CLASS  DATE: 03/02/25

Class Summary:

To illustrate the above-mentioned point, we narrated the life story of Dr. Abdul Kalam, a former President of India.

Abdul Kalam was born in the island town of Rameswaram, in southern India. As a child, he was fascinated by the mysteries of the sky and the flight of the birds. His favorite pastime was to watch cranes and seagulls soar into the sky and fly in formations. One day, his 5th-grade teacher gave a practical demonstration of how birds fly and how they use their wings and tails to turn and change directions explaining the mechanics of flight. It had a profound effect on him, and that day he was convinced that one day he, too, would soar up into the sky.  After graduating from high school and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in physics, Abdul Kalam understood that the only way to realize his dream was by taking an engineering course. In spite of financial constraints, he secured admission to the prestigious Madras Institute of Technology for aeronautical engineering. His goal was very clear, that he was going to fly aircraft. Soon after graduating aeronautical engineering he had two employment opportunities. One was a career in the Air Force, and the other was a job in the Ministry of Defense. For the first job, he stood 9th among 25 candidates interviewed, but there were only 8 seats available. He wasdeeply disappointed for having lost the opportunity to fly an aircraft. With a heavy heart, at having his dreams shattered, he reached swami Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, which was very close to the place of his interview. Before he even spoke anything, swami Ji asked him why he was sad. He spoke about his plight. Then swami Ji said, “Accept what has happened, forget this failure, believe in the wish of God and continue your efforts, the right opportunity will unfold itself. Abdul kalam later found out that he got the other job he interviewed for. Without any disappointment, he plunged into his new job. He thought to himself, “If I was not flying airplanes, I was at least helping to make them airworthy.” This was the beginning of the many trials and tribulations that were to come, which were heartbreaking and devastating, to say the least. He never gave up, but always looked at failures as an opportunity to better himself. Every time a door was closed, another door opened. His extraordinary ability as a scientist, his ability to think out of the box, his leadership qualities and his generous and helpful nature did not go unnoticed. He had designed several aircrafts, and rockets during his life time. Recognizing all his achievements, he was elected the president of India who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. While he was president, he finally fulfilled his long-cherished dream of flying an aircraft.

The small-town boy who dreamed of flying but failed to become a fighter pilot had become the supreme commander of the armed forces. Failure was his teacher all along, driving him to become what he has become.

We also had an interesting discussion on how to convert our negative self-talk—”I just can’t do it”—into positive self-talk by replacing it with phrases like, “I can give it a try, or I will figure it out, or one step at a time,” as the first step to embracing setbacks.

Life application: Spiritual Diary—2 new activities added – food prayer (or a Thanks to God for the food and pray to purify the food) and no watching tv/phone while eating meals.

Bhajans

1/26- Punya naam Pavithra naam – Punya Naam Pavitra Naam Rama Naam Sai Ram

1/19- Mana bangaru parthi baba – Mana Bangaru Parthi Baba

12/8 – Saibaba Saibaba sathya sai avatar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEW19xS0P_Y

11/3 –  Vittala Hari Vittala : https://saimelodies.org/Songs/Detail/981
http://saimelodies.org/Songs/Detail/1467

https://saimelodies.org/Songs/Detail/945