I Shall Go Back In The New Year Summary

Notes by Nilim Kumar

I Shall Go Back In The New Year About The Poet
Nilim Kumar, a physician, lives in Guwahati. He has written 17 collections of
poems, 3 novels and a collection of essays. His works are translated to French,
Bangla, Nepali including many regional languages of India. He has participated
in many literary festivals of National and International repute like SAARC,
IORA, BLF. His poems are included in the anthology of “Signatures – One
Hundred Indian Poets” edited by K Satchidanandan.

He is a recipient of UdayBharati National Award, Raza Foundation Award,

Sabda Award, Award, etc.

I Shall Go Back In The New Year Summary

The poem ‘I shall Go Back in The New Year” is written Nilim Kumar. Dr. Nilim
Kumar is a Physician in Guwahati.

Most people all over the world make New Year resolutions. Similarly the poet
also resolves that he ‘shall go back’ in the New Year. One may be surprised by
the poets’ resolution, because everybody thinks about ‘going forward’ to make
a progress in the New Year, but the poet has resolved to go backward.

The poet then starts to list his resolutions and why he has made such
resolutions.

The poet tells us that many people think of buying a new vehicle in the New
Year. But the poet has decided to sell his two cars and to buy a bicycle. This is
because the poet is greatly concerned by the degenerating environment of
our earth. The number of vehicles on the roads has been exponentially
increasing every year. This has led to increased pollution levels in the
environment.

The noxious gas emitted by these vehicles has caused acid rains, and chest
related diseases in human beings, the increased level of Carbon – di-oxide in
the atmosphere has raised the temperature of the earth by at least 1°C. The
effect of increased temperature is that the polar ice caps are gradually melting
and raising the sea – water levels. Most coastal areas may eventually go under
the sea surface.

The poet goes on to say that many people resolve to build a new house or buy
a new flat. He has no such intention at all. Instead he plans to demolish the
concrete walls of the compound surrounding his house and replace it with a
bamboo fence. This will allow fresh and cool air to pass through the squares of
the bamboo mesh into his house just like in the past.

In the past people didn’t build concrete houses or compound. They built
houses with naturally available materials such as mud, stone, leaves, bamboo
and tree branches. They fence around their houses were thorny plants. This
not only was an environmentally safe method but also secure.

The poet again reiterates his resolution that he shall go backward in the New
Year. When everyone thinks of going forward, he shall think of going back.
When everyone would think of buying a lot of new things in the New Year,
such as the latest android mobile handset, the poet resolves to not to buy any
new gadgets. He will get the cracked screen of his old basic hand phone
changed and use it.

The poet had bought that old mobile phone for just eight hundred rupees. He
does not want to waste precious money on fancy gadgets and save the money
and also save precious resources. The poet seems to be ageing and his eyes
are dim and myopic.

He decides not to get his eyes tested and get a new pair of spectacles; instead
he resolves to buy a Chinese reading glass (a magnifying glass) for just a
hundred and fifty rupees from the foot path of Fancy Bazaar. (Where used
items are sold). He implies that by doing this he would rush backward from
civilization from the New Year.

He has also resolved to not take food in porcelain utensils and to not drink
from glass tumbler. Instead he will get a plantain leaf growing in his backyard
to eat food on. He would throw away the steel spoons and eat everything by
hand – mixing with fingers. He would discard his shoes and sandals and walk
bare – footed.
He would do all these for the cause of our earth’s environment. He would like
to take back the earth’s environment to its pristine glory of centuries ago. The
poet wants to get a taste (experience) of the journey back from civilization.
Why does the poet want to do so?

The poet has strong reasons to do so. He is of the opinion that the modem
civilization is a charade. It is based on lies (falsehood), hence he believes that
the number of lies would increase in the New Year, because, he thinks that in
every work lies would be essential, otherwise the march of civilization would
stall. Hence to march ahead one has to tell lies, lies and more lies.

The poet does not like to he for his own benefit. So he wants to go back from
civilization. He makes a pledge not to tell a single he. How can he stop himself
from lying? He can stop lying by going backward from civilization when he
would not need as much as modem civilization needs for the continual
existence of man.

Hence to escape the charade of modem civilization he would rush back from
civilization to never turn back. Because there is tun in going back. People can
have a healthy, ethical and morally correct life, full of virtues if they go back
from civilization.

I Shall Go Back In The New Year Glossary

 Android : operating system used for smartphones
 Porcelain : a hard, white substance that is very delicate and that is
made by baking clay.
Sonnet Summary Notes by Yehuda Amichai
Sonnet About The Poet
Yehuda Amichai (1924 – 2000) is one of the most celebrated modem poets of
Israel. His poems written in Hebrew, have been translated into forty languages.
Yehuda Amichai is so widely read and translated that he has been remarked as
the most translated Hebrew poet since King David. Bom in Germany in 1924,
Amichai left that country at age twelve with his family and journeyed to
Palestine.

