Abdul Kalam, School Topper: Learn English (US) - Story for Children "BookBox.com"

► Buy the book in English: Paperback:
______________________________________________________________________________
Kalam's family made great sacrifices to admit him in a good school. But then he got into trouble with his math teacher. Will Kalam still be able to make his family proud of him?
School Topper
The Second World War
was just over
and India awaited her freedom
eagerly.
It was a time
when the air was filled
with the sound
of the indistinct buzz
of the radio.
Gandhiji declared,
“Indians will build their own India.”
The whole country
was filled with
an unmatched optimism.
I secretly wished
for a chance
to do something
for my country.
For this,
I needed to study
in a good school.
But I never dared
to ask my parents,
as I knew
they wouldn’t be able to afford it.
One day my father came up to me
and, to my utter surprise, said,
“Abdul, I know how you’ve always
wanted to pursue higher studies.
Your mother and I
aren't highly educated,
but we have great dreams for you.
Don’t worry, we will somehow
find the money for you
to study in a good school.”
The Schwartz School
was in Ramanathapuram,
a bustling town
that lay across the sea
from Rameswaram.
My brother took me to the school
and I was admitted.
It was a very good school.
When it was hot and humid,
the students were made
to sit under trees,
as there were no fans
in those days.
We would run
from under one tree to another
when we changed classes.
One day, as I was in a hurry,
I stepped into the wrong class,
where my math teacher
was taking a class.
He glared at me
through his glasses
and said,
“What are you doing
in this school
if you can’t even find
your way to the right class?
You should just go back
to the village
where you came from.”
He then caught me
by the scruff of my neck
and caned me
in front of the whole class.
I felt crushed.
My family
had made great sacrifices
to send me to this school.
I felt terribly homesick at times,
but I was determined
to make my family proud.
From that day on,
I made up my mind
not only to be a good student
but to be the best.
I studied night and day.
Many months later,
my dream of scoring full marks
in my math exam
finally came true.
I was thrilled!
The next morning,
during our assembly,
the same teacher
who had punished me earlier,
stood up, smiled and said,
“Whoever I punish
becomes a great man!”
Everyone in the assembly
burst out laughing.
He then recounted
what had happened.
He pointed to me and added,
“Mark my words;
this boy is going to bring
glory to his school and teachers”.
His praise quite made up
for the earlier humiliation.
I went back home
after that semester
and my entire family rejoiced.
My mother made sweets
and my father
went all over Rameswaram
distributing them.
I finally felt
that I had done
something worthy,
but there was still
a lot to be achieved.
Translator/Author : APJ Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari
Narration : BookBox
Music : Acoustricks
Illustration : Deepta Nangia
Animation : BookBox
FREE Apps for iPads & iPhones:
FREE Apps for Android phones & tablets:
Many more stories, languages & multiple subtitle options:
#BookBox #BookBoxEnglish #Learn2Read