Summary of My Childhood Class 9 Beehive

Answer

Abdul Kalam was born in a middle class Muslim family in Rameshwaram. He had three brothers and one sister. His father was a generous and wise man. His mother was a hospitable lady. They lived in an ancestral house on Mosque Street. His father lived a simple life but provided all necessities to children. His parents were neither much educated nor rich. Yet were generous and kind. Many outsiders ate with the family every day. Kalam inherited the qualities of honesty and self – discipline from his parents.

Kalam was only 8 years old when the Second World War broke out in 1939. Then there was great demand for tamarind seeds. Abdul used to collect those seeds and sell them in the market. His cousin Shamsuddin distributed newspapers and employed him as a helping hand. This way he earned his first wages. He inherited faith in goodness and kindness from his parents.

Kalam’s family respected all religions. They took part in the Hindu festivals. His mother and grandmother told stories |rom the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet to the children at bed time. Kalam had three friends- Ramanandha Sastry, the son of a high priest of the Rameshwaram temple, Aravindam and Sivaprakasan. They had different religious backgrounds and upbringing. They never felt any difference among themselves. They adopted different professions when they grew up.

One day when Abdul was in 5th standard at the Rameshwaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to their class. He used to wear a cap, it set him apart as a Muslim. Kalam always sat in the front row* next to Ramanandha Sastry, but the teacher could not tolerate a Hindu Priest’s son sitting with a Muslim boy. Kalam was asked to sit on the back bench. Both the friends felt very sad and told their parents about the incident after school. Ramanandha’s father called the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of communal hatred and social inequality in the minds of innocent children. He told the teacher to either apologize or leave the school and city. The teacher apologized and reformed himself.

Once Abdul’s science teacher invited him to dinner at his home. His wife refused to serve Kalam dinner in her kitchen as she believed in religious segregation. The teacher himself served him food and sat beside him to eat his own meal. His wife observed from behind the door and did not find any change in Abdul’s behaviour. After dinner, the teacher again invited him to join them next weekend. This time the wife served food inside the kitchen with her own hands.

The second world war ended, Kalam asked his father to permit him to go to Ramanthapuram to study. His father knew that Kalam would have to go away to grow up and so he permitted him. He told his hesitant wife that they should give their children their love but not force their thoughts on them. 

Answer

• In this chapter. Prof. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam tells us about his childhood. He was born in the town of Rameswaram.
• His father’s name was Jainulabdeen and his mother’s name was Ashiamma. Kalam’s father was neither educated nor rich. Yet he was wise and generous. His mother was also very kind.
• A number of outsiders daily ate with their family. Abdul Kalam had three brothers and one sister. They lived in their ancestral house in Mosque Street in Rameswaram. It was a large pucca house.
• His father avoided all luxuries. However, the house had all things of daily necessities.
• Abdul Kalam was eight years old when the Second World War broke out. Suddenly, there was a great demand for tamarind seeds. He would collect those seeds and sell them in the market.
• He got one anna (about six paise) for a day’s collection. It was a good amount in those days.
• His cousin, Samsuddin distributed papers in Rameswaram. He needed a helping hand and employed Abdul Kalam.
• Kalam still remembers the pride that he felt on earning his own money for the first time.
• Abdul Kalam was greatly influenced by his parents. He learnt honesty and self-discipline from his father.
• He inherited goodness and kindness from his mother. He had three close friends in his child nod. They were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan.
• All these boys belonged to orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. As children, they never felt any religious differences among themselves.
• During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony. Kalam’s family arranged boats for carrying idols of the Lord.
• At bey time, his father and grandmother told the children stories from the Ramayana.
• Once when Abdul Kalam was in the fifth standard, a new teacher came. Abdul Kalam was sitting with his close friend Ramanadha Sastry in the first row.
• The new teacher could not tolerate a Muslim boy sitting with a Hindu priests son lic asked Abdul Kann to sit on the back bench.
• Both Abdul Kalam and Ramanadha Sastry became sad Later. Sastry’s father rebuked the teacher and he realised his mistake.
• Abdul Kalam’s science teacher Sivasubramania Ayyyer was a high caste Brahmin. But he did not believe in social and religious barriers.
• One day, he invited Abdul Kalam to his home for a meal. ayer’s wife was very conservative.
• She refused to serve a Muslim boy in her kitchen. But ayyyer served Abdul Kalam with his own hands and sat down beside him to eat his meal.
• After meals, his teacher invited him again for dinner the next week. When Kalam went to his teacher’s house the next week, his wife took him inside her kitchen and served him food with her own hands.
• Then the Second World War was over and India’s freedom was imminent. The whole country was filled with a mood of joy.
• Abdul Kalam asked his father’s permission to go and study at Ramanathapuram. His father gladly allowed him to go.