During the 1948 Arab – Israeli war, he fought with the Israeli defense forces. In
1956, Amichai served in the Sinai War, and in 1973 he served in the Yom
Kippur War. The rigors and horrors of his service in this conflict inform his
poetry, although he is never ideological.

Amichai believed that all poetry was political as real poems deal with a human
response to reality, and politics is part of reality, history in the making. He
remarked, “Even if a poet writes about sitting in a glass house drinking tea, it
reflects politics”. It was during the war that Amichai began to be interested in
poetry. He was influenced by the poems of Dylan Thomas, W.H. Auden, and
T.S. Eliot.

Sonnet Summary
The poem ‘Sonnet (My Father)’ is written by Yehuda Amichai, a well-known
Israeli poet in Hebrew, the language of the Israelites and later translated into
forty languages. The poet, Amichai writes this poem to make a contrast
between his father views and his own views, regarding war and enemies of the
nation.

The poet begins the poem by stating that his father fought ‘their’ war, for four
years or so. (The poet’s father had served in the World War -1 on the side of
the Germans). The father fought in the war in a rather detached manner. He
did not hate or love his enemies, because they really weren’t his enemies. His
father was fighting another man’s enemy and hence he could have a detached
attitude about whom he fought with or with whom he fought against. The
poet is right in describing his lather’s attitude as his lather was fighting ‘their’
war.

The poet says that his father was “Already he was forming me, I know / daily
out of tranquilities;” Amichai’s father thought of his son when he had
sometime between fighting the war, to introspect about what knowledge
(forming) of war could he inculcate in his son. These tranquilities (periods of
peace in between wars) were scraped (gleaned) by his father, to think about
his son. The father had stored all his thoughts – “into his ragged knapsack with
/ The leftovers of my mother’s hardening cake”.

The poet felt that whatever knowledge or wisdom his father wanted him to
imbibe from him were of not much use to him. His son had no use for his
father’s wisdom. The son could not afford to accept the wisdom and vision of
his father. His father hoped that he had fought the last war to end all wars. His
father thought that the war he was fighting would be the last war.

His son would never need to fight wars. But his father was wrong. The poet
had to fight in many more wars. Hence he felt that his father’s wisdom was as
stale as his mother’s left over cake, it was distasteful. It was of no use to him.

His father had seen numerous nameless soldiers die in World War -1. They had
given up their lives for the sake of their children thinking that their children
would live in peace after the war. They gave up their lives so that their children
would never fight another war and die like them dreadfully.

But the poet says that his father was wrong. There were many more wars after
World – War -1. Unlike his father who had fought other people’s war, the poet
had to go out and fight his own enemies, the enemy of his people and
country.

Every generation that goes to war hopes that the next will not have to do
likewise. The hope is often misplaced as when ‘The War to End All Wars ’
proved to be no such thing in the face of its even more deadly and infinitely
more tragic sequel (World War-II).

Yehuda Amichai’s father, with whom this poem begins, served in World War I
on the side of Germans. Later Amichai himself volunteered and fought in
World War – II in the British army as a member of the Jewish Brigade and then
as a Commando in the Negev Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, of
which Amichai mentions at the end of this poem.

In the case of the father fighting for the German’s, the war was rightly
described as ‘theirs. Yet for Amichai the wars are understood as being as much
his own, fighting as a Jew for his people, the Israelis. (Amichai would later fight
yet again in the Sinai war, and again after that, two decades later in the Yom
Kipper war).

The poem ‘Sonnet: My Father ’ is tragic, Amichai’s father had hoped to give his
son wisdom, the understanding that all human beings are in some sense loved
– a love which his son was to experience by seeing through his father’s gaze
yet the son cannot afford to accept that wisdom and vision like the leftovers of
his mother’s cake in the father’s Knapsack, such understanding can no longer
give sustenance. There is no place for universal love now, as he goes to fight
for his people.

In the logic of the poem, though, the son will not be able to develop an
understanding like that of his father in the wars he goes to fight. His father
could only do so because he fought in someone else’s (their) war in which he
could afford to see enemy soldiers in a detached way. The son, now fighting a
war of his own, will be forced to have a different perspective.

All the people on whose side the father fought saw the war as their own and
thus could not achieve the perspective the father did, so the son now in a war
for his own people will presumably not be able to impart it to his own
children. The wisdom of his father is dead, collateral damage in the cause of a
people’s nationhood.

