Raipur, November 22, 2010
Ignited mind is the most power resource on earth. If you say – ‘I can do it’ then it will lead to – ‘We can do it’ followed by – ‘India can do it’. The words of encouragement were uttered by former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam while he was interacting with the students of Delhi Public School (DPS) and Prayaas on Monday evening.
Kalam who is popularly known as Missile Man commenced his interaction with the students by asking how many of them wanted to become unique in their life. When all the students replied they do, Kalam said, “Every youth wants to become a unique person in his life, but the world wants him to remain as part of the crowd. Therefore, fight and do not stop till you determine the uniqueness in yourself.”
He informed the students that he had by far met about 1.10 crore youths from India as well as abroad. “My dream is that the youths mix with each other so that they could build a strong nation,” he said.
He further advised the students that they should seriously pursue their goal and must choose a career in which they feel would achieve uniqueness. “I will come back in the year 2030 and see how many of you have achieved what you had wished,” Kalam said adding that his age would be 100 at that time.
Wings to fly
Kalam also gave success mantra to students. He said to become an achiever, they students must follow four criterions - having an aim in life before 20 years of age, acquiring knowledge continuously, hard work towards the aim and perseverance to defeat the problem and succeed.
In this connection, he recalled famous verses of 13th century Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi – ‘Wings to fly’ and said, “Education gives you wings to fly and the achievement comes out of fire in our sub-conscious mind that ‘I will win’. So, each one of you assembled here, will have ‘Wings of fire’ that will indeed lead to great achievements in life and career.”
On significance of knowledge in life he says it makes people great. “When you leave your school, a great friend is accompanying you i.e. knowledge,” he said.
The knowledge equation
He urged students to adopt knowledge equation in that life. According to Kalam, the equation of knowledge is the summation of creativity, righteousness and courage.
On creativity he said, “Through learning emerges creativity that leads to thinking which provides knowledge that makes you great.”
Then he described the righteousness in a divine hymn. “Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character due to which harmony prevails in the home. Consequently, there is an order in the nation and peace in the world,” he said.
However, to inculcate the righteousness in the heart, Kalam said, “In my opinion, there are three sources which can build a youth with righteousness in the heart. One is mother, second is father in a spiritual environment and the third and the most important is the teacher, particularly primary school teacher.”
On courage he said, “The youths should work with courage to achieve success in all their missions. For him, courage implies to think different, invent, travel into an unexplored path, discover the impossible and combat the problems and succeed.
Giving an aim at right age
Kalam said aim in must in the life and it should be made at right age before 20. On aim, he narrated a story of his childhood when he was 10 and studying in class V. he informed that how his teacher Sivasubramania Iyer taught him not only theoretically but also by giving practical examples. He terms theoretical lessons coupled with live practical examples as real teaching and hoped that many the teachers follow this pattern. “The teachers who walk with knowledge radiate purity of life,” he added.
Kalam’s global mission: Billion people, billion trees
Kalam informed the people that his global mission is that each youth should at least plant one sapling before passing class XII. “My mission is billion people, billion trees so that there could be perfect balance in the environment,” he said.
Elaborating his mission, he exemplified the process of photo-synthesis in which each mature tree in a year absorbs 20 Kg of carbon dioxide and transforms into wood and reinforces the branches of the tree and at the same time, it lets out into the atmosphere and surrounding 14 kg of oxygen which is the nature gift to the mankind.
You cannon control time, but can navigate it
On significance of time Kalam said, “With the completion of one rotation of earth around the sun, your age is added by one year as you are living on planet earth. Seconds fly, minutes fly, hours fly, days fly and years fly. We have no control over it. The only thing that we can do is, while the time flies, we can navigate the time. “Let not thy winged days, be spent in vain.”
When Kalam allowed students to ask questions, he found plenty of hands raising one-by-one. Considering the time constraint, he could reply only few, but he promised that he would answer each and every question sent to him via e-mail. His e-mail address is – apj@abdulkalam.com.
Here are excerpts of few question and answers:
Students: Who was your role model in the childhood?
Kalam: My primary school teacher Sivasubramania Iyer in the childhood and then Professor Vikram Sarabhai when I grew-up.
Students: Can you share any interesting incident of your life?
Kalam: When me and my team’s rocket launching attempt failed for the first time. But we succeeded next year. When you grow, you must learn to absorb failure and work hard to achieve the target with renewed enthusiasm.
Students: What was your first thought when you became President of India?
Kalam: My first thought was how I would make billion people smile.
Students: What is the role of weapon in the land of Gandhi and Buddha?
Kalam: We need minimum arsenals to protect ourselves. If you will turn down the pages of Indian history, you will see how the invaders succeeded in ruling India. Hence, we require basic protection.
Students: Do you have any other vision?
Kalam: My vision is for India. Our country should emerge as an economically nation in next ten years.
Kalam concluded his speech by administering an oath to the students that contained ten points -
1. I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. I realize that small aim is a crime.
2. I will be a good member of my family, a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.
3. I will always try to save or better someone's life, without any discrimination of caste, creed, language religion or state. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is “What can I give?”
