Work Brings Solace Theme | A.P.J Abdul Kalam | Study Notes

Work Brings Solace

“Work Brings Solace'' is an essay by APJ Abdul Kalam. He is the former president of India and is also known as “The Missile Man of India''. Besides being a scientist, Dr. Kalam was a poet and lover of music. He has tremendous faith in the youth of India.

Work Brings Solace Theme | A.P.J Abdul Kalam | Study Notes

In “Work Brings Solace '' Dr. Kalam describes two things. The first is Werner Von Braun, the great scientist who made the lethal v-2 missile that devastated London in world war 2 and who was given a top position in the rocketry program at NASA. The second thing that he stressed is the total surrender to work, which gives immense pleasure and satisfaction. Dr. Kalam describes his personal experiences as to how he had to forsake badminton holidays, family relations, and friends outside the SLV circle in order to achieve the desired goal.

One day, Dr. Brahm Prakash informed Dr. Kalam that the famous rocket scientist Werner Von Braun would be visiting Thumba when Dr.Kalam was returning from France after successfully testing the SLV-3. Dr, Kalam was to pick him up in Madras. Kalam was in fear that he would be traveling with a man who was a scientist, designer, production engineer, administrator, and technology manager, all rolled into one.

During the flight, Von Braun asked Kalam about their work. He listened to Kalam as a rocketry student. Kalam was impressed by his humble, receptive, and encouraging quality.

Kalam knew that Von Braun had produced a Jupiter missile with a range of 3000 km. Von Braun had become a cult figure after creating the ‘Saturn’ rocket in the Apollo mission, which put the first man on the moon. Kalam asked him how did he feel in America. Dr. Braun said that America is a country of great possibilities. But they look upon everything un-American with suspicion and contempt. They suffer from a deep-rooted NIH (Not Invented Here) complex and look down upon alien technologies. He advised Kalam that if he wanted to do anything in rocketry, he should do it himself. He also remarked that one doesn’t just build on success, but also on failures. Mere hard work cannot bring you honor. He advised kalam not to make rocketry his profession, he should make it his religion, his mission.

According To A.P.J Abdul Kalam

According to kalam, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal, if you want to succeed in your mission. People with excessive work are called “workaholics” by some people. Kalam says that work gives you solace, happiness, and comfort so how can it be an illness? Many people perform 40 hours a week, but when the work is done with passion, even 100 hours a week does not make them tired but keeps them relaxed and fresh.

According to kalam, 'Flow' is an overwhelming and joyous experience while working. It is a feeling we experience when we work with total involvement. During flow, hurry, distraction can’t take place. Kalam and his team experienced “flow” while working on SLV. The first step to getting into flow is hard work with no limits. The next need is an uninterrupted time span. It is almost impossible with disturbance.

When you forget the outer world during work, you are in the flow Kalam and his team used to be so involved in their work that they would forget their lunch hour on many occasions. Total commitment to your work, good health, and boundless energy take you to the top.

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