Sonnet Glossary
 Tranquility : quiet and peaceful, free from agitation of the mind
 Glean : to gather, collect, search care hilly
 Ragged : in bad condition especially because of being torn
 Knapsack : A bag of canvas strapped on the back and used for
carrying supplies or personal belongings
 Unforsaken : Reclaim
The Wolf Summary Notes by Farooq Sarwar
The Wolf About The Author
Farooq Sarwar is one of the Pakistani writers, who writes in English, Urdu and
Pashto languages. He belongs to Queeta. He is a noted columnist, lawyer,
novelist and short story writer. He has authored twelve books. He has won
literary awards from Academy of Letters, Pakistan, Government of Balochistan
and Pakistan television.

The Wolf Summary

The short story The Wolf is written by Farooq Sarwar, Farooq Sarwar is one of
Pakistan writers who writes in English, Urdu and Pashto languages. He is a
noted communist, lawyer, novelist and short story writer. The story ‘The Wolf
was written inUrdu and is translated into English by M.Asaduddin. The present
story is extracted from ‘Short stories from Pakistan’, edited by Intizar Hussain,
Asif Farrukhi and published by Sahitya Academy.

Many a time we create over comfort zone and prefer to stay in it, never
venturing out with courage and constantly fearing the non – existent threat;
thus never realizing one’s potential or tasting the delicious fruits of freedom
and success. He, who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish
nothing in life.
The unknown narrator in the short – story is one such person who breaks the
barriers of his own imagination and tastes freedom.

The narrator tells that he had taken refiige in a tree for long but afraid to come
down because he is afraid of a blood thirsty wolf under the tree. The narrator
is afraid that if he comes down to the ground, the wolf will tear him into
pieces.

The narrator describes the tree on which he has taken refuge. The tree is
unusual but not a magical tree. Although it is not a magical tree it grants him
all the things he wishes for, such as a soft warm bed, T. V with stereo speakers
and worldwide channels, all kinds of food etc. The narrator is happy to be on
the tree which gives him all the comforts of life. But the only thing the narrator
feels he does not have is, Freedom. The narrator is sure that freedom comes
with its cost, and that cost is his life. If he tries to breakaway from the tree he
will be surely killed by the wolf waiting for him below the tree. The narrator
thinks that he doesn’t have the courage to face the wolf and destroy it.

The narrator recalls the days in his life when the wolf was chasing him. He
breaks into cold sweat and his heart sinks. He thanks God for saving him from
wolf by providing the tree, so that he could be safe on it. Even in his despair,
the narrator feels that he is safe, because the tree is a tall one and the wolf
cannot reach him.

The narrator feels safe during daytime, but at night he is troubled by

nightmares. He is agonised because he is a captive in the tree. He wonders
how long he has to suffer the agony of captivity. He wonders if he has to wait
for the wolf to die of hunger, to be free from the tree. But there is no hope at
all. The wolf, instead dying from hunger is thriving and getting stronger day by
day.

One morning he is surprised to find another man who has also taken shelter
on the tree. The man had also chosen the very same tree to escape from
another wolf which was troubling him. The wolf which was troubling the new
man could not reach him

Both the narrator and the new man were afraid that the wolves were hunting
them. Both of them have every means of comfort on the tree. But they are
haunted by boredom and a feeling of oppression. The frightful images of the
wolves never allow them to sleep. They can’t sleep peacefully.

The narrator describes the nature and attitude of the wolves. The wolves
usually are silent but sometimes they are overcome by madness and attack the
tree ferociously, which frightens both of them. The narrator finds something
unusual about the wolves. The other man’s wolf does not bother the narrator
and the narrators’ wolf does not bother the other man. What astonishes the
narrator is that even the wolves themselves do not bother each other.

One day, after a long discussion, they both decide to get down and confront
their wolves. They are fed up with their imprisonment on the tree. The
narrator’s friend, jumps down and even before his wolf could react, he kills it,
with a branch from the tree.
The narrator does not have the courage to get down and his wolf claws
desperately at the tree trunk.

The narrator’s friend encourages him to get down assuring him that the wolf is
weak and could be killed easily. The narrator does believe his words and
shivers in fear. His wolf starts to shake the tree and strangely the tree starts to
shrink. The narrator is terrified and numbly waits for death to take him. But the
narrator’s friend urges him to jump down. He convinces the narrator that wolf
is just an embodiment of imaginary fears, which can be kicked out of our path
to freedom. The narrator then gathers up all his courage and jumps down
while simultaneously killing his wolf with a twig.

The narrator now feels free. He experiences the beautiful world of freedom.
When he looks for his friend he can’t find him. He looks around and finds
himself surrounded by innumerable trees. He finds that each tree is occupied
by one individual and a wolf is growling beneath each tree.

The narrator then starts to laugh out loudly. He laughs at those foolish people
who are afraid of their wolves with out any reason. Here the wolf is a
metaphor for our imagined fears. Unless we over come our imagined fears we
will never be free, without freedom our life is oppressive. We have to face our
wolves (imagined fears) with courage and destroy them.

