Book excerpt: Dr. Kalam was born and brought up in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic community, and this type of milieu had a profound effect on his personality. He gave equal respect to all faiths and religions; and he did not pay only lip-service to different religions. During his life, he visited the saints and seers of all faiths, discussed with them and learnt from them. He learnt what divinity and spirituality actually meant, and brought out a blended form. For him, religion is a connecting thread. He was quite at ease when he quoted from the Gita or the Hadith, or for that matter, from the holy texts of other faiths. In this book, we have made a solemn endeavour to read his mind, how he thought at every turn of his life; and this will help the readers to understand the intricacies of his thinking and how he was guided for a mission in his life. To understand him well, we have also narrated a number of incidents, accidents and events of his life, that would contribute to holistic understanding about him. He took up the challenges and worked on them wholeheartedly; whenever he failed, he overcame his negativity and came out a stronger man than ever. This is the beauty of his character, and this makes him one of the most popular public figures of all times. May his soul rest in peace! —K. Senthil Kumar, IAS