The Boy Who Dreamed of Rockets

Told in English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese.

Come here, my dear, and let me tell you a true story about a boy who dreamed of the sky. In a small temple town called Rameswaram, there lived a young boy named Abdul Kalam. Every single day, long before the sun even rose, he'd wake up in the dark. His family didn't have very much money, so before he even went to school, he'd walk through the quiet, dark streets, delivering newspapers to earn a few coins to help his family.

Now, you might think a boy with so much responsibility would complain, but do you know what? Kalam never once did. Instead, he was endlessly curious — that means he always wanted to learn and know more. He loved watching birds soar high into the sky, and he'd dream about flying machines, spending hours and hours reading any science book he could get his hands on, even when books were scarce and hard to find.

His teachers noticed this hunger to learn in him, and they encouraged him every step of the way. And guess what, my darling? That very same newspaper boy from Rameswaram grew up to become one of India's greatest scientists — he even led the team that launched India's own satellites and rockets into space! Later, he became the President of India. He always told children just like you: 'Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action.' His life shows us something so beautiful, my dear: it doesn't matter how humble your beginning is — hard work and curiosity really can carry you anywhere.