The Wolf Glossary

 Vicious : very violent and cruel
 EnvelopIng : to completely enclose or surround
 Solace : to give comfort during grief or misfortune
 Nigh mare : bad dream, a dream that frightens a sleeping pcrson
 Agony : extreme menta[ or physical pain
 Foliage : the leaves ofa plant or ofmany plants
 Growl : 10 make a low sound in an angry way
 Claw : a sharp curve.: part on the toe of an animal used to scratch,
grip, or dig with
 Furious : angry
 Deliberation : careful thought or discussion done in order to make
a decision
 Oppressive : cruel and unfair
 Ferocity : very fierce or violent quality
 Pangs : a sudden strong feeling of physical or emotional pain
 Spectacle : an impressive show, unusual or very shocking
 Imminent : happen very soon
 Embodiment : something that is a perfect representative or
example of a quality, idea
 Twig : a small shoot or branch usually without its leaves
 Elephantine : very large like an elephant
Leaving Summary Notes by M.G. Vassanji
Leaving About The Author
M.G. Vassanji (b. 1950) is a Toronto-based novelist of Indian origin. He was
bom in Nairobi, Kenya. He left Africa to study at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and the University of Pennsylvania in the US where he received his
doctorate in Nuclear Physics, in 1978 he moved to Toronto and was a
Research Associate at the University of Toronto.

During this period, he developed a keen interest in medieval Indian literature

and history. A gifted writer his works represent the convergence of cultures
that characterized both East Africa and North America. His writings focus on
issues of diaspora, migration, citizenship, gender and ethnicity.

Leaving Summary
The given short story ‘Leaving’ is penned by M.G. Vassanji. The author is a
Toronto-based novelist of Indian origin. His writings focus on issues of
diaspora, migration, citizenship, gender and ethnicity

In the short story ‘Leaving’ the author explores the theme of Migration. Why
do people migrate. We can know why people migrate after reading the story.
The story relates to the life of Indian immigrants, their motives and struggles.
The story is set in Tanzania, Africa. It revolves around an Indian family living in
Tanzania, and deals with the possible migration of one of the sons’ (Aloo) to
America and how it affects his and his entire family’s life.

The son is helped by his family to go to an American university, in which he

had got a study scholarship. The mother suffers because she is a widow who
had raised four children singlehandedly and is troubled by the thought that
her son is ‘Leaving’ her. He is ‘Leaving’ his roots.

The short story takes place in Tanzaina, Africa. An Indian family has settled
down in a street named Uhuru street which was formerly known as Kichwele
street. The narrator (the second youngest child) tells us that her two sisters
Mehroon and Razia had finished school and were married. The eldest son,
Firoz had dropped out of school and now working as an assistant book –
keeper at a stationary mart, Oriental Emporium.
The mother focuses her attention on her two youngest children,

Aloo and her youngest daughter (the narrator). The narrator is Aloo’s elder
sister. Aloo was in his final year in school and the narrator was at the
university. The mother hopes to educate her younger children and closes
down the family owned store to focus on their education. The family moves to
a new neighbour – hood, a quiet residential area called Upanga.

The mother hopes that the place provides a better environment for them to
study. Aloo turned out to be a bright student. The narrator tells us about Mr.
Datto a former teacher of their school, who returns from America. Aloo is
inspired by Mr. Datto, and thinks of going to America for further studies. Aloo
dreams of studying in an American University to be a doctor. He starts writing
to American Universities to get the necessary information. The narrator’s
mother views all his efforts with scepticism. But she does not want to either
discourage him.

When the responses to Aloo’s enquires started coming in from the American
universities, Aloo was thrilled by the prospect of studying in an American
University. He felt as if a whole universities was out there waiting for him if
only he could reach it. He sure if he could or if he was competent enough to
get a place the American Universities. He suffered periods of intense hope and
hopeless despair.

In the meantime Aloo was offered a place to study Agriculture at a local

University. Aloo was not keen to pursue Agriculture. Liter Aloo is offered a
place with a scholarship in California Institute of Technology. He stares at the
letter in disbelief. But he is overjoyed and decides to take up the offer.
However, his mother would not allow him to accept the offer, citing finances
and with the fear of losing him as the reasons.

Aloo is distraught. The mother could not bear to see him in that state and
decides to meet Mr. Velji, a former administrator of the school in which Aloo
and his elder sister (The narrator) had studied, to seek his advice. Mr. Velji,
goes through all the documents sent by the University and advices the mother
to let her son go and study at the university. The mother was in a dilemma. If
she lets her son go, she will lose him, but if she didn’t she will disappoint him.
She brooded over the matter for a long time.
The narrator saw her mother brooding absentmindedly and she recalled the
troubles her mother had gone through, while bringing them up. Their father
had died when her mother was only thirty- three years old. The young mother
had rejected proposals for remarriage and struggled to bring them up.

