NEB NotesNepal
Unit 5 • Lesson 1 • Class 11Compulsory English (Grade 11) (Eng.003)

Unit 5: Education — Lesson 1: A Story of My Childhood

एकाइ ५: शिक्षा — पाठ १: मेरो बाल्यकालको कथा (एपिजे अब्दुल कलाम)

An inspiring autobiographical excerpt from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s "Wings of Fire", depicting his early schooling in Rameswaram, dedicated mentors, and courage against communal discrimination.

Prescribed Lesson Text

Official Reading Material • ~4 min read (543 words)
### A Story of My Childhood *By Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (from "Wings of Fire")* I was born into a middle-class Tamil family in the island town of Rameswaram in the erstwhile Madras State. My father, Jainulabdeen, had neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He had an ideal helpmate in my mother, Ashiamma. I do not recall the exact number of people she fed every day, but I am quite certain that far more outsiders ate with us than all the members of our own family put together. I was one of many children—a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents. We lived in our ancestral house, which was built in the middle of the nineteenth century on Mosque Street. My austere father used to avoid all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, all necessities were provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. In fact, I would say mine was a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally. During my childhood, Rameswaram was a harmonious town where Muslims and Hindus lived side by side. My three closest friends—Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan—were all from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. As children, none of us ever felt any difference amongst ourselves because of our religious differences and upbringing. When I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore the sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest's son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly downcast as I shifted to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the back row left a lasting impression on me. After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behavior, but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher. Another turning point occurred in my science class. My science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, was an orthodox Brahmin with a very conservative wife, but he was something of a rebel. One day, he gave a lecture on how birds fly, drawing sketches of wings on the blackboard. When none of us could understand, he did not get angry. Instead, he took our whole class to the seashore of Rameswaram. There, we watched real sea gulls flap their wings, soar into the breeze, and steer by twisting their tail feathers. That seaside lesson made flight real to me; it sparked the ambition that led me to aerospace engineering and rocketry.
Lesson Summary & Key Concepts

An inspiring biographical narrative adapted from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s autobiography "Wings of Fire". Kalam recounts his early upbringing in the pilgrimage island town of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, his devotion to mathematics, his daily routines studying Arabic scriptures and science, his transformative science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer who demonstrated bird flight on the seashore, and how the moral courage of his community defeated an orthodox teacher’s attempt at religious discrimination.

Core Themes & Main Ideas

1

The role of experiential, outdoor pedagogy over abstract classroom rote learning

2

Dismantling religious prejudice and communal discrimination through principled moral authority

3

Formative parental guidance: spiritual discipline from Jainulabdeen and boundless love from Ashiamma

4

Curiosity, perseverance, and humble beginnings nurturing future aerospace leadership

Key Figures & Historical / Literary Personalities

Dr. APJ Abdul KalamNarrator, Renowned Aerospace Scientist & 11th President of India

Recalls his humble childhood in Rameswaram and the transformative teachers who shaped his destiny.

Jainulabdeen & AshiammaKalam’s Parents

Imparted innate honesty, self-discipline, austerity, and deep spiritual faith.

Sivasubramania IyerScience Teacher & Social Reformer

Broke caste taboos in his own home and inspired Kalam’s passion for flight at the seashore.

Pakshi Lakshmana SastryHead Priest of Rameswaram Temple

Sternly rebuked a prejudiced teacher, defending Kalam and interfaith equality.

Ramanadha SastryKalam’s Childhood Best Friend

Son of the temple priest whose bond with Kalam symbolized interfaith harmony.

Textbook Exercises & Solutions

Showing 1 of 9 Solved Questions
Select Exercise:
Critical thinkingEx bQuestion 2• 5 Marks

Topic: Social Critique: Communal Discrimination in Schools and Societal Antidotes

High-Yield Exam Focus Questions (1)

CDC Spec Grid Verified

High-probability exam questions curated specifically for A Story of My Childhood.

NEB PriorityRepeatedly Tested Theme in NEB Board Literature & Education Units5 Marks

Exam Rationale: CDC Specification Grid Section 1: Biographical narrative evaluation examining pedagogical effectiveness and moral courage in educational environments.

Quick Revision Takeaways

Common Exam Pitfalls to Avoid

⚠️ Common Error: Writing "despite of" in English sentences.

✓ Correct Approach: Use either "despite" alone or "in spite of".

Why: "Despite" is a preposition that does not take the preposition "of".

⚠️ Common Error: Using both "although" and "but" together in one sentence.

✓ Correct Approach: "Although he worked hard, he failed." (Not: "Although he worked hard, but he failed.")

Why: English sentences cannot have both a subordinating conjunction and a coordinating conjunction linking the same two clauses.

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Content Provenance & Verification
Editorial Verified & Published
Original Author / ContributorNEB English Subject Specialist
Verified BySenior Subject Specialist (TU / NEB Panel)
Curriculum Versionv1.0 (CDC 2078/2080 Grid)
Last Verified Date2026-10-24
Legitimate Official Curriculum References
public curriculum
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