[GHHF] Bala Samskar Kendras – Discussed about Dr. Abdul Kalam with regard to his birth, life, career, Presidency, and inspiration from Pramukh Swami.
Annie Besant
"This is the India of which I speak - the India which, as I said, is to me the Holy Land. For those who, though born for this life in a Western land and clad in a Western body, can yet look back to earlier incarnations in which they drank the milk of spiritual wisdom from the breast of their true mother - they must feel ever the magic of her immemorial past, must dwell ever under the spell of her deathless fascination;
Global Hindu Heritage is very happy to inform that we started about 150 Bala Samskar Kendras in five States in India – Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu - to teach about the richness of Hinduism, Hindu festivals, Hindu ethos, Hindu History, and culture and traditions. Sri Rajesh is a very active member in the community championing the Hindu Values not only to the children but also actively involved in making the Hindus proud of their culture.
Our Children are taught about the richness of our culture by teaching about various scriptures and the timeless wisdom found in them. Our students will learn how Hindus conceive the abstract concept of God, their features, physical features and the divine qualities. We talk about the characteristics of Lord Rama, the attributes and his behavior and the qualities that we can emulate. Many of our Gods are incarnated at different times and we try to explain about different Avataras and the purpose of incarnating at a particular time.
Dr. Abdul Kalam Birthday October 15 1931
Some of the Bala Samskar Kendras talked about Dr A P L Abdul Kalam who was born on October 15, 1931 in the pilgrim center of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. His father Jainulabdeen Marakayar was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque; his mother Ashiamma was a housewife. His father owned a ferry that took Hindu pilgrims back and forth between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. As a young boy he sold newspapers in order to add to the family's meager income.
In his school years, Kalam had average grades but was described as a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn. He spent hours on his studies, especially mathematics. After completing his education at the Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram, Kalam went on to attend Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, from where he graduated in physics in 1954. He moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering in Madras Institute of Technology.
After graduating, he joined the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defense Research and Development Organization as a scientist after becoming a member of the Defense Research & Development Service (DRDS). He started his career by designing a small hovercraft, but remained unconvinced by his choice of a job at DRDO. Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist.[13] In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980. Kalam played a major part in developing many missiles under the mission including Agni, an intermediate range ballistic missile and Prithvi, the tactical surface-to-surface missile.
On 10 June 2002, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was in power at the time, expressed that they would nominate Kalam for the post of President, and both the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party backed his candidacy.] After the Samajwadi Party announced its support for Kalam, Narayanan chose not to seek a second term in office, leaving the field clear. Kalam said of the announcement of his candidature:
I am really overwhelmed. Everywhere both in Internet and in other media, I have been asked for a message. I was thinking what message I can give to the people of the country at this juncture. During his term as president, he was affectionately known as the People's President, saying that signing the Office of Profit Bill was the toughest decision he had taken during his tenure.
Religion and spirituality were very important to Kalam throughout his life. He was a practicing Muslim, but he always believed in integrations of faiths. Kalam also believed that the answers to India's multitudinous issues lay in "dialogue and cooperation" among the country's religious, social, and political leaders. Moreover, since Kalam believed that "respect for other faiths" was one of the key cornerstones of Islam, he was fond of saying: "For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool."[134] He made his own spiritual journey the subject of his final book, Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji.[129][130]
Pramukh Swami as Guru
Kalam's desire to meet spiritual leaders to help create a more prosperous, spiritual, and unified India was what initially led him to meet Pramukh Swami, the Hindu guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampradaya, who Kalam would come to consider his ultimate spiritual teacher and guru. He met Pramukh Swamiji eight times and was impressed with Pramukh Swami's simplicity and spiritual purity. Kalam stated that he was inspired by Pramukh Swami throughout their numerous interactions. One such incident occurred the day following the terrorist attack on BAPS' Akshardham, Gandhinagar complex in September 2002; Pramukh Swami prayed for, and sprinkled holy water upon, the sites of all of the deceased, including the terrorists, demonstrating the view that all human life is sacred. Kalam recalled being moved by Pramukh Swami's equanimity and compassion, citing this incident as one of his motivations for writing Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji. Kalam stated that "[Pramukh Swami] has indeed transformed me. He is the ultimate stage of the spiritual ascent in my life ... Pramukh Swamiji has put me in a God-synchronous orbit. No manoeuvres are required any more, as I am placed in my final position in eternity.
He received many wards during his career. He received Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Bharata Ratna and Veer Savarkar awards from Government of India Many Doctorates were conferred on him by such institutions such as Beijing University, Edinburgh University, Simon Fraser University, Oakland University, Carnegie Mellon University and others.
APJ Abdul Kalam did read the Geeta. He also read the Mahabharat. He was asked who was his favourite character, to which he replied, Vidura was his favourite character from the Mahabharat because Vidura chose to side with Dharma at all times.
Bhagavad Gita is not some religious text which many people claim. It is a dialogue between SHRI KRISHNA, ie, The Supreme GOD Himself and Arjuna, ie, a devotee.
Competition among Disabled Children.
Dr. Kalam attended running competition conducted for disabled children. Nine students were running at their speed. One of the students fell twice and was disappointed . The remaining students saw the disappointment on the face of the ninth child, that all nine students approached the judges and said that either we all nine get prizes or none will get it. That made Kalam shed tears. Then he talked about the importance of team spirit.
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