The narrator, for the first time sees her mother as a person and not just as a
mother – someone who has always thought only of her children’s welfare. The
mother looks up and asks Aloo to promise her that he will never marry a white
women and that he will not smoke or drink. Aloo promises her that and leaves
for London. He writes his first letter from London giving a graphic description
of the city.

Mr. Velji wisely comments ‘Abird flapping its wings’when he had visited the
family. The mother is staring into the distance, she is uncertain ofhis return.
(Aloo’s).

Leaving Glossary
 Uhuru : independence
 Distraught : upset, agitated
 Baobab : a short African tree with thick trunk
 Whist : card game played by four
 Thmultuous : excited
 Culling : to select from a wide range
 Tantalizing : teasingly out of reach
 Stupefied : astonish
 Bursary : scholarship
 Pachedi : a veil worn over a dress, or used to cover head and face.
Real Food Summary Notes by Chimmamanda
Ngozi Adichie
Real Food About The Author
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2003-Present) is a Nigerian writer of short fiction,
novels, and nonfiction. She was bom on 15 September in 1977 in the Enugu
State of Nigeria. She was awarded the Mac Arthur Genius Grant in 2008 and
was described by the Times Literary Supplement as the “most prominent”
among a list of critically acclaimed young Anglophone authors successful in
attracting a new generation of readers to African literature. Her other works
include her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, and The Thing
Around Your Neck. Her novel Americanah (2013) was selected by the New
York Times as one of“The 10 Best Books of 2013”.

In Real Food, the author writes about her childhood dislike of garri, a Nigerian
staple. Through the story, she reveals how food is an important aspect of one’s
culture and how food indicates one’s belonging to a culture.

Real Food Summary

The Lesson ‘Real Food’ is a short essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is a
Nigerian writer of short fiction. In ‘Real Food’ the author writes about her
childhood, dislike of ‘garri’, a Nigerian staple food. Through the story, she
reveals how food is an important aspect of one’s culture and how food
indicates one’s belonging to a culture.

The author C.N. Adichie narrates that when she was nine years old, her mother
had found out, perhaps from the house boy, Fide, that she had been skipping
lunch, before school. One day her mother came home from work, in the
afternoon. She insisted that the author should eat her lunch while she
watched.

As the author started eating the ‘garri’ (a Nigerian staple food made from
com, cassava, or yams), her throat started itching. She disliked ‘garri’. The
‘garri’ was nicknamed ‘swallow’ because one swallowed it without chewing.
One could tell if a person is a foreigner or a native by noticing how he / she
chewed the ‘ garri’.
The author recalls that they had ‘garri’ for lunch everyday except on Sunday,
when they had rice and stew or a salad. The author lists some native Nigerian
soups such as ‘egusi (made of ground melon seeds), ‘onughu’ (made from
Bitter leaf), ‘Okro’ and’nsala’ (made from herbs and beefs pieces). The author
disliked all these native Nigerian food.

After finishing her lunch under the watchful eyes ofher mother, she came out
to wash her hands and vomited all that she had eaten for lunch. Her mother
did not scold her but asked her to have a Fanta as she didn’t want hunger to
kill her daughter.

Many years later her mother asked her why she didn’t like ‘garri’. The author
replied that it scratched her throat. This phrase ‘It scratches my throat’ became
a standing joke among her family members.

After this incident her mother never forced her to eat ‘garri’, but cooked her
favourite Nigerian food. Sometimes her mother brought her ‘Okpa’ that was
sold on the roadside by Nigerian women. ‘Okpa’ became the author’s
favourite food.

The author wished that she ate ‘garri’ because it was an important staple food
for the Nigerians. Her brother’s taunted her for not eating ‘garri. ’ They were of
the opinion that a person who didn’t eat ‘swallow’ was not an authentic Igbo
or Nigerian or even an African. Her father had once commented that he
missed ‘Real food’ when he had gone for a conference in Paris.

One New Year Day when the author turned thirteen years old, they had gone
for lunch at her Aunt Dede’s house. Her aunt knew that the author disliked
‘garri’ and had prepared another dish made of rice for her. Another Aunt of
the author noticed that see was eating rice and ironically asked her ‘why are
you not eating food’. Later she commented that the author was not like them
(Nigerian people) but a foreigner. The author’s aunt believed that any Nigerian
who did not eat Igbo food was to be considered as a foreigner.

Here ‘food’ is a cultural Marker. One can easily identify a person’s culture by
the food they eat.

