Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam studied at the Schwartz Higher Secondary School in Ramanathapuram. Though he had only average grades, he had the mindset to work harder. Kalam was aware of his father’s dream of him becoming an IAS officer and wanted to fulfil it. At the age of 15, he met lyadurai Solomon, who became a perfect guide for the young boy. Solomon told Abdul Kalam that a hard worker like him would be able to achieve anything with the power of education. He inspired young Kalam, who had high hopes for the future.
While studying at Schwartz he grew up as a confident boy. He was determined to succeed and fulfil his parents’ dream. Later he joined St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirapalli, in 1950 and gave his intermediate examinations. When he was in his final year at St. Joseph’s, Kalam started to love English literature. He was very fond of reading great classics by writers like Tolstoy and Thomas Hardy; he even developed an inclination towards philosophy. It was by this time that he also developed an interest in Physics. Prof. Chinna Durai and Prof. Krishnamurthy, who were his Physics teachers at St. Joseph’s, introduced him to the beautiful and intriguing concepts of Physics.
He had a very limited knowledge about other subjects when he was at St. Joseph’s college and soon realized that the subject he enjoyed the most was engineering. So he applied to the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT). Although he was on the merit list, the institute was very expensive. His sister Zohra had to sell her gold ornaments to send him to study there.
At MIT, young Kalam was intrigued by the numerous aircraft that were on display. He opted for aeronautical engineering after his first year at MIT. In the institute, Kalam was working on a senior class project, and his Dean was dissatisfied with the lack of progress. He asked Kalam to finish the project within the next three days. Kalam met the deadline, impressing the Dean, who later said to him, “l was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline”.
After completing his third year at MIT, Kalam joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, as a trainee. He worked on piston and turbine engines at HAL as a part of a team. Here he came to know about the technical aspects of an aircraft.
Picture Credit : Google
