(i) He mentions two social groups of Rameshwaram – Orthodox Brahmins and Muslims. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. Kalam wore a cap, which marked him as a Muslim. Ramanadha Sastry wore a sacred thread which marked him a Hindu.
(ii) No, they were not only aware of their differences but also they shared friendships and experiences. The bedtime stories Kalam’s mother and grandmother told were about the events from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet. His three close friends were from Orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. During the Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony, his family used to arrange boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site.
(iii) The people who were aware of the differences among them were : (a) The new teacher who joined Rameshwaram Elementary School and came to teach Kalam in the fifth standard. He could not tolerate a Hindu priest's son sitting with a Muslim boy. Kalam was made to sit in the last bench. (b) His science teacher’s conservative wife who refused to serve dinner to Kalam in her ritually pure kitchen. Those who tried to bridge these differences were : (a) Lakshmana Sastry who told the new teacher not to spread the poison of inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. (b) Kalam’s science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer who invited Kalam to his house, served food to him with his own hands and dined with him.
(iv) The first incident was when a new teacher came to their class and found Abdul Kalam, a Muslim boy sitting next to a Hindu priest’s son, Ramanadha Sastry. Kalam was asked to sit on the back bench. Both of them felt very sad. They went home and told this to their respective parents. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance among children. The teacher regretted his behavior and this incident ultimately reformed him. The other incident was when his science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, invited Kalam to his house for meal. His conservative wife refused to serve Kalam in her ritually pure kitchen. His teacher served the food with his own hands and sat down besides him to eat his meal. Iyer invited him for dinner the next weekend also. The next week when Kalam visited the house Iyer's wife took him to her kitchen and served him food with her own hands. These two incidents show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. People can change their attitudes by breaking social barriers and mingling with everyone.
