Wings of Fire

Dying of boredom and frequent power offs in my room; I was desperately searching for a book to kill time. Luckily I found the book, which I was planning to read since forever. It is “Wings of Fire”; an autobiography of ‘AVUL PAKIR JAINULABDEEN ABDUL KALAM”. He is the man from rameshwaram who proved himself as one of the most talented scientist India has produced and later on became the president of India. There are some absolute gems in the book, some of those are –

- When the student is ready, the teacher will appear

- Bread baked without love is bitter bread that feeds but half a man’s hunger. Those who can’t work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half hearted success that breeds bitterness all around

- All reasonable men adapt themselves to the world. Only a few unreasonable ones persist in trying to adapt the world to them. All progress in the world depends on these unreasonable men

- For all your days prepare, and meet them ever alike; when you are the anvil, bear – when you are the hammer, strike.

- Beautiful hands are those that do, work that is earnest and brave and true; moment by moment, the long day through.

- If you want to leave your footprints on the sand of time, do not drag your feet

- Good and bad people live together under the sun as the black thread and the white are woven together in a cloth. When one of the black or white threads breaks, the weaver should look into whole cloth, and he shall examine the loom also.

- A big shot is a little shot who keeps on shooting

- As a child of god, I am greater than anything that can happen to me

Needless to say the book was a an inspirational reading, a scientist who believes that science and god are interrelated and very aptly put his thought as

God has not promised

Skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways

All our life though;

God has not promised

Sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow

Peace without pain.

But god has promised

Strengths for the day,

Rest for the labor

Light for the way