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Question During the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony, our family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site, situated in the middle of the pond called Rama Tirtha which was near our house. Events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet were the bedtime stories my mother and grandmother would tell the children in our family.
How did the speaker’s family help in Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony?
What light does the pas
The speaker’s family used to help in Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony by arranging boats with a special platform for carrying idols.
The passage shows that the speaker’s family is a truly secular family which respected other religions also.
Site.
Overview: My Childhood
APJ Abdul Kalam describes growing up in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, in a Muslim family. His father Jainulabdeen was an honest, self-disciplined boat owner; his mother Ashiamma was generous. Kalam's closest friends were Hindu — Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. When a new teacher tried to separate Kalam from a Hindu friend, the issue was resolved through dialogue. Kalam was shaped by his parents' values, his teachers' guidance, and Rameswaram's organic communal harmony.
Key Points
- Born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu — island town
- Father Jainulabdeen: honest, self-disciplined, austere
- Mother Ashiamma: kind, generous — fed many people daily
- Close friends: Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, Sivaprakasan (all Hindu)
- New teacher separated Kalam from Hindu friend due to religion
- Kalam's father and school headmaster resolved the issue
- Rameswaram was a model of communal harmony
- Hindu and Muslim traditions coexisted naturally
- Kalam credits parents and teachers for shaping his values
- Theme: communal harmony, influence of family, overcoming prejudice
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Rameswaram demonstrate communal harmony?
In Rameswaram, Hindus and Muslims lived together peacefully. Kalam's Muslim family had close Hindu friends. His father had deep knowledge of both Hindu and Muslim traditions. The town's famous temple and Kalam's mosque coexisted. This organic harmony shaped Kalam's secular values.
What was the incident with the new teacher?
A new teacher, seeing a Muslim boy (Kalam) sitting next to a Hindu Brahmin boy (Ramanadha Sastry), made Kalam sit at the back of the class. When Kalam's father and the school headmaster spoke to the teacher, he apologised and the discrimination ended.
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