A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Hello! My name is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, but all my friends just call me Kalam. I was born on a sunny island called Rameswaram on October 15th, 1931. My family didn't have a lot of money, but our home was always full of love and stories. To help out, I would wake up before the sun with my cousin, Samsuddin. We would gather the newspapers and I'd hop on my bicycle to deliver them to all the houses in our town. It was hard work, but I loved the feeling of the cool morning air on my face. As I rode my bicycle along the sandy roads, I would look up and watch the birds soar high in the sky. They flew so freely, dipping and gliding over the sea. Watching them made a big dream grow in my heart. I dreamed that one day, I would fly too.

That dream of flying never left me. It was like a little flame inside my heart that pushed me to learn everything I could. I studied very, very hard in school because I wanted to understand how airplanes and rockets worked. I loved math and science! After I finished all my years of school, I became a scientist. My job was to help India build its very own rockets to explore space. It was so exciting! I worked with a wonderful team of smart people, and we felt like explorers on a grand adventure. Together, we built a rocket called the SLV-III. In 1980, we launched it into the sky. It felt like we had sent a tiny star from India all the way up into space. It even carried a satellite, which is like a little helper that circles the Earth. I also helped design special rockets, called missiles, to keep our country safe. Because of this important work, some people started calling me the 'Missile Man'.

One day, many years later, I got a very big surprise. I was asked to become the President of India! It was a very important job. In 2002, I moved into a huge, beautiful house in the city of New Delhi called Rashtrapati Bhavan. It had gardens so big you could get lost in them! But my favorite part of being president wasn't living in a big house or going to fancy parties. My favorite part was meeting young people just like you. I traveled all over the country to visit schools and talk to students. I would always tell them, 'Dream big, work hard, and never, ever give up'. I believed that children were the key to making India, and the whole world, a kinder and better place for everyone.

After my time as president was over, I went back to my favorite job of all: being a teacher. I loved being in a classroom, sharing everything I knew with my students and watching their eyes light up with new ideas. On July 27th, 2015, I was giving a speech to a room full of students when my life's journey came to a peaceful end. Even though I am not here anymore, I hope you remember my message. Your dreams have power. With hard work and a good heart, you can fly as high as you want to go and make a beautiful difference in the world.