ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF OUR DEVELOPMENT TODAY

I was reading a book called “Everyday Greatness”. I would like to share one event which is essential component of our development today. Today, what we need is a leadership with compassion. Let me narrate one experience which happened in Mexico. A riot was raging in La Mesa Prison in Mexico. Twenty five hundred prisoners were packed into a compound, which had been built for only six hundred. They angrily hurled broken bottles at the police who fired back with machine guns. Then came a startling sight. A tiny five feet two inches, sixty three year old woman, calmly got into the crowd, with outstretched hands, in a simple gesture of peace. Ignoring the shower of bullets, she stood quietly and asked every one to stop. Incredibly every one did. No one else in the world, but sister Antonia could have done this. Why did the people listen to her? All because of her decades of service to the prisoners by her choice. She sacrificed all her life for the sake of prisoners lived in the midst of murderers, thieves and drug lords all of whom she called her sons. She attended their needs round the clock, procured antibiotics, distributed eyeglasses, washed bodies for the burial and counseled the suicidal. This selfless act of love and compassion generated the respect among the prisoners to control themselves and urged them to do what she wanted them to do. What a great message for humanity? We have seen a leader with compassion is there for even prisoners, but we need leaders with compassion for the voiceless people of millions in the world.

EIGHT OATH POINTS

1. Science is a life time mission. I will work, work and work and succeed.
2. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is what I can innovate, invent or discover.
3. I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.
4. I realize I have to set a great scientific goal that will lead me to think high, work and persevere to realize the goal.
5. My greatest friends will be great scientific minds, great teachers and great books.
6. I firmly believe that no problem can defeat me; I will become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.
7. I will work and work for removing the problems faced by planet earth in the areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management and environment through the application of science and technology.
8. My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.

CLEAN HABITAT IS MY GOAL

The status of environmental cleanliness is one of the indicators of development of a nation. As a nation, we have to keep our environment clean and tidy and it has to start from the home. This is essential for better health conditions of all the citizens and also for presenting a wholesome and aesthetic atmosphere for us. It is essential that we keep all our places of worship and rivers clean and tidy to preserve their innate divinity. Students can promote a clean habitat movement in their home and surroundings and participate in imparting the awareness amongst the rural and urban population leading to a clean nation. Clean homes lead to clean villages, clean villages will lead to clean districts, clean districts will lead to clean states, and clean states make a clean nation.

"PURA" PROGRAMME

The development of six hundred thousand villages implies development of agricultural community, artisans and non-farm workers by development of villages.


1. The villages must be connected within themselves and with main towns and metros through by good roads and wherever needed by railway lines and bus routes. They must have other infrastructure like schools, colleges, hospitals and other amenities for the local population and the visitors. Let us call this physical connectivity.

2. In the emerging knowledge era, the native knowledge has to be preserved and enhanced with latest tools of technology, training and research. The villages have to have access to good education from best teachers wherever they are, must have the benefit of good medical treatment, must have latest information on their pursuits like agriculture, fishery, horticulture and food processing. It means, there is a need for mission and education through electronic connectivity.

3. Once the Physical and Electronic connectivity are enabled, the knowledge connectivity is enabled. That can facilitate the ability increase the productivity, the utilization of spare time, awareness of health welfare, ensuring a market for products, increasing quality conscience, interacting with partners, getting the best equipment, increasing transparency and so in general knowledge connectivity

4. Once the three connectivities viz physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity are ensured, they facilitate earning capacity. When we Provide Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA), we can lead to upliftment of rural areas, we can attract investors, we can introduce effectively useful systems like Rural BPOs, Micro Finance.


Thus if we take up PURA as a mission, we can make villages as prosperous knowledge accumulation centers leading to villagers as entrepreneurs.

POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

Political system of a democratic nation gives vision for the nation, focuses on the national development and executes various missions of federal government through the supervision of the Parliament. Similarly, at the State level, political vision drives accomplishment of missions under the supervision of the legislature. Now this process is extended to the individual districts and constituencies. Still, over the years, the political system does not enjoy the full confidence of the public. Why? How to give respect for the politics? Political system is equal to Political politics and development politics. Higher the developmental politics, it will get higher respect among the citizens. Today, what is needed for every constituency is the development politics; this will facilitate the reduction in the number of people living below poverty line; promoting literacy and transforming the employment seekers and under employed people to higher ladder of employment potential and employment generators. Fortunately I find the results of elections tending towards selection of candidates based on their performance in the development of their region. Hence the political environment has to nurture development politics throughout the nation.

REMOVE "ME" AND "I"

During the year 2003, when he was visiting one of the Indian states, Arunachal Pradesh, he visited a Buddhist monastery at Tawang 3500 m. altitude. he was in the Monastery nearly for a day. he observed a unique situation in all the nearby villages, where young and experienced radiating happiness in spite of severe winter environment. Then, he visited the 400 year old Tawang monastery and there he saw monks of all age groups in a state of serenity. he was asking himself what is the unique feature of Tawang and surrounding villages which makes people and monks to be at peace with themselves. When the time came, he asked the Chief Monk, how in Tawang villages and monastery, he said "I am experiencing peace and happiness being radiated by everyone". There was a pause, the chief monk smiled. He said, "You are the President of India. You will know all about us and the whole nation.” Again, he said, "it is very important for me, please give me your thoughtful analysis".

There was a beautiful golden image of Lord Buddha radiating smile and peace. The Chief Monk assembled nearly 100 young and experienced monks. The Chief Monk and himself were sitting amidst them. The Chief Monk gave a short discourse, which he would like to share with you. Chief Monk said, "In the present world, we have a problem of distrust, unhappiness transforming into violence. This monastery spreads: when you remove “I” and “Me” from your mind, you will eliminate ego; if you get rid of ego, hatred towards fellow human beings will vanish; if the hatred goes out of our mind, the violence in thinking and action will disappear; if violence in our mind is taken away, peace springs in human minds. Then peace and peace and peace alone will blossom in the society". he realized the meaning of beautiful equation for peaceful life, but difficult mission for the individual is how to remove the ethos of “I” and “ME”. For this, we need the education inculcated in the young age as propagated by ancient philosophers.

OUR NATIONAL CHALLENGES

Today our challenge is to bring inclusive and sustainable growth of the nation especially under the present global economic turbulence and the threat of terrorism which is the greatest impediment for growth. Certainly we need innovative ideas in every sphere of our activity to overcome the challenges faced by the nation. What we need is integrated thinking, innovative ideas, integrated action and unity of minds. Let us first see what is meant by “integrated development of the nation”. It means the development of 6,00,000 villages of the nation. It means the development of the tier-two cities. It means that the infrastructure of the metro and large cities is in tune with the requirements of the time. We have to uplift the 220 million people living below the poverty line. We need to provide quality of life to all the citizens. We need to integrate the science and technology with the development process. We need to ensure that political vision, democratic process, legislation, executive actions at all levels, judiciary, media, e-governance and citizen feedback are all focused on a single goal of development of the nation. We need to gear up doubling of food production, energy independence, interlinking of rivers and nano technology revolution. In brief we all have to work in an integrated manner for sustained development. For that, what is needed today are the out-of-the-box ideas? For generating the ideas towards realizing the vision 2020, let me give my visualization of India before the year 2020.

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

a. Leader must have a vision.
b. Leader must have passion to realize the vision.
c. Leader must be able to travel into an unexplored path.
d. Leader must know how to manage a success and failure.
e. Leader must have courage to take decisions.
f. Leader should have nobility in management.
g. Leader should be transparent in every action.
h. Leader must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.

DISTINCTIVE PROFILE OF THE NATION

1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors. 6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
7. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.
9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.

