My Childhood

Answer: Abdul Kalam's house was on Mosque Street in Rameswaram.

Answer: Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. The author mentions trying to trace war headlines in Dinamani, which suggests it was a newspaper.

Answer: His school friends were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. Ramanadha Sastry became the high priest of the Rameswaram temple. Aravindan went into the transport business for pilgrims, and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

Answer: Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by catching bundles of newspapers thrown from a moving train for his cousin Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram.

Answer: Yes, he had earned money before by collecting tamarind seeds and selling them to a provision shop. A day's collection would fetch him one anna.

Answer: (i) His father, Jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor wealth, but possessed great innate wisdom and true generosity of spirit. He was austere and avoided luxuries. (ii) His mother, Ashiamma, was an ideal helpmate who fed many people every day. (iii) The author describes himself as a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents.

Answer: He inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father, and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.

Answer: (i) He mentions Hindus and Muslims. (ii) They were aware of differences, but also shared friendships and experiences — e.g., Kalam's friends were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families, and they had bedtime stories from both the Ramayana and the Prophet's life. (iii) The new teacher who made Kalam sit on the back bench was aware of differences. Lakshmana Sastry (Ramanadha's father) and Sivasubramania Iyer tried to bridge them. (iv) Incident 1: The new teacher asked Kalam to sit on the back bench because he was Muslim. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher and made him apologize or quit. Incident 2: Sivasubramania Iyer invited Kalam to his home for a meal despite his wife's objections. When his wife refused to serve, he served Kalam himself and later his wife served Kalam with her own hands. This shows how attitudes can change.

Answer: (i) Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram and get a better education. (ii) His father said, "Abul! I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?" He quoted Khalil Gibran: "Your children are not your children... They come through you but not from you." (iii) His father meant that children must be allowed to grow and find their own path. He spoke these words to encourage his son to pursue his dreams and to comfort his hesitant mother.

Answer: Erupt can mean: (i) a volcano erupting (lava bursting out), (ii) a sudden demand erupting (as in the story - a demand for tamarind seeds suddenly started), (iii) a fight or argument erupting. Surge can mean: (i) a sudden increase or rise (e.g., a surge in prices), (ii) a feeling surging (e.g., pride surging in his heart), (iii) water surging (e.g., waves surging).

Answer: (i) broke out — (c); (ii) in accordance with — (f); (iii) a helping hand — (d); (iv) could not stomach — (b); (v) generosity of spirit — (a); (vi) figures of authority — (e).