Ever a teacher, former Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam has advised students appearing in
various examinations not to get disheartened by results as these are not the ultimate in life.
Taking students down the memory lane, he said in an open letter, "I wrote five important exams in my educational period - ESLC (8th Class), SSLC (10th Class), Intermediate (12th
Class), BSc and DMIT (aeronautical engineering). Most of the time, the outcome was not as per my expectations. I had to even lose one year due to a general paper leakage."
Addressing the students, a community dear to his heart, as "dear young friends", he said, "I am saying all this to you to bring in your mind that exams and exam results are not ultimate in life. If I don't perform properly for the first time, I re-write and succeed."
He said, "Success always brings happiness, but sometime we have to be prepared to go through some setback in examination due to many reasons. Dear young friends, I would like you to remember my teacher's advice -- in life, we have to be
prepared to go through certain unexpected problems. The problem should not become our captain. Students like you should become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed."
He said the courage to succeed and face unexpected problems are unique qualities of the youth.
"If God is with us, who can be against? You will definitely succeed, go on trying. Do not get disheartened by temporary setbacks," Kalam said.
He ended his letter with a poem, "When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are, Anything your heart desires, Will ultimately come to you."