TOGETHER WE WILL WIN

Friends, I would like to share with you an inspirational experience, which I came across. At a Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100 mtr race. At the starting signal, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, others except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better" Then all nine linked their arms together and walked together and finally reached the destination. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. I would say that, you do not have to slow down. Rather by helping difficult areas, the feed back will make you go faster. If you pass this on, we may be able to change our hearts as well as someone else's. "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle".

DEFEAT THE PROBLEM AND SUCEED.

In a speech in the assembly to the MLA's in bangalore he said that problems are temproary only,so we must try to remove it and suceed.When I see you all, I would like to recall my experience in Karnataka. My theatre of action started in this land. I would like to share few experiences that will be relevant to all of you today. First and foremost experience was my assignment in ADE High grounds, Bangalore where I was designing, developing and flying a Hovercraft. I used to fly the Hovercraft. This is the place where I had the fortune of coming into contact with Prof. Satish Dhawan, who was then a professor in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, popularly known as TATA institute, celebrating its centenary this week. Prof. Satish Dhawan taught me how to design the contra rotating propeller for the hovercraft. The big message he gave me was, “Kalam, if you don’t do anything, no problem. If you do a complex mission or task, problems are bound to occur. Problem shouldn’t become your captain; you should become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.” This message I got during the 1950’s. Even now, when I have completed 77 orbits around the sun, this great advice has remained the beacon light for all my actions. Why I am saying this to you, dear Hon’ble members? First and foremost you have succeeded in getting elected . I congratulate you on your election. The citizens of your constituency have reposed faith in your leadership qualities. You will be handling hundreds of problems everyday. You should defeat the problems and succeed with integrity. I am sure, you will do it and win hearts.

ELEVATING THE YOUNG MINDS

kALAM: While I was in college, I remember the lectures given by highest authority of the Jesuit institution Rev Father Rector Kalathil of St. Joshep’s college, Trichirappalli, Tamilnadu. Every week on Monday, he will take class for an hour. He used to talk about good human beings, present and past, and what makes a good human being. In this class he used to give lectures on personalities such as Buddha, Confucius, St. Augustine, Califa Omar, Mahatma Gandhi, Einstein, Abraham Lincoln including some scientific personalities and moral stories linked to our civilizational heritage. He also used to talk about great personalities living in the father’s lodge and who had made contribution with values in the service of the people. It is essential in the secondary schools and colleges to arrange a lecture by a great teacher of the institution once in a week for one hour. This class can be called as a Moral Science Class. That will elevate the young minds to love the country, to love the other human beings and elevate the young to higher planes.

MISSION OF A TEACHER

School is the next important environment where the character is getting shaped. The prime learning period for the children is five to seventeen years of age. The student spends approximately 25,000 hours in the school campus. Of course, at home, love and affection are imparted but again most of the time of the day is spent in preparing school’s homework and study, eat, play and sleep. Hence the school hours for children are the best time for learning and need best of environment, mission oriented learning with value system. I still hear the echo from Bestolozzy, a Greek teacher’s saying, “give me a child for seven years. Afterwards, let the God or devil take the child. They cannot change the child.” That is the great confidence of the teacher. What a golden mission for the teachers of great character and value system in the schools of all the nations to inculcate value system among the youth.

NATIONAL ETHICS

While inaugurating the Symposium on “Vision for professional India and Corporate India by the year 2020” at New Delhi on 9 January 2008 and participating in the valedictory function of National Summit of Foundation for Restoration of National Values on 10 November 2008, I put forth a thought that Profit with integrity leads to sustained growth. How is it possible? We need to have National ethics for sustained growth and peace. Wherefrom it starts?

o Nation has to have ethics in all its tasks, for sustained economic prosperity and peace.
o If nation is to have ethics; society has to promote ethics and value system.
o If society is to have ethics and value system, families should adhere to ethics and value system;
o If families have to get evolved with ethics and value system, parenthood should have inbuilt ethics.
o Parental ethics come from great learning, value based education and creation of clean environment that leads to righteousness in the heart.

