2020: What was Kalam’s vision when he was in Class V

New Delhi, Dec 25: I wanted to fly, Dr Abdul Kalam the former President of India had once said. The people's president had said that it was the year 1941 and he was in Class V.

Whenever my science teacher Subramanium entered the class, he radiated knowledge and purity of life. One day, he drew a sketch of a flying bird and explained how bird flies. 'That day I not only learned how birds fly but my aim in life changed- I wanted to fly", Kalam had said.

Kalam had said that, "I tried to be a pilot. I was in the tenth place and there were only nine seats and I could not take the exam. "Sometime you don't get what you want."

In 2002, Indian leaders asked me to be president to which I said ok. In 2005 when the chief of air staff came up to me, I told him about my "unfulfilled dream" of becoming a pilot.

The air chief asked me to go through the training and finally I flew for 30 minutes in April 2007.

The message is, "If you dream and aim in life, gain and acquire knowledge and do hard work, defeat the problem then you will succeed," said Kalam.