8/7/2019 My Interview With Dr

1/3

8/7/2019 My Interview With Dr

2/3

Q: How do you envision the epic communal divide between Muslims and Hindus bridged in

India?

A: Let me tell you a story. The Europeans fought with each other for hundreds of years. Theyeven created two world wars. But today, we see that these same 23 nations have created the

European Union. There are rich, not so rich, and poor nations in the EU, and all of them areworking towards making Europeans live prosperous, happy lives. So, in India also such changes

will happen, in fact throughout the whole world the earlier the better. To give anotherexample, U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., during the Cold War, generated 10,000 nuclear warheads. Today

they are friends. They are saying they are working for world peace, they say they will bring

down the number of nuclear warheads. So, historically, this cycle has to come to India too. Goodthings will happen.

Q: Youve been called the Missile Man of India and the Peoples President. Is there an

incongruity between your desire to empower the world with peace and making India a nuclear

power?

A: I am innocent to the whole affair! I did not call myself these names! (laughs). When a nation

is surrounded by weaponized nations, she has to equip herself. Thats what India has done. To

make the nation peaceful and prosperous, we need minimum security. Thats what we have done.

Q: What was your immediate reaction when Agni and Prithvi missiles were successful?

A: I was right there and witnessed the whole thing. Courage is key. My message, especially toyoung people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored

path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are

great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

Q: And who taught you this message?

A: Myself. I had to learn this myself. Literature also influenced me deeply. In India, we have a

famous book called, Thirukkul, written 2,200 years back. Ill quote a couplet: If your thoughts

are high, definitely youre going to work for your aim, definitely you will succeed. But

conversely, if you dont have an aim, dont have high thoughts, how can you aim at success?My second favorite book is Light From Many Lamps, by (Lillian Eichler) Watson. And the third

book that I love is Empire of the Mind. These three books have made my life.

Q: How did you feel when you realized that you didnt have to support your family with your

newspaper route anymore?

President Abdul Kalam shares a joke with anti apartheid icon Nelson Mandela during a visit to

Johannesburg in 2004.

A: I was the youngest member of my family, a student when World War II broke out. We wereunder the British rule at that time and the country was going through some tough times. But after

the war ended, I didnt have to sell newspapers anymore and life returned to normal again.

Q: How come youre such a transparently sincere person?

8/7/2019 My Interview With Dr

3/3

A: See, I firmly believe that the nation has to be bigger than the individual and the individual has

to work for the nation. If youre working for yourself, youll not be transparent. But once you put

the nation above you, you become transparent.