Family and Nation

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya, A P J Abdulkalam
Publisher: Harper Publications India

Page 65

THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS AND PAIN
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Kalam: This shall be my guiding light. The time has come for us to translate our thoughts on developing a peaceful, happy and prosperous society through the development of the family and the nation in the form of a book. Acharya: Only a good individual who has been brought up in an environment of a good family will be able to realize his or her responsibility towards the nation. Kalam: Such a citizen will adopt the principle 'Work with integrity and succeed with integrity.' Acharya: Let us name our book The Family and the Nation. What do you say? Kalam: Indeed, it is a beautiful message, Acharyaji. I can see the value system provided by my family as being as functional as a computer operating system. Whatever I do, it all moves on the pattern provided by my parents in my early life. Acharya: Tell me more about your early life. Kalam: During World War II in 1941, it was a difficult time for our family at Rameshwaram. I was a ten-yearold boy then. War had almost reached Sri Lanka and we could hear the boom of shells. Almost everything was a rarity, from food articles to other necessities. Acharya: You lived in a joint family? Kalam: In a large joint family, indeed! My father and his younger brother's families all lived together. Our family had five sons and five daughters, three of whom had families. In our house, at any time, there were three cradles made of sarees hung from the beam. Acharya: What was the fundamental nature of your childhood? Kalam: Happiness of a simple life! One day, my mother was performing her evening namaz. My sister and sister