Real Food Glossary

 Staple : a food / product/ activity that is important in people’s
everyday lives
 Registry : administrative unit maintaining registers and records
 Quintessential : perfect, typical
 Mortar : a cup shaped vessel in which ingredients are crushed or
ground
Wings of Fire Summary Notes by Avul Pakir
Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Wings of Fire About The Author
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931-27 July 2015) better
known as APJ Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.
He was a scientist turned statesman. Bom and brought up in Rameshwaram,
Tamilnadu, he studied Physics and Aerospace engineering. He left his
footprints as a science administrator at DRDO and ISRO. He worked in India’s
space programme. He came to be called ‘Missile Man of India’. He played a
pivotal role in Pokhran – II nuclear tests in 1998.

This extract is taken from ‘Wings of Fire’, an autobiography of APJ Abdul

Kalam with Arun Tiwari. He worked under Kalam for over a decade in the
Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad.

This extract gives us an introductory insight into Kalam’s life, his childhood,
and the people who influenced him, his family, his upbringing and early days
of struggle. Also could be noticed the cultural and religious milieu
Rameshwaram offered young Kalam.

Wings of Fire Summary

‘Wings of Fire’is an autobiography ofAvul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam(15
October 1931-27 July 2015), written jointly by Arun Tiwari and Dr. Abdul
Kalam. It was published in 1999 and it covers Dr. Kalam’s life before he
became the 11th president of India.

The book covers his early life and his work in Indian Space Research
Organisation. It is the story of a boy from a humble background who went on
to become a great scientist in the field of space research and Missile programs
and later became the eleventh President of India.

The given chapter relates to Dr. Kalam’s early life. It gives us an introductory
insight into Kalam’s life, his childhood, and the people who influenced him, his
family, his upbringing and early days of struggle. Also could be noticed the
cultural and religious milieu Rameswaram offered young Kalam.
Dr. Kalam was bom to a middleclass Tamil Muslim family in Rameswaram in
the year 1931. His father, Jainulabdeen was a poor man but had great wisdom
and was broadminded. His mother, Ashiamma was a generous and
sympathetic soul. They were an ideal couple. The family lived in their ancestral
house on Mosque Street in Rameswaram. Dr. Kalam was given a secure
childhood both materially and emotionally.

Jainulabdeen was a devote Muslim and the Imam of the Pameshwaram

Mosque. He helped and served all people without regard for their religion.
Pakshi Lakshmana Shastry, the chief priest of Rameshwarm temple was his
close friend and they discussed spiritual matters whenever they met. Kalam’s
father told him that prayer was a communion of the spirit between people.

He told him “When you pray, you transcend your body and become a part of
cosmos, which knows no division of wealth, age, caste. Dr. Kalam’s father
explained complex spiritual concepts in simple words. He advised him not to
be afraid of difficulties because every humanbeing is a manifestation of the
divine being and that to see adversity as an opportunity for introspection.

Once Dr. Ralam asked his father why he does not explain all this to the people
who come seek his help and advice. After thinking for quite a long time his
father answered him that humanbeings seek company when they are
distressed. Hence his father acts as a mediator in their effort to propitiate
demonic forces with prayer and offerings. He added that this was a wrong
approach and must never be followed and the correct way is to seek the
enemy of fulfilment within ourselves.

Dr. Kalam recalls his father’s daily routine and says that he tries to emulate his
father in the world of science and technology. He says that the fundamental
truths that were explained by his father had led him to believe that a divine
power exists and lifts us up from confusion, misery, melancholy and failure and
guides us to our true destiny. Dr. Kalam believes that once an individual
discards his emotional and physical bondage with this world, he can achieve
freedom, happiness and peace of mind.

Dr. Kalam writes about an incident in his childhood which made him realize
the immense energy the sea possessed. His father had decided to enter the
business of ferrying pilgrims from Rameshwaramto Dhanuskodi. He built a
boat with the help of his relative, Ahmed Jallaluddin. Ahmed Jallaluddin later
married Dr, Kalam’s sister, Zohara.
His father’s boat business was good but unfortunately his boat was lost in a
cyclonic storm at Sethukkari. The cyclone also destroyed the Pamban bridge. A
train full of passengers crossing the bridge disappeared into the sea. Ahmed
Jallaluddin had become Dr. Ralam’s friend, philosopher and guide. Every
evening they would sit on the seashore and discuss spiritual matters.

Dr. Kalam describes Jallaluddin as a simple and spiritual man, who was always
full of gratitude for whatever life had chosen to give him. At that time,
Jallaluddin was the only person in Rameshwaram who could write in English.
Jallauddin, incited Dr. Kalam into the world of scientific discoveries, literature
and medical science. He encouraged Dr. Kalam to read books from his book
collection which included books written by a militant nationalist named STR
Manickam

Dr. Kalam cites another person, Samsuddin, who influenced him in his
childhood days. Shamsuddin was the sole newspaper distributor in
Rameswaram. The people ofRameswaram bought newspaper’s to read about
the Indian National Movement. Dr. Kalam could not read the newspaper but
he simply glanced at the pictures.

