Patriotism Beyond Politics & Religion -by A.P.J. Kalam

  Introduction to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Fakir Jainulabbdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameshwaram, India---died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist and politician who played a leading role in the development of India's missile and nuclear weapons programs. He was president of India from 2002 to 2007.

      Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in and in 1958 joined the Defence Research and Development Organization, (DRDO). In 1969, he moved to the Indian Space Research Organization, where he was project director of the SL V-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and product in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the program that product a number of successful missiles, which helped earned him the nickname 'Missile Man.'
       From 1992 to 1997 Kalam was scientific advisor to the defence minister, and he later served as principal scientific advisor (199-2001) to the government with the rank of cabinet minister. His prominent role in the country's 1998 nuclear weapons tests solidified India as a nuclear power and established Kalam as a national hero, although the tests caused great concern in the international community.
       In 2002 India's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) put forward Kalam to succeed outgoing President Kocheril Raman Narayan. Kalam was nominated by the Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) NDA even though he was Muslim, and his stature and popular appeal were such as even the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, also proposed his candidacy. He left office at the end of his term in 2007. 
        Kalam wrote several books including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). Among his numerous awards were two of the country's highest honours, the Padma Vibhushan (1990 and the Bharat Ratna (1997).

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Missile Man of India

       

Patriotism Beyond Politics and Religion

     I call to my people to rise to greatness---Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
     Dr. Abdul Kalam's legacy does not limit to his immense contributions to the nation's Scientific and Technological development but it extends beyond that. His words are true wisdom and I had the privilege to read about a few of that a couple of years ago when I was in college.
     I chapter from his famous book---' Ignited Minds---Unleashing the Power within India' titled 'Patriotism Beyond Politics and Religion' was a prescribed syllabus for us.
     Dr. Kalam shares various nation-building ideals in that chapter and I found that I must share that with the readers, as a way of sharing the wisdom and legacy that he has given to us all.

          Introduction to the Essay        

         Patriotism Beyond Politics and Religion is a remarkable chapter from the best seller book 'Ignited Minds' by A.P.J Abdul Kalam. In this chapter, he shares real life incidents when common people moved ahead of political and religious barriers for the development of the country. 
       The beginning of this chapter is inclusive of the author's (Kalam's) daily routine of morning walk. This chapter particular chapter is inclusive of various praises of mother nature and life it sustains. This chapter gives us and idea of how an individual can think about giving so much to his nation. How he was filled with the highest Grace of philanthropy and wisdom deep rooted inside his soul.

