Abdul Kalam was always fascinated by the flight of birds. He knew he had to study engineering to realize his dreams of designing machines that could fly, like aircraft. While studying at the Madras Institute of Technology, Kalam was asked to design a fighter jet for his final project.

One day, his professor came to review his progress and expressed disappointment. He was so upset that he asked Kalam to show him a better design in 3 days or he would cancel his scholarship! The next few days, Kalam put his entire energy into the project, as he had to prove himself and save his scholarship. All his stress finally paid off and his professor was very impressed and happy with his project work.

Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, and a former President from 2002 to 2007. He is one of independent India’s most inspirational action and thought leaders. Popularly known as the ‘missile man’, he is admired for his contributions as an engineer and a scientist. As a ‘people’s President’, Dr Kalam developed a special rapport with children, whom he always encouraged to dream big.

Professor Arun K. Tiwari is the co-author of Wings of Fire, the autobiography of former President and Bharat Ratna A P J Abdul Kalam. As a former missile scientist who worked with Kalam, Tiwari is currently the managing director and CEO of Indo-US Healthcare.

Adopted for BookBox by Ananya Parthibhan.