"Wings of Fire" is a book written on Autobiography of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam & this presentation will share the learning from the whole book as per 'Presenter' intellect. This is amazing book - must read for all the readers who wants to learn Management - Leadership Lessons from Leaders like Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam

1. For Nation
We Will Always Follow Formal Practices Of
Business, Pay All Our Taxes, And Fulfill All
Legal Liabilities and Our Responsibilities
Towards Our Nation. The Amount Left After
Fulfilling All Our National And Citizen
Responsibilities Would Be The Actual Profit
For Us , and Only That Is What We Deserve.

2. Life Lessons
from
“WINGS OF
FIRE”
By Mihir Upadhyay

3. OBJECTIVE
• To share the life lessons which are useful for
us as professionally and personally - from
Biography of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam – WINGS
OF FIRE

4. About Author – Mr.Arun Tiwari
• Arun Tiwari was actively involved in Defence Research and
Development Organisation(DR&DO)
• Chairman of – CSIR Committee– Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research to suggest a roadmap for CSIR Partnership
with strategic sector

5. Flow of Presentation
• Snapshot of the book
• About Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam
• His Awards and Recognitions
• Some interesting facts
• Life Lessons from his Biography
Note : There are some mind boggling quotes in the book which I
have written at the bottom of each slide - request you to be
attentive to those amazing quotes !

6. Those things that hurt instruct - Benjamin Franklin
About Book – WINGS OF FIRE
• Book is been divided into 4 Parts
– Orientation (1931 to 1963 – Childhood – Schooling –
Engineering & DRDO Job)
– Creation (1963 to 1980 – Professional journey in DRDO)
– Propitiation (1981 to 1990 - Director of DRDO – Prithvi /
Aakash / Nag / Agni)
– Contemplation (Final Stage Of book – Padma Vibhushan
Award & Humanity Aspects of himself)

7. A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect
plan executed next week. (General George Patton)
About APJ Abdul Kalam
• Born on 15th October – 1931 at Rameshwaram – TN
• AVUL PAKIR JAINULABDEEN ABDUL KALAM – Dr. A.P.J Abdul
Kalam
• Father – Jainulabdeen / Mother – Ashiamma
• Spent Childhood in Rameshwaram where he used to work as
newspaper boy in the morning
• Specialized in Aero Engineering from Madras Institute of
Technology
• He joined DRDO in 1958 (But he always wanted to become
Pilot !)

8. The best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are
accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.
Awards and Recognitions
• Padma Vibhushan (1990)
• Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration (1997)
• Bharat Ratna (1997)
• Veer Savarkar Award (1998)
• Ramanujan Award Alwars Research Center Chennai (2000)
• Nayudamma Memorial Gold Medal
• GM Modi Award of Science
• HK Firodia Award for Excellence in S&T (1996)
• Padma Bhushan in (1981)
• National Nehru Award by the Government of MP
• Kalam has the unique distinction of having received honorary doctorates from at least thirty
universities.
• As a sign of his popularity among Indian youth, MTV-India nominated him
as one of the prospects for its MTV India Youth Icon for the year 2006 Award

9. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded
devotion to your goal.
Some Interesting Facts Kalam
• He used to begin his day by reading “Bhagwad Gita”
• Very good “Rudra Veena” player
• He used to follow strict personal discipline following Vegetarianism,
Teetotalism and celibacy !
• During the whole tenure of President – he took only 2 leaves when
his parents died
• He used to work 18 hours a day
• Inspite of Muslim – he was a devoted and self-confessed ‘Ram
Bhakt’ !
• All his 3 books highlighted the Power of Spirituality and strongly
recommended them
• Movie made named – ‘I am Kalam’ widely appreciated

10. “God can do tremendous things through the person who doesn’t care
about who gets the credit. Ego involvement must go “ - (Robert Schuller)
Life Lessons from Kalam
Nothing is I-M-POSSIBLE !
• Son of Boat Owner and Imam of mosque
• Newspaper distributor boy at young age
• 1st student to fly abroad for Further Studies
• Achieved the HIGHEST POSSIBLE position – President of India
• Further known as “People’s President”
• At the age of 25-30 ?

11. “Before God trusts you with success, you have to prove yourself
humble enough to handle the big prize.”
Life Lessons from Kalam
Leadership is BEYOND religions !
• Son of a Muslim Family – Self Confessed Ram Bhakt
• Reading Bhagwad Gita everyday in the morning !
• Never promoted ANY religion based activities neither
commented on it
• Number of times in his speeches – he had highlighted this

12. The Unexamined life is not worth living - Socrates
Life Lessons from Kalam
Failures are like Breathing !
• Wanted to be PILOT – but rejected in Airforce and was
selected in DRDO
• Depressed – dejected and failed Kalam went to Rishikesh and
met Swami Sivananda
“ Accept your Destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to
become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed
now but is predetermined. Forget this failure, and search for the true purpose
of your existence. Surrender yourself to the wish of God !”

13. “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly
feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the
father, the mother and the teacher”.
Life Lessons from Kalam
Power of Prayers
“ One of the Important functions of prayer, I believe, is to act as a
stimulus to creative ideas. Within the mind are all the resources
required for successful living. Ideas are present in the
consciousness, which when released and given scope to grow
and take shape, can lead to successful events. GOD, our creator,
has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential
strength and ability”
“Prayer helps us to tap and develop these powers”

14. All of us carry some sort of super-intelligence within us. Let it be stimulated to
enable us examine our deepest thoughts, desires, and beliefs.
Life Lessons from Kalam
What Best Leaders Do ?

15. THANK YOU !
All reasonable men adapt themselves to the world, only few
unreasonable ones persist in trying to adapt the world to themselves.