Dr. Kalam recalls the days of the Second World War. He used to collect
tamarind seeds and sell them to a provision store in the market, because there
was a great demand for them. He got an ‘anna’ for a day’s collection of
tamrind seeds. When India joined the allied forces, a state of emergency was
declared in India.

The train halt at Rameshwaram was suspended. Dr. Kalam proudly cities the
first time he earned money. Since the train didn’t halt at Rameshwaram
station, the newspaper bundles were thrown out of the moving train.
Samsuddin engaged young Kalam to help him gather the bundles and paid
him for his help.

Dr. Kalam credits his father and mother for inculcating honesty, self- discipline,
faith in goodness and kindness in him. He credits his creative attributes to his
friends, Jallaluddin and Shamsuddin. Dr. Kalam writes that his science teacher
Sivasubramania Iyer, a Brahmin, was a religious rebel, who always tried to
break social barriers. Once, he invited Dr. Kalam for a meal at his house.

His wife was horrified and protested, but the teacher himself not only served
Dr. Kalam but sat beside him and had his meal. The teacher again invited him
for dinner again, the coming week. When Dr. Kalam hesitated he assured and
convinced him saying “Once you decide to change the system; such problems
have to be confronted”. The next week Dr. Kalam was surprised when the
teacher’s wife took him inside their kitchen and served him food with her own
hands.

At the end of the Second World War Dr. Kalam went to study at the district
head quarters in Ramanathapuram. His father advised him to forego his
longing for his hometown and his parents. He asked him not to be bound by
his love for them and to move on the path in which his destiny will lead him.

His father bid good – bye to him at the Rameswaram Railway station. He
blessed him and said ‘This island may be housing your body but not your soul.
Your soul dwells in the house of tomorrow” and blessed him.

Dr. Kalam concludes the essay by saying that, despite his homesickness he
determined to adjust to his new environment and immerse himself in his
studies. He says that he often recalls his brother – in – law, Jallaluddin talk
about the power of positive thinking when he felt homesick or dejected and
tried to control his thoughts and mind. His positive thinking influenced his
destiny.

At the end of the essay, Dr. Kalam says that it was ironical that destiny did not
lead him back to Rameswarambut rather took him far away from the house of
his childhood.

Wings of Fire Glossary

 Innate : existing or having existed since birth
 Lineage : descent in a line of parentage
 Forebears : ancestors
 Pucca : superior or of high quality
 Austere : strict, stem, severe in manner or appearance
 Ladled : served
 Dollop : considerable lump or quantity of something
 Attire : one’s dress
 Anguish : extreme pain
 Namaz : Islamic prayer
 Embarked : to start, begin
 Emulate : to attempt to copy or imitate or equal a person
 Vicariously : indirectly
 Periyar EV Ramaswamy : a noted social activist and politician who
started self respect movement and Dravidar Kazhagam
 Stratified : having a class structure or arrangement in society
 Khalil Gibran : a Lebanese writer, poet and visual artist who lived
between 1883 and 1931
 Al Fatiha : first chapter of the Holy Quran
 Factious : of factions and discordance
Relations Between Men And Women
Summary Notes by Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Relations Between Men And Women About The
Author
Raja Ram Mohan Roy (May 22, 1772- September 27 -1833) was an Indian
socio-educational reformer who was also known as ‘Maker of Modern India’
and ‘Father of the Bengal Renaissance. He lived during one of India’s darkest
social phases but strived his best to make his motherland a better place for
future generations to come. Bom into a prosperous Brahmin family of Bengal,
he challenged the traditional Hindu culture and unorthodox religious ideas at
a very young age. A multilingual and a visionary, he wanted to combine the
righteousness of Western and Indian culture.

He was against traditional Hindu practices and echoed his vone against the
Sati system, polygamy, caste rigidity and child marriage He also wanted to
modernize the education system and set up a lot of English medium schools
An extract from his writing taken from Ramachandra Guha’s Makers of modern
India throws light on the abominable practices like sati, caste System and
gender discrimination.

Relations Between Men And Women Summary

The given lesson “Relations between Men and Women” is an essay written by
Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He was an Indian socio – educational reformer and
know as “Maker of Modem India”. The present extract is taken from a book of
collected essays of the writings of nineteenth century thinkers, compiled by
Shri Ramachandra Guha in a book named ‘Makers of Modem India’.
Ramchandra Guha is an Indian historian and writer whose research interests
include environmental, social, political, contemporary history and cricket
history.

The essay focuses on the polyglot and polymath Raja Ram Mohan Roy, India’s
first thinker. The essay attacks Sati and the existing patriarchal society, and his
defence of women against the accusations of their being physically, mentally,
and morally inferior to men.
Roy effectively presents his arguments to distinguish the attributes of men and
women and how these have led to inequality of male and female gender in
our society. It is a critical analysis of the treatment meted out to Indian women
in general by the patriarchal Indian society.