4. I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life without any bias.
5. I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.
6. I will always work for clean planet Earth and clean energy.
7. I am as young as my faith and as old as my doubt. Hence, I will light up then, the lamp of faith in my heart.
8. I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
9. I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
10. My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.
Ignited mind is the most power resource on earth. If you say – ‘I can do it’ then it will lead to – ‘We can do it’ followed by – ‘India can do it’. The words of encouragement were uttered by former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam while he was interacting with the students of Delhi Public School (DPS) and Prayaas on Monday evening.
Kalam who is popularly known as Missile Man commenced his interaction with the students by asking how many of them wanted to become unique in their life. When all the students replied they do, Kalam said, “Every youth wants to become a unique person in his life, but the world wants him to remain as part of the crowd. Therefore, fight and do not stop till you determine the uniqueness in yourself.”
He informed the students that he had by far met about 1.10 crore youths from India as well as abroad. “My dream is that the youths mix with each other so that they could build a strong nation,” he said.
He further advised the students that they should seriously pursue their goal and must choose a career in which they feel would achieve uniqueness. “I will come back in the year 2030 and see how many of you have achieved what you had wished,” Kalam said adding that his age would be 100 at that time.
Wings to fly
Kalam also gave success mantra to students. He said to become an achiever, they students must follow four criterions - having an aim in life before 20 years of age, acquiring knowledge continuously, hard work towards the aim and perseverance to defeat the problem and succeed.
In this connection, he recalled famous verses of 13th century Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi – ‘Wings to fly’ and said, “Education gives you wings to fly and the achievement comes out of fire in our sub-conscious mind that ‘I will win’. So, each one of you assembled here, will have ‘Wings of fire’ that will indeed lead to great achievements in life and career.”
On significance of knowledge in life he says it makes people great. “When you leave your school, a great friend is accompanying you i.e. knowledge,” he said.
The knowledge equation
He urged students to adopt knowledge equation in that life. According to Kalam, the equation of knowledge is the summation of creativity, righteousness and courage.
On creativity he said, “Through learning emerges creativity that leads to thinking which provides knowledge that makes you great.”
Then he described the righteousness in a divine hymn. “Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character due to which harmony prevails in the home. Consequently, there is an order in the nation and peace in the world,” he said.
However, to inculcate the righteousness in the heart, Kalam said, “In my opinion, there are three sources which can build a youth with righteousness in the heart. One is mother, second is father in a spiritual environment and the third and the most important is the teacher, particularly primary school teacher.”
On courage he said, “The youths should work with courage to achieve success in all their missions. For him, courage implies to think different, invent, travel into an unexplored path, discover the impossible and combat the problems and succeed.
Giving an aim at right age
Kalam said aim in must in the life and it should be made at right age before 20. On aim, he narrated a story of his childhood when he was 10 and studying in class V. he informed that how his teacher Sivasubramania Iyer taught him not only theoretically but also by giving practical examples. He terms theoretical lessons coupled with live practical examples as real teaching and hoped that many the teachers follow this pattern. “The teachers who walk with knowledge radiate purity of life,” he added.
Kalam’s global mission: Billion people, billion trees
Kalam informed the people that his global mission is that each youth should at least plant one sapling before passing class XII. “My mission is billion people, billion trees so that there could be perfect balance in the environment,” he said.
Elaborating his mission, he exemplified the process of photo-synthesis in which each mature tree in a year absorbs 20 Kg of carbon dioxide and transforms into wood and reinforces the branches of the tree and at the same time, it lets out into the atmosphere and surrounding 14 kg of oxygen which is the nature gift to the mankind.
You cannon control time, but can navigate it
On significance of time Kalam said, “With the completion of one rotation of earth around the sun, your age is added by one year as you are living on planet earth. Seconds fly, minutes fly, hours fly, days fly and years fly. We have no control over it. The only thing that we can do is, while the time flies, we can navigate the time. “Let not thy winged days, be spent in vain.”
When Kalam allowed students to ask questions, he found plenty of hands raising one-by-one. Considering the time constraint, he could reply only few, but he promised that he would answer each and every question sent to him via e-mail. His e-mail address is – apj@abdulkalam.com.
Here are excerpts of few question and answers:
Students: Who was your role model in the childhood?
Kalam: My primary school teacher Sivasubramania Iyer in the childhood and then Professor Vikram Sarabhai when I grew-up.
Students: Can you share any interesting incident of your life?
Kalam: When me and my team’s rocket launching attempt failed for the first time. But we succeeded next year. When you grow, you must learn to absorb failure and work hard to achieve the target with renewed enthusiasm.
Students: What was your first thought when you became President of India?
Kalam: My first thought was how I would make billion people smile.
Students: What is the role of weapon in the land of Gandhi and Buddha?
Kalam: We need minimum arsenals to protect ourselves. If you will turn down the pages of Indian history, you will see how the invaders succeeded in ruling India. Hence, we require basic protection.
Students: Do you have any other vision?
Kalam: My vision is for India. Our country should emerge as an economically nation in next ten years.
Kalam concluded his speech by administering an oath to the students that contained ten points -
1. I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. I realize that small aim is a crime.
2. I will be a good member of my family, a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.
3. I will always try to save or better someone's life, without any discrimination of caste, creed, language religion or state. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is “What can I give?”
4. I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life without any bias.
5. I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.
6. I will always work for clean planet Earth and clean energy.
7. I am as young as my faith and as old as my doubt. Hence, I will light up then, the lamp of faith in my heart.
8. I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
9. I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
10. My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.
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