I have read quite a few autobiographies till date, of some really great men who have done wonders in their respective filelds. But ’Wings of fire’ is not just yet another autobiography. It is more than that. It is not just aimed at informing people about the life and work of Dr.Kalam, but for inspiring people, especially the youth.
To motivate the younger generation to think of possibilities to excel in our own motherland. To make them aware that India is no ordinary country submitting to the super powers. Infact it is a super power no less powerful than the US or UK. With the indigenous development of space, missile and nuclear technologies we have proved to the world that nothing is impossible to us.
Dr. Kalam has very beautifully put across this message throughout the length of the book. There is a lot to learn from the life of Dr.Kalam. If one has the determination to do and the passion to excel, no force in this world can prevent him from reaching his desired goals. Such is the charisma of this missile man.
The book starts in the conventional way by describing about his family, their home, tradition, his childhood days, etc.
Some portion is dedicated to his education also. But most part of the book describes his days and the work he carried out in India’s premiere R&D organisations like DRDL, ISRO and Atomic energy commision. How he managed to enter this field, his interaction with the visionaries like Dr. Sarabhai, Dr. BrahmaPrakash, Prof. Satish Dhawan, Dr. Rajaramanna, their influence on him, how they moulded his career, his idea of management, his style of executing the most advanced and pioneering projects in the toughest of the conditions form the crux of the book.
The book also tells one how to take failures in one’s own stride and be optimistic. On the whole there are many lessons that one can learn from his life. The book is very beautifully decorated with quadruplets and thought provoking sayings wherever required. About 15-20 pages are dedicated exclusively for glossy photographs (plates). The book is a treat for a person with a science or engineering background.
I, being an engineer, enjoyed the technical details provided about the projects that he carried out. But this should not be a turnoff for a non-technical person in any way because care has been taken to provide all basic details required for a non-techie.
Now for some negative points of the book. The events are not described strictly in a chronological order. Too many abbreviations are used without any list towards the end of the book. The chapter names are not in harmony with the content, hence becomes difficult to revert back to a particular topic i.e., browsing is not very user friendly. An index towards the end of the book would have been better. Some may feel that too many technical details are provided.
Overall it is a nice book bound to inspire and motivate people of every age and work group.