The first attribute that Roy presents in the essay is the physical weakness of
women. Roy admits that women in general are physically weaker than men
and lack the physical energy possessed by men. Men have misused this
attribute in women to deny them those merits that are endowed by nature
and which they rightly deserve.

Having denied those merits, men argue that women are naturally incapable of
acquiring those merits. The author believes that there is no truth in their
argument and men can’t justify those accusations. He tries to disprove their
argument by stating that men had never given women a fair opportunity to
exhibit their natural capacity.

Roy poses another question to men and demands an answer. He asks them
“How can you accuse them of want of understanding?”. But first Roy explains
the underlying factors that has lead men to say that women lack the capacity
to understand.

He says that a person can be said to be unintelligent if he lacks understanding,

if he cannot comprehend or understand what is being taught to him / her. But
men have for long denied the women, their right to education. So men cannot
accuse them that they lack the capacity to understand.

The second accusation that men charge women of is about their lack of
determination (Resolution). Roy is surprised at this accusation. He cites the
example of the inhuman, Sati system followed in India. According to this
custom, women voluntarily offer themselves to the funeral pyre of their dead
husband and bum to death. Yet
men accuse women that they lack determination (resolution).

The third accusation that men charge women is their lack of trust worthiness.
To disprove this accusation the author makes a deep of the behavior (conduct)
of both men and women. He states that more women are deceived by men
than those of men who are deceived by women. The men who deceive women
go unnoticed or rather are unaccountable.
This is because men are educated and hold public office, and find it easy to
announce each indiscretion some women commit. Women do not have a
‘voice’ in society to announce the indiscretion men subject then to. But Roy,
criticizes women for their innocence. In their innocence they easily believe in
men and are cheated. They are so gullible that they believe that if they bum
themselves on the funeral pyre of their dead husbands, they will attain
salvation.

Roy, criticizes men for their inhuman treatment of women. Women are treated
as objects of their passion by men. A man can marry as many women he can
but women can have only one husband. When the husband dies, she has to
follow him on his funeral pyre or has to lead of life a strict morality and simple
life after his death.

The fifth accusation that men charge women of is about their lack of virtuous
knowledge. The author considers this accusation of an injustice to women. He
asks us to take into consideration the pain, insult and the contempt women
suffer in their household. Isn’t it a virtue that women suffer all the indignities
that they are subjected to in silence?

Roy gives an illustration to prove women’s virtuosity. Many devote Brahmins

marry many women for their money and many of these wives never see their
husbands face in their lifetime. Yet they give up their lives on the funeral pyre
of their dead husbands. Many of those women live the life of a destitute yet
they remain virtuous.

In Indian society wives are recognised as the better- half of her husband but
are treated as inferior animals. Women have to do all the house – hold work
from morning to night, disregarding their own needs, to fulfil the needs of
their family. She has to have her food only after everybody in the household
are fed and satisfied. If she forgets to do any of the work assigned to her she is
ill-treated.

The position of women in our society is delicate. If the husband gains wealth
he ignores his wife and seeks to satisfy his passion elsewhere. As long as the
husband is poor, she suffers every kind of trouble, and when he becomes rich,
she is left heart – broken.

The women endure all this pain and suffering because of their innate virtues.
Even if the wife decides to live separately, the law supports the husband and
restores his wife to him. After she comes back to her husband she is subjected
to more torture.

The author Raja Ram Mohan Roy does not pity these women but grieves for
them, because there is no excuse for them to be subjected to such miseries
expects their dependence and their weakness.

Relations Between Men And Women Glossary

 Advocate : a person who publicly supports or recommends a
particular cause or policy, champion; proponent
 Patriarch : the male head of a family or tribe
 Corporeal : relating to a person’s body, especially as opposed to
their spirit; human; mortal
 Defieient : not having enough of a specified quality or ingredient
 Promulgate : publicize; broadcast; announce
 Resolution : firm decision
 Betray : be disloyal to, be unfaithful to, break faith with; fail, let
down
 Forsake : abandon, desert, leave, quit
 Void : empty
 Duplicity : deceitfulness
 SubjectIon : prone, liable, inclination
 Austere : Morally strict
 Ascetice : having a strict and simple way of living that aovids
physical pleasure.
 Victuals : food or provisions
 Scour : scrub; clean, wash
 Kuhn Brahmins : Kulim Brahmins are the Bengali Brabmins
belonging to Hindu religion, who can trace themselves to the five
families of Kannauj who migrated to Bengal. The five families
were of the five gotras (Shandilya, Bharadwaj, Kashyap, Wtsya and
Saavarna).