Answer

Kalam’s parents: Kalam’s parents, Jainulabdeen and Ashiarruna, were tall and good looking. Though they did not have abundant resources, both of them were very generous and fed a lot of outsiders along with their own family members. Practising the values of honesty and self-discipline, they led a simple life which did not have any place for inessential comforts or luxuries. However, Kalam’s father made sure that all basic necessities were provided for. He was very liberal and didn’t believe in thrusting his thoughts on his children. He had a secular approach and contributed fully during the celebration of Hindu festivals like Shri Sita Rama’s Kalyanam ceremony. Kalam’s mother was ideal support to her husband. She had faith in goodness and was a very kindhearted woman.

Abdul Kalam: A boy of ordinary looks, Abdul Kalam had many sterling qualities right from his childhood. He had immense affection and respect for his parents. He inherited the values of honesty and self-discipline from his father and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother. Kalam was an enterprising and a hard-working child. He collected tamarind seeds, when they were in demand, and sold them to earn small yet significant amounts. Very confident of himself, he did every piece of work assigned to him with full dedication. He helped his cousin to catch bundles from the running trains when the train-halt at Rameswaram was suspended during the Second World War. He was also a sensitive child and learnt valuable lessons from his experiences. He learnt early in life that caste-based segregation is a poison that must not be allowed to thrive. Kalam was also progressive and took the decision at the right time to leave his hometown to study further and grow in life.

Sivasubramania Iyer: An orthodox Brahmin, Sivasubramania Iyer, was Kalam’s science teacher in school. He was a very tolerant and broad-minded person. He was a rebel who wished to bring about a transformation in society and was mentally prepared to confront hindrances during this process. He faced challenges even from his own family when his wife refused to serve food to Kalam who had been invited by Iyer himself. But, without losing faith in his belief that caste and religion do not segregate people, he served the child himself. Thus, he reformed his wife not by force but by setting an example.
Iyer was also a dedicated teacher who established a good rapport with his students. He encouraged and inspired them as he taught and spent long hours with them.

Answer

इस पाठ में, प्रो.ए.पी.जे. अब्दुल कलाम हमें अपने बचपन के बारे में बताते हैं । उनका जन्म रामेश्वरम् शहर में हुआ था । उनके पिता का नाम जैनुलाबद्दीन एवं उनकी माता का नाम आशियम्मा था। कलाम के पिता न तो शिक्षित थे और न ही अमीर । फिर भी वे अक्लमंद एवं दयालु थे । उनकी माता भी बहुत दयालु थी । बाहर के बहुत -से लोग प्रतिदिन उनके परिवार के साथ भोजन करते थे । अब्दुल कलाम के तीन भाई एवं एक बहन थी । वे रामेश्वरम् में मस्जिद वाली गली में अपने पुश्तैनी मकान में रहते थे । यह एक बड़ा पक्का मकान था । उनके पिता हर ऐश्वर्य से बचते थे। लेकिन घर में प्रतिदिन की अनावश्यकता की सब वस्तुएं थीं ।

