Rahul being inspired by Dr APJ ABDUL KALAM'S speech and it as the emotional turning point
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Chapter 2: Dream
“A spark ignites.”
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Rahul was now twelve years old and a student of BPS Matric Higher Secondary School — a simple yet disciplined school in the nearby town. His parents take him to school by bicycle for 5 kilometers every day from his village to attend classes, wearing a slightly faded uniform but a bright, curious mind.
He wasn’t the loudest boy in class, nor the one who always answered first. But his teachers noticed one thing — when Rahul listened, he listened deeply. He loved science the most, often staring at the blackboard even after the bell rang, imagining how machines worked, or how planes flew.
Back home, Rahul stayed mostly to himself — drawing, reading, or simply watching the sky in silence. He helped his mother Sathya with small chores and always waited at the gate to hand his father Dayalan a glass of water when he returned from work.
One calm evening, after finishing his homework, Rahul sat in the living room flipping through the channels of their small television. It was his usual routine — a few minutes of cartoons or music videos before dinner. The ceiling fan spun lazily above, and the scent of curry leaves and sambhar drifted from the kitchen.
As he changed channels, something made him stop.
On the screen was a man with silver hair, a soft voice, and eyes full of kindness and wisdom. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was giving a speech at a school function. Rahul didn’t know who he was at first, but the words… the words captured him instantly.
> “Dream is not what you see in sleep. Dream is something that doesn’t let you sleep.”
Rahul froze. His thumb stopped on the remote. His eyes were locked on the screen.
Dr. Kalam spoke about failures, rockets, science, learning from mistakes, and about rising even if you fall. But what touched Rahul most was his message to students — to dream big, work hard, and serve the nation with pride and intelligence.
For Rahul, it was like a light had turned on inside his heart.
> “I want to be like him,” he whispered.
“I want to become a scientist.”
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That night, Rahul couldn’t sleep.
Lying on his mat, he stared at the ceiling, replaying every word in his mind. The noise of insects outside faded. Time felt still. He slowly sat up, looked toward the small picture of Lord Murugan in the corner, and folded his hands.
> “Give me strength to reach that dream,” he prayed.
He picked up his notebook and pencil and drew his first rocket. It was messy, not perfect — but filled with belief.
The world didn’t know it yet.
But that night, in a quiet home, a young cadet’s dream had taken flight — not with a salute, but with a spark lit by a teacher of the nation.
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Upcoming....
Rahul's friends are calling him for playing cricket and went to play cricket with his friends. Then he sharing his future plan to his friends