So friends, finally the beauty in the character, harmony in the home, order in the nation and peace in the world emanates from the righteous hearts. Righteous hearts can be evolved only by three people, who are they? They are father, mother and an enlightened primary school teacher who loves teaching and his or her life is the message to the students.

HAVE A MISSION IN LIFE

Dear friends, when I visualize the students whom you are grooming, I see in them great teachers, great principals great doctors, great engineers, great social workers, great judges, and great political leaders. Let me share with you, what are the traits needed to accomplish these goals based on my experience.
I have seen three dreams which have taken shape as vision, mission and realization. Firstly, space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), AGNI programme of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) becoming the National Mission. Of course these three programmes succeeded in the midst of many challenges and problems. I have worked in these areas. I want to convey to you what I have learnt from these three programmes based on my personal experience.

a. Wherever there is a dream in life, that transforms into a vision and vision takes shape as many missions.

b. The necessity of high level thinking to transform the Vision into Missions.

c. Acquisition of knowledge from all sources.

d. Working and working without boundary conditions till the realization of the mission.

e. Leader absorbs the failure and takes the responsibility and gives the credit for success to his team while executing the Mission.

DYANAMICS OF SMILE

On a speech about the school and the teachers Dr kalam said"When we see a child, we see the innocent smile of the child. When we come across, the child in the Primary School, the smile is reduced, since the child has to carry a heavy school bag. When we see the child in their teens, their smile slowly fades away and the sign of concern appears. This is because of the anxiety about the future. When they complete their education, the question uppermost in their mind is, what will I do after my education? Will I get an employment? Will I get a proper employment? Can the Principals see this dynamics of smiles of the child and preserve the smile in their faces when they complete their school education. The Student should be confident that “he can do it”, he should have the self esteem and the capability to become an employment generator rather being an employment seeker. This transformation can only be brought about by a Principal who has a vision to transform, who has the ability to take risk against all challenges, who is a good listener, who is a good innovator, who maintains a cordial inter-personal or intrapersonal relationship and who has the ability to carry the parents, community, media and the teachers for accomplishing the vision of generating an enlightened citizen for the nation. Now let me share my views of an ideal principal. An ideal principal
Some time back, I met a principal who have become a role model to all his students. I asked the Principal what was the secret of his success. He told me the following:

a) He has been able to adopt himself to the age of the student.

b) As a principal, he makes sure that he takes two to three classes per week.

c) He considers that he is a teacher first and a principal later.

d) He practices everything he expects his students to do.

e) He ensures transparency in all his transactions and treats all students alike, irrespective of their religion, caste, language and economic status.

f) He has a foresight and visualizes the student’s growth in long term perspective.

g) During the 11 years of his tenure, he has ensured that at least 2000 students who were average performers have been groomed to excel in their studies.

THREE DREAMS

I have seen three dreams which have taken shape as vision, mission and realization. Firstly, space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), AGNI programme of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) becoming the National Mission. Of course these three programmes succeeded in the midst of many challenges and problems. I have worked in these areas. I want to convey to you what I have learnt from these three programmes based on my personal experience.

a. Wherever there is a dream in life, that transforms into a vision and vision takes shape as many missions.
b. The necessity of high level thinking to transform the Vision into Missions.
c. Acquisition of knowledge from all sources.
d. Working and working without boundary conditions till the realization of the mission.
e. Leader absorbs the failure and takes the responsibility and gives the credit for success to his team while executing the Mission.

FIVE MINDS

a) The disciplinary mind: mastery of mind in different schools of thought including science mathematics and history and proficiency in at least one professional craft.
b) The synthesizing mind: ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate to others.
c) The creative mind: capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomenon.
d) The respectful mind: awareness of and application for differences among human beings.
e) The ethical mind: fulfillment of one’s responsibility as a worker and a citizen.

