Failure is a Teacher
Contents ( 15)
A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM
Failure is a Teacher
PENGUIN BOOKS
Contents
About the Author
Foreword
Failure Is a Teacher
A Lost Scholarship
The Crash
Believe in Yourself
Do Your Best and Leave the Rest
Under Pressure
A Star is Born
A Letter to You
A Mother’s Dream
Follow Penguin
Copyright
PENGUIN BOOKS
Failure is a Teacher
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) was one of India’s most distinguished scientists. He was responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV-3, and the development and operationalization of strategic missiles. As chairman of the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council, he pioneered India Vision 2020, a road map for transforming India into an economically developed nation by 2020, focusing on Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) as a development system for countrywide implementation.
Kalam held various positions in the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Defence Research and Development Organisation and became principal scientific adviser to the Government of India, holding the rank of a cabinet minister.
The President of India between 2002 and 2007, Kalam was awarded honorary doctorates from thirty-eight universities and the country’s three highest civilian honours—Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and Bharat Ratna (1997).
Kalam authored fifteen books on a variety of topics that have been translated into many languages across the world. His most significant works are Wings of Fire, India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, Target 3 Billion and Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow’s India.
Also in Penguin by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Mission India: A Vision for Indian Youth
Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future
Foreword
It is a difficult and rare honour for me to write a foreword for a book authored by my guru, the teacher of teachers—Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1931-2015). His ideas are far too vast and his vision too deep to be summarized or qualified in a small stretch of pages by this humble student of his. However, writing these words brings a wave of memories tinged with colours of intense emotion to my heart and mind. I am reminded of all those thoughts that my guru sparked and how each thought made me learn, evolve and transform. It makes me so proud that I shared many years, working so closely, with one of the greatest human beings who ever lived.
My journey with Dr Kalam began in September 2008, when I first saw him as a teacher. During my second year at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he was my professor for a course on nation building. On my final day with him, 27 July 2015, he remained a teacher, this time at the other end of the country, as a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, conducting taking a course on creating a liveable planet.