Turning Points

It began as an ordinary evening on the Anna University campus in Chennai. As A.P.J. Abdul Kalam walked back to his room, the vice-chancellor, Prof. A. Kalanidhi, told him that someone had been trying all day to reach him. The phone was ringing when he got in, and the voice on the line said the prime minister wanted to speak with him. Months earlier Kalam had stepped down as Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to go back to teaching. Speaking with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he found his life about to change unexpectedly. Turning Points picks up the story from where Wings of Fire ended. It draws together lesser-known details from his career and his presidency, and for the first time Kalam speaks openly on some controversial points. The book is also the continuing account of a journey, both personal and shared, that he hopes will carry India to 2020 and beyond as a developed nation.