Surprising moments

For my birthday three years ago, my father gave me an autographed copy of APJ Abdul Kalam’s autobiography, Wings of Fire. He mailed it to Canada as part of my birthday package.

The book was a fantastic read. It told the journey of a man who grew up in poverty, whose father rented boats for a living. Kalam realised early in life that one way to save money was to become a vegetarian. He was also inspired by his mother and teachers in school. His goal in life, as idealistic as it might have been, was to excel in whatever he did.

Kalam, now 77, is a scientist and engineer who rose to prominence for his role as a strategic adviser to the government when India conducted its first nuclear tests in 1998. From 2002-07, he served a term as India’s president, earning the nickname “the people’s president”. He remains one of the country’s most popular presidents to date. He has also penned several books in which he outlines his vision for India and its future generations.

This week, I met him in person.

Before, I imagined him as a tough, larger-than life man who made grand speeches. In real life, Kalam, is frail and slight with bushy eyebrows and meticulously parted grey hair.

But he does have grand visions for the world. A man who erased any doubts about India’s nuclear capability, he now dreams of a world in which countries prosper because they help each other grow. Through technological collaborations and common markets, he believes the world will be rid of poverty. He thinks that peaceful nations will only come about if they help each other.

All this was inspired when he met a little girl and stopped to ask about her dreams. “I want to live in a developed India,” she told him.

Given his fondness for talking to children, it comes as no surprise that Kalam speaks like a schoolteacher, often stopping to ask if I understand his scientific explanations about how to advance date farming or source clean energy.

He makes me repeat the answers and declares with flourish that I an a good student. When I sheepishly tell him that I’ve been a journalist for close to a decade, he laughs at me.

“You still get 100 per cent marks for being a good student in front of me,” he says.

These are the kind of moments that surprise a journalist when she sits down with a world leader – and the kind of moments a journalist lives for.