Missile man guides UAE students to soar high

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, who spoke during three sessions at the 32nd Sharjah International Book Fair on Thursday, inspired thousands of UAE school children, parents, educators, and readers, answering questions from the audience, and signing copies of his many bestselling titles.

The prolific author and former political leader was introduced as first speaker of the seminar, “The Birth of an Author in You” by Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of Sharjah International Book Fair.

 Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri explained that His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, founded SIBF “with the vision that every young person in our society should have access to the independent knowledge and wonder that comes the second an important book is opened.”

Taking the podium and acknowledging SIBF as a festival of knowledge, Dr. Kalam stated that he was delighted to meet with Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi upon arrival in the UAE and was amazed by the amount of feeling and focus the Ruler of Sharjah puts towards making his Emirate a cultural centre.

Applauding the audience for being self-proclaimed book lovers, Dr. Kalam began his talk titled “Great Books Born out of Great Minds”, the main thesis of which was that human beings are wired for stories and our brains use literature to make sense of life experiences. He firmly believes that storytelling is a central component of leadership and cited India’s own Mahatma Gandhi and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela for using the power of the written word to reach out to the people with their respective autobiographies. Speaking directly to the many school children present, Dr. Kalam encouraged young people to commit to starting a small library with a minimum of ten titles.

Next making his way to a ballroom absolutely packed to the brim with excited UAE students and their teachers, Dr Kalam delightedly engaged with the young people in an interactive discussion concerning the responsibility of youth to live with a mission in their lives. Heartwarmingly, thousands of young voices repeated after the wise leader who led them in an earnest pledge to strive for righteousness in character, home, and country.

 He also presented a keynote address titled ‘Soaring on Wings of Fire’ – a talk which shed light on his autobiography ‘Wings of Fire’ in which he examines his early life, effort, hardship, fortitude and luck that eventually led him to become a public figure and leader in India.

 Dr Kalam, served as India’s 11th President from 2002-2007 and was affectionately referred to as “The People’s President.” A world-renowned Aerospace engineer, he is also nicknamed “Missile Man” for the guiding role he played in the development of India’s nuclear programme.

He has published numerous books, including “Target 3 Billion” (by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh. December, 2011, Penguin Books), which named challenges in development of rural India, and a recent autobiography, “My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions” (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. August 2013, Rupa Publications).

Two previous titles, “Wings of Fire" and "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium" have been translated into multiple languages and stand as household names among Indian readers.

His passion and focus lie in transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.

No short cuts to becoming a successful author:  Jeffrey Archer

Jeffry Archer cheered readers and writers on the first day of the Sharjah International Book Fair.

He said that he approached 17 leading publishing houses, before his first novel, ‘Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less’, was accepted, which went on to sell millions of copies in different countries and has been translated into different languages. 

More than 250 million copies of his books are sold worldwide in his about thirty-five years of writing.

“Get off your backside and keep writing,” Sir Jeffrey Archer advised. “There is no short cut to becoming a successful author,” he said and added that he had to write, rewrite and again rewrite his manuscripts at least ten to fifteen times, before his wife approved the same. He sends the manuscripts to publisher only after he is fully satisfied with the draft and his wife is the first reader.

He advised authors not to venture into self-publishing and instead look out for literary agents.
 

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