TEACHERS WHO LIKE TEACHING

Dr kalam in a speech on the teachers and the facts he said :I just see a scene in a school having about 50 teachers and 750 students headed by a Principal. It is simply a place of beauty for creativity and learning. How is it possible? It is because the school management and the Principal selected the teachers who love teaching, who treat the students as their sons, grand sons or grand daughters. The children see the teacher, as a role model in teaching and how always they look pious through their daily way of life. Above all I see an environment in which there is nothing like a good student, average student or poor student. The whole school and teacher system is involved in generating students who perform the best. As an example, I recall my teacher Shri Sivasubramania Iyer who taught me, when I was ten year old boy, how the birds fly, in the class room and later by taking us to the sea shore to give practical example. The way he taught, gave me what to dream in life and what should be the pattern of education which I have to follow. And above all what should be the traits I should possess based on teachers life both inside the class room and in the village. This race of teachers and teacher of teachers should multiply.

POEMS ON COURAGE,RIGHTEOUSNESS,KNOWLEDGE:

Courage:
"Courage to think different,
Courage to invent,
Courage to travel into an unexplored path,
Courage to discover the impossible,
Courage to combat the problems
And Succeed,
Are the unique qualities of the youth.

Righteousness:
Where there is righteousness in the heart
There is beauty in the character.
When there is beauty in the character,
There is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home.
There is order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
There is peace in the world."

knowledge:
Learning gives creativity
Creativity leads to thinking
Thinking provides knowledge
Knowledge makes you great

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

ONCE in a gathering Dr kalam said: I would like to recall a great clarion call of indomitable spirit, which was given by Sir C V Raman, at the age of 82. The message is still reverberating in my mind: “I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is perhaps driving force, which takes one anywhere. We have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a spirit, which will recognize that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization, are entitled to a rightful place on this planet. If that indomitable spirit were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny." Hence friends, now you realize, knowledge is equal to the equation: Knowledge = creativity + righteousness+ Courage+ indomitable spirit. Now the teachers and educators may like to see the real knowledge can be imparted to the students.

PROF KALAM'S CLASS ENDS.

Students are set to close their books for Kalam ki paathshala', as the former president's course ended on Tuesday. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for concluding session of the course on Tuesday.
Dr Kalam had given sessions on September 13 and October 24 for the course Globalising and Resurgent India through Innovative Transformation' (GRIT). The topic of the concluding day was Creative Leadership'. Interestingly, the class comprised not only of the second-year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) students, who had opted for the course, but also first year students who wanted to hear Dr Kalam.
The ex-president reached the institute on Monday night and met student representatives. He took a synopsis about their progress and asked what the class expected in Tuesday's session.
"Creative leadership can't be defined to one sphere or aspect of governance. Creative leadership can happen anywhere in science, business, education, government, corporations, institutions or any other field," Kalam during the morning session said.
For the first time, students also got to interact with Dr Kalam's team. The members said that they really appreciated students' enthusiasm and were amazed by their response.
"I was really excited to meet him," said a girl as she was coming out of Class Room-2, where Dr Kalam conducted his sessions. The afternoon session was dedicated to students' presentations based on the 10 pillars, which the former president had discussed before the course started. Students will show the remaining half of presentations on Wednesday.

KALAM CALLS FOR ERADICATION OF TERRORISM

Highlighting the urgency to fight terrorism, the President said, "when evil minds combine, good minds have to work together and combat."
"While we have the basic structure in the form of law, police cadres, intelligence agencies and judicial system, we need to reinforce them with required updates with a code of conduct."
"Every citizen, every group, every religion and every political and executive system should allow the law to function without interference," the President said.
Referring to the threat of extremists groups in the north-east, he said this required immediate, coordinated counter measures including effective negotiations for restoring normalcy coupled with economic development within the next three to five years.
Kalam, who visited some of the Mumbai blast victims in hospital, said he felt the pain of many who lost their hearing ability, their limbs fractured and amputated and spinal injuries leading to permanent disability. He complemented the Maharashtra government which rose to the occasion to provide financial relief for medical support obtained from private hospital.