           Patriotism Beyond Politics and Religion --Dr. APJ Kalam

        I call to my people to rise to greatness. It is a call to all Indians to rise to their highest capabilities. What are the forces which lead to the rise or fall of nations ? And what are the factors which go to make a nation strong ? Three factors are invariably found in a strong nation; a collective pride in its achievements, unity and the ability for combined action. 
        For a people and a nation to rise to the highest, they must have a common memory of great heroes and exploits, of great adventures and triumphs in the past. If the British rise to great heights it is because they had great heroes to admire, men like Lord Nelson, say, or the Duke of Wellington. Japan represents an example of national pride. The Japanese are proud of being one people , having one culture, and because of that they could transform a humiliating military defeat into a triumphant economic victory.
         All nations which have risen to greatness have been characterized by a sense of mission. The Japanese have it in large measure. So do the Germans. In the course of three decades, Germany was twice all but destroyed. And yet it's people's sense of destiny never dimmed. From the ashes of the Second World War, it has emerged a nation economically powerful and politically assertive. If Germany can be a great nation, why can't India ? 
         Unfortunately for India, historic forces have not given a common memory to all communities by taking them back to their roots a millennium down the ages. Not enough effort has been made on the last fifty years to foster that memory.
          I had the fortune of learning many of our religions in the country from my childhood, in high school and then onwards for nearly seventy years. One aspect I realize is that the central theme of any Religion is spiritual well-being . Indeed it should be understood that the foundation of secularism in India has to be derived from spirituality.
        It is because our sense of mission has weakened that we have ceased to be true to our culture and ourselves. If we come to look upon ourselves as a divided people with no pride in our past and no faith in the future, what else can we look forward to except frustration, disappointment and despair ? 
        In India, the core culture goes beyond time. It precedes the arrival of Islam; it precedes the arrival of Christianity. The early Christians, like the Syrian Christians of Kerala, have retained their Indianness with admirable determination. Are they less Christian because their married women wear the mangalsutra or their menfolk wear the dhoti in the Kerela style ? Kerala' Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, is not a heretic because he and his people are part of Kerala's culture. Being a Christian does not make him an alien On the contrary, it gives an added dimension to his Indianness. A.R. Rahaman may be a Muslim but his voice echoes in the soul of all Indians, of whatever faith, when he sings Vande Matram.
        The greatest danger to our sense of unity and our sense of purpose comes from those ideologists who seek to divide the the people. The Indian Constitution bestows n all the citizens total equality under its protective umbrella. What is now cause for concern is the trend towards putting religious---context for our heritage that serves to make Indians of us all ? The time has come for us to stop differentiating. What we need today is a vision for the nation which can bring unity. 
       It is when we accept India in all its splendid glory that, with a shared past as a base, we can look forward to a shared future of peace and prosperity, of creation and abundance. Our past is there is forever. It has to be nurtured in good faith, not destroyed in exercises of political one-upmanship.
       The developed India will not be a nation of cities. It will be a net network of prosperous villages empowered by telemedicine, tele-education and e-commerce. the new India will emerge out of the combination of biotechnology, bioscience and agriculture sciences and industrial development. The political leaders would be working with the zeal born of the knowledge that the nation is bigger than individual interests and political parties. This attitude will lead to minimizing the rural-urban divide as progress takes place in the countryside and urbanites move to rural areas to absorb the best of what nature can give in the before our leadership is to get all the forces for constructive change together and deploy them in a mission mode. India is a  country of one billion people with numerous religions and communities. It offers a wide spectrum of ideologies, besides its geographic diversity. This is our greatest strength. However, fragmented thinking, compartmentalized planing and isolated efforts are not yielding results. The people have to come together to create a harmonious India.
      The second vision of the nation will bring about a renaissance to the nation. The task of casting a strong India is in the hands of a visionary political leadership. 

      Summary of the Essay     

         A.P.J Abdul Kalam calls to his people to rise to greatness to rise to their highest capabilities. He tells us about the factors which go to make a nation strong. '"Three factors are invariably found in a strong nation; a collective pride in its achievements, unity and the ability for combined action." The author lays emphasis to have a common memory of great heroes and exploits, of great adventures and triumphs in the past. It is because of this sense of pride in their great heroes that the English rose to great  heights. In this context he refers to the names of Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. Kalam also praise Japanese for their national pride. They are United and devoted to the cause of nation. That is why, they are now a triumphant economy.
       All nations which have risen to greatness have been characterized by a sense of mission. It is because of this sense of mission that the Germans have risen to great heights and Germany is regarded as one of the most developed and powerful nations though it was twice destroyed in two World Wars. Kalam says if Germany can be a great nation, why can't India ? Unfortunately common people in India have not been made aware of their glorious past.
      About religion, Kalam Saheb says that the central theme of any religion is spiritual well bring. In his opinion the foundation of secularism in India has to be derived from spirituality. It is because of our sense of mission has weakened that we have ceased to be true to our culture and ourselves. The need of the hour is to stand United with pride in our past and faith in the future.
      Kalam Saheb is extremely critical of those ideologists who seek to divide the people. He considers them the greatest danger to our sense of purpose. He asks why can't we develop a culture that serves to make Indians of us all ? The time has come for us to stop differentiating . What we need today is a vision for the nation which can bring unity, we must bear in mind that the nation is bigger that individual interests and political parties.