ABDUL KALAM' S THE POWER OF PRAYER

THE POWER OF PRAYER:
INTRODUCTION:
Abdul kalam was born in  1931 in Rameswaram. He was a scientist and he became the president of India. He was also the recipient of highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’. He also held the prestigious post as the president of India. ‘ the power of Prayer’ is an extract from Kalam’s autobiography “Wings of Fire”. It describes the life story and how his teachers and parents played a role in his bright future.

 
KALAM’S LIFE:
Kalam was born into a middle class Tamil family in the town of Rameswaram. His father Jainlaubdeen possessed a great innate wisdom and true generosity of spirit. His wife Ashiamma is an ideal helpmate. Kalam couldn’t recall the exact number of people his mother fed everyday . his parents were regarded as the ideal couple. Ashiamma’s one of the ancestors was bestowed with the title of Bahadur by the British.

 
KALAM’S LIFE:
Kalam was a short boy with undistinguished looks. He was born to tall and handsome parents. The family lived in the ancestral house which was built in the middle of the 19th century. It was a fairly large pucca house. It was made of limestone and brick. The house was situated on the mosque street in Rameswaram. Kalam’s father avoided all the luxuries and comforts. Kalam’s childhood was secure both materially and emotionally.

 
SHIVA TEMPLE AND MOSQUE:
The Shiva temple in Rameswaram was about ten minutes walk from Kalam’s house. The locality of Kalam was predominantly Muslim. There were few Hindu families. There was a mosque in Kalam’s locality. Kalam’s father took Kalam for evening prayers. He doesn’t know the meaning of Arabic Prayers.

 
KALAM’S FATHER:
When Kalam’s father came out of the mosque, the people different  religions would be sitting outside. They were waiting for Kalam’s father. They offered bowls of water which his father would dip his fingertips and say a prayer. They carried the water to their homes to cure the sick people. The people would visit Kalam’s home to thank after being cured. Kalam’s father would ask them to thank Allah.

 
WHAT IS PRAYER:
Kalam’s father and the high priest of Rameswaram temple ‘Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry’ were close friends. They both were in different traditional attire and they would discuss spiritual matters. Kalam asked his father about the relevance of prayer. His father told that there is nothing mysterious about prayer. He said “Prayers made a possible communion of the spirit between people. When you pray, you transcend your body and become a part of the cosmos, which knows no division of wealth, age, caste and creed”

 
CONCLUSION:
Kalam’s father would convey complex spiritual concept in a simple down to earth tamil. He told adversity (unpleasant situation) presents opportunities for mental and emotional develop[ment. Each individual creature is created by God to fulfill a particular role. Thus Kalam says that he has achieved in his life through God’s help and his will. Every human is born with a divine fire. The efforts of a person should give wings to his fire and it could fill the world with goodness