Strong Roots

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What was Kalam’s father’s response to his son’s query about prayer and spirituality?

And. Being grown up Mr. Kalam asked his father about prayer and spirituality. His father answered that there was nothing mysterious about prayer. Rather, prayer made possible a communionn of the spirit between people. According to his father, when we pray, we can go beyond our body and become a part of the cosmos and we can forget the divisions among people. He could explain the complex spiritual concepts in a very simple way. He said that every human being is a specific element within the whole of the manifest divine being. So, we should not be afraid of difficulties, sufferings and problems. When troubles come, we should try to understand the relevance of our sufferings.

How did his father’s attitude to adversity influence the young Kalam?

Ans. Kalam’s father disclosed the eternal truth to the young Kalam against adversity. He said that adversity always presents opportunities for introspection. This attitude of his father filled him with a strange energy and enthusiasm. Through out his life, he has tried to follow his father in his own world of science and technology. He has tried to understand the fundamental truths revealed to him by his father and realised the existance of the divine power that can lift one up from confusion, misery, melancholy and failure, and guide one to one’s true place. He has also realised that to attain true freedom, happiness and peace of mind, we must sever our emotional and physical bond.

Grammar:

1.  He had an ideal helpmate in my mother. My mother was Ashiamma. (join by using noun in apposition).

2.  The Shiva temple was about a ten minute walk from our house. This temple made Rameswaram so famous to pilgrims. (join by using adjective clause).

3.  There were quite a lot of Hindu families. They were living amicably with their Muslim neighbours. (join the two sentences by using present participle).

4.  I remember people. They visited our home to offer  thanks after being cured. (join into a simple sentence).

5.  I asked my father about the relevance of prayer. I was old enough to ask questions. (join by using adverbial clause).

6.  The fundamental truths were revealed to me by my father. I have endeavoured to understand them. (join into a simple sentence/ complex sentence).

7.  Despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom. (replace the underlined word).

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Describe the locality where Kalam lived.

Ans. The locality in which Kalam lived was predominantly Muslim, but there were quite a lot of Hindu families too, living amicably with their Muslim neighbours. The famous Rameswaram temple was about ten-minute walk from their house. There was a very old mosque in their locality where his father would take him for evening prayers. When his father came out of the mosque, people of different religions would wait outside for his blessing. His father would pray for them and they used to come to their house to offer thanks. The high priest of Rameswaram temple who was a very close friend of his father would discuss spiritual matters with him.

Describe the daily routine of Kalam’s father and add a comment on it.

Ans. Kalam’s father used to start his day at 4 am by reading the namaz. After that he used to walk down to their small coconut grove which was about four miles from their home. After some times, he would return with about a dozen coconuts tied together thrown over his shoulder. Then he would have his breakfast. This was the daily routine of Kalam’s father till he was in his late sixties.

        The above routine of Kalam’s father shows that he was a man of discipline. He was spiritual and he used to live a very simple life. He was extremely devoted to his spiritual and earthly life.

Grammar: joining

1.  We lived in our ancestral house. It was built in the middle of the 19^th century. (complex)

2.  The Shiva temple made Rameswaram very famous to pilgrims. It was about a ten-minute walk from our house. (complex)

3.  I had not the faintest idea of the meaning of the Aribic prayers chanted. I was totally convinced that they reached God. (compound)

Splitting:

1.  When I was old enough to ask questions, I asked my father about the relevance of prayer.

2.  I was born into a middle class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras state.

3.  He put his hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.