Unit 7: A Visit to Cambridge

(i) The writer was nervous at the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking because Hawking was a very renowned and brilliant astrophysicist despite being paralysed and differently abled. He had authored one of the biggest best-sellers ever – A Brief History of Time. Besides, he was a worthy successor to Sir Isaac Newton and succeeded to his Chair at the Cambridge University.

(ii) Yes, the author – Firdaus Kanga was super excited to meet Stephen Hawking because he wasn’t expecting that he would be getting an opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with such a great personality. He wondered that although Hawking was paralysed and differently-abled, he had achieved great heights and was considered a worthy successor to Sir Isaac Newton and succeeded his Chair at Cambridge University. This made Firdaus aware of the innumerous possibilities before him, and he could reach out further than he ever thought he could.

The first question that the writer might have asked the scientist was if he felt relieved and brave for accomplishing such great achievements in life despite being disabled.

Although Stephen Hawking stated that he had no choice but to remain confined to the wheelchair. The writer felt that living creatively with the reality of his disintegrating body was a choice for him. Firdaus strongly felt that Hawking could have easily sulked and surrendered to life; rather, he chose to accomplish new heights despite being disabled.

Stephen Hawking was a brilliant scientist who made brilliant contributions to science. His mind was always receptive to new ideas, and he always wanted to express the different thoughts in his mind. He was dependent on a voice synthesizer to express his thoughts without any emotions. The writer could understand Hawking’s anguish for his helplessness and felt that there were innumerous things which he wanted to express but was unable to do so. His entire existence was dependent on a computer for expressing his thoughts and emotions. He was full of anguish for this reason.

The writer asked Stephen Hawking if he found it annoying to cause disturbance in his work. Without a second thought, Hawking quickly responded with a yes. But he suddenly gave a one-way smile, and this endeared the scientist to the writer. The writer instantly felt that he was indeed looking at one of the most beautiful men in the world, who, although physically disabled, has a beautiful soul. The body is nothing but an accessory.

The most beautiful sentence in the description of ‘the beautiful’ man is – “Before you, like a lantern whose walls are worn so thin you glimpse only the light inside, is the incandescence of a man.”

The above sentence describes Hawking’s personality as his inner beauty or glow that’s so beautiful and vibrant which renders his physical inability nothing but just an accessory.

(i) If ‘the lantern’ is the man, its ‘walls’ would refer to the structure of the human body.

(ii) The light of life is housed within the thin walls of the external structure.

(iii) The author implies that inside the human body, there is an eternal soul, which is the incandescence of a man. The outer physical structure is nothing more than just an accessory.

Stephen Hawking emphasized the fact that every person, irrespective of his capacity or disability, should try to focus on enhancing or working towards what they are good at. He further added that the disabled should not make unnecessary foolish efforts to imitate so-called normal people. They should make the best utilization of the available resources and be thankful to God for granting them the ability to achieve or accomplish any impossible task.

When Stephen Hawking mentioned to the author that the Olympics for the disabled was a complete waste of time, this reminded the author about the years that he spent trying to play the Spanish guitar which was considerably larger than him. One night, he loosened the guitar strings without any regrets. The author could understand Hawking’s message for the disabled, which mentions that one should try to concentrate on what they are good at rather than trying to compare themselves or imitate the so-called normal people.

Stephen Hawking inspired the author to the extent that he was grateful to the scientist. He saw how Hawking was brave enough to achieve such big things in life despite his disability. The scientist was indeed an embodiment of his courageous self. This optimistic aspect of Hawking inspired the author so much that he felt a deep sense of gratitude for the scientist and showed him a new way of leading life without complaining about his disability all the time.