would be the next President, he visited a modest school to deliver a speech. His security detail was minimal, and he didn’t mind taking control of the situation when the power went off. Speaking to around 400 students, Dr. Kalam ensured the power cut didn’t cause any interruption. He walked right in the middle of the crowd and asked the students to surround him. He then spoke to 400 students with his bare voice and delivered, like always, an inspiring keynote.

The government takes care of the President of India as well as of all the former presidents. Knowing this, Dr. Kalam during his tenure as President decided to give away all his wealth and life savings towards a fund that works towards providing urban amenities to rural population. Apparently, Dr. Kalam called up Dr. Verghese Kurien, the founder of Amul, and asked: “Now that I have become the President of India, the government is going to look after me till I am living; so what can I do with my savings and salary?”

When youngsters & teenagers requested a meeting with President Kalam, the President not only obliged and gave the kids his precious time, but he also listened carefully to the ideas the kids had! As President, often Dr. Kalam’s office would receive requests from youngsters for a meeting with the country’s first citizen. Not only would Dr. Kalam meet the kids in his personal chambers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, but he would also give them his precious time, “listen” to their ideas and provide feedback to the kids. On occasions, the President would follow up with such kids asking about the status of the ideas they discussed!

Once, Dr. Kalam was to be a Chief Guest at a college event. He wasn’t the President at the time, but held a significant office at the DRDO and was one of the key advisors to the government. Curious to see the kids prep up for a big event, Kalam decided to pay a visit to the venue. He came in a jeep, without any security, and talked to the students present at the venue. He said he wanted to meet the “real hardworking people”.

When a subordinate of President Kalam at DRDO couldn’t take his children to an exhibition due to work pressure, Kalam surprised his subordinate and took the children in stead!

During a significant project of the DRDO, the work pressure was high. A scientist approached his boss – Dr. Kalam – and asked to leave early that day considering he had promised his children to take them to an exhibition. Kalam generously granted the permission, and the scientist got back to work. When he did, he lost the track of time and forgot to leave early. He reached home, feeling guilty, and looked for his kids, but could only find his wife. He asked for the kids, and to his surprise she told him: “your manager was here around 5:15 and he took the kids for the exhibition!” Apparently, Dr. Kalam had been observing the scientist and noticed that he might never realise he had to go home. Feeling for the kids, he decided to take the kids in his stead. If that’s not sweet, what is?

Dr. Kalam was the Chief Guest at an event at IIM Ahmedabad recently. Prior to the event, he was lunching with a class of around sixty students. At the end of the lunch, the students wanted each a photo with the former President.

Citing the delay, the event organiser tried to hush off the students; but to everyone’s surprise Dr. Kalam asked the organiser to calm down and said that he won’t leave the place until every person who wanted a picture with him got a picture!

At a recent convocation of IIT-Varanasi, Dr. Kalam was the Chief Guest. There were five chairs on the stage, the centre one being for Dr. Kalam, the other four designated for the top university officials. Noticing his chair being bigger in size than the others, Dr. Kalam refused to sit on it and offered the Vice Chancellor to sit in stead. The VC couldn’t, obviously. No doubt, another chair was made available immediately for the Honourable former President!

Who did President Kalam invite as the “Presidential Guests” to Kerala’s Raj Bhavan during his first visit to Kerala after becoming the President?

1. A road side cobbler

2. Owner of a very small hotel

No kidding. As the President, Dr. Kalam was entitled to invite anyone as the “Presidential Guests” to the Raj Bhavan of Kerela during his first visit to Trivandrum. Dr. Kalam had spent a significant time as a scientist in Trivandrum and he invited a road-side cobbler – who was quite close to Dr. Kalam during his time in Kerela; and so was the owner of the small hotel where Dr. Kalam would often have his meals.

Can you imagine any other politician or a celebrity inviting a cobbler and a small business owner as their most prestigious guests?

Memorable Quotes

1You have to dream before your dreams can come true.

2 Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.

3 Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person.

4 Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.

5 We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilizational heritage.

6 Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around.

7 Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model.

8 Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.

9 If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.

10 My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.