Gifts are always accompanied by some purpose: Dr Kalam

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, Sep 22 (UNI) One should not get carried away by a gift, which is always accompanied with a purpose, and through which one could lose his or her personality greatly, President A P J Abdul Kalam said today.

Interacting with the students of this district, the President narrated a childhood incident, when he got a thorough beating from his father for receiving a gift without his permission, Dr Kalam said his father told him that a gift was always accompanied by some purpose and it was a dangerous thing.

''This lesson stands out always in my mind even now when I am in my seventies. This incident taught me a very valuable lesson for my life. It is deeply embedded in my mind,'' he added.

Stating that education was not just teaching and learning lessons, he said teachers could influence the entire life of individuals and enable them to chart their future life.

An incident of his teacher teaching a lesson using a live visual example proved to be a turning point in his life and eventually shaped his profession.

''When I was studying in fifth class, my teacher Siva Subramania Iyer gave us a lecture for nearly 25 minutes on how the birds create lift and fly,'' Dr Kalam said.

''But most of us could not understand anything. However, our teacher took us to the sea shore and asked us to watch closely. We all understood the whole bird-dynamics from this practical example.

He could give us a theoretical lesson coupled with a live practical example available in nature.'' ''This is real teaching. I am sure many of the teachers in schools and colleges will follow this example,'' he added.

''The bird's flight entered into me and created a special feeling. I thought my future study has to be with reference to flight and flight systems,'' he said adding his life was thus transformed into one of a rocket engineer, aerospace engineer and a technologist.

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