अब्दुल कलाम तब आठ वर्ष के थे जब दूसरा विश्वयुद्ध छिड़ गया । अचानक इमली की गुठलियों की माँग बहुत बहुत बढ़ गई । वे इन बीजों को इकट्ठा करके बाज़ार में बेचते थे । उन्हें दिन भर इकट्ठी की गई गुठलियों के लिए एक आना (लगभग छह पैसे) मिलता था । उन दिनों में यह एक अच्छी राशि थी । उनका चचेरा भाई शमसद्दीन रामेश्वरम् में अखबार बाँटता था । उसे एक सहायक की आवश्यकता थी और उसने अब्दुल क्लाम को काम पर लगा लिया । कलाम को अभी तक गर्व की वह भावना याद है जो उन्होंने पहली बार स्वयं पैसा कमाने पर महसूस की थी ।

अब्दुल कलाम अपने माता-पिता से बहुत प्रभावित हुए थे । उन्होंने अपने पिता से ईमानदारी एवं आत्म -अनुशासन सीखा । उन्हें अच्छाई एवं दयालुता अपनी माता से विरासत में मिली । बचपन में उनके तीन घनिष्ठ मित्र थे । वे थे-रामानंद शास्त्री , अरविंदन और शिवप्रकाशन । ये सब लड़के रूढिवादी हिंदूब्राह्मण परिवारों से संबंध रखते थे । बच्चों के रूप में उन्होंने कभी आपस में धार्मिक अंतरों को महसूस नहीं किया । वार्षिक श्री सीता राम कल्याणम् समारोह के दौरान, कलाम का परिवार भगवान् की मूर्तियों ले जाने के लिए किश्तियों का इंतजाम करता था । सोते समय उनके पिता एवं दादी उन्हें रामायण की कहानियों सुनाया करते थे ।

एक बार जब अब्दुल कलाम पांचवीं कक्षा में थे तो कक्षा में एक नया अध्यापक आया । अब्दुल कलाम अपने घनिष्ठ मित्र रामानंद शास्त्री के साथ आगे की लाइन में बैठे हुए थे । नया अध्यापक एक मुसलमान लड़के का हिंदू पुजारी के लड़के के साथ बैठना सहन नहीं कर सका था । उसने अब्दुल कलाम को पिछले बैंच पर बैठने को कहा । अब्दुल कलाम और रामानंद शास्त्री दोनों उदास हो गए । बाद में शास्त्री के पिता ने अध्यापक को डाँटा और उसने अपनी गलती महसूस की ।

अबुल कलाम का विज्ञान अध्यापक शिवसुब्रामनिय अय्यर एक ऊँची जाति का ब्राह्मण था । मगर वह सामाजिक एवं धार्मिक बंधनों में विश्वास नहीं करता था । एक दिन उसने अब्दुल कलाम को अपने घर भोजन करने के लिए आमंत्रित किया । अय्यर की पत्नी बहुत रूढिवादी थी । उसने एक मुसलमान लड़के को अपनी रसोई में भोजन परोसने से इंकार कर दिया । मगर अय्यर ने अब्दुल कलाम को अपने हाथों से भोजन परोसा और भोजन करने उसके साथ बैठ गया। भोजन के बाद उनके अध्यापक ने उन्हें अगले सप्ताह भोजन के लिए फिर से जाने का निमंत्रण दिया । जब कलाम अगले सप्ताह अपने अध्यापक के घर गए तो उसकी पत्नी उन्हे रसोई में ले गई और उन्हें अपने हाथों से भोजन परोसा ।

तब दूसरा विश्व-युद्ध समाप्त हो गया था और भारत की आज़ादी नजदीक आ गई । सारा देश खुशी के वातावरण से भर गया । अब्दुल कलाम ने अपने पिता से रामनाथपुरम् में जाकर पढ़ने की अनुमति माँगी । उनके पिता ने सहर्ष उन्हें जाने की इजाजत दे दी ।