Don’t doubt your ability: Kalam

News Article from Indian Express

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Saturday asked youngsters never to doubt their ability as he recalled his “doubt and confusion” when then ISRO chairman Satish Dhawan had asked him to make a rocket system to put satellite into orbit in a period of seven years.

“One fine day he said, Kalam you can take the budget you want, the number of people want and anything needed I will get it sanctioned from the cabinet, but you have to do this.

“I was surprised and confused, there were many people senior to me in my establishment. Why me? Will I be able to do it? I was doubtful. You should not be,” the 83-year-old scientist told youngsters who thronged the Diggi Place here to hear his address at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival.
He gave the mantra, “I dream and I will fly one day.”

“I always dreamt of being a pilot, so I enrolled myself into a course of aeronautical engineering. When I went before the selection panel to become a pilot, there were 10 contestants and 9 seats and I was the one to be dropped.

“I was disheartened that I could not become a pilot but I became the President of India,” Kalam said during a session titled ‘The visionary: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’.

“When I became the President I told the Air Chief to teach me how to fly and he trained me for six months. I did not become a pilot but I could still fulfil my dream of flying, because I dreamt that I will fly. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result into action,” he said, as the crowd burst into a large round of applause.

Kalam  made the youngsters repeat after him and vow to make India and world a better place to live.
“When there is righteousness in the heart there is a beauty in the character…when there is beauty in the character there is already in the home…when there is already in the home there is order in the nation and when there is order in the nation there is peace in the world…,” he said as people repeated after him.
“Take a vow…that whatever you do in life you will always think what I can give. All the trouble starts when we think ‘what I can get’ , that’s where the roots of corruption are,” he said.
Sharing his vision for 2020 and beyond, which are also the titles of his two books — Vision 2020 and Beyond 2020, Kalam said that the five key areas the country needs to focus upon are education, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, health and sustainable development.
“We need to transform our education system too. My suggestion is that 30 per cent of the syllabus in class 9-12 should be reduced and skill-based courses should be introduced in schools.

“So, when a child passes out of class 12, he has two certificates one of his academic credentials and another of his school credential.
“Similarly in colleges, there should be a concept of a degree plus diploma in the same fashion,” he said.
Kalam said that entrepreneurship is the key to economic development of the country and to fulfillment of VISION 2020 as well.

“We need more employment generators and not employment seekers. Our IT sector is doing well, pharmacy is doing well, our agriculture is just excellent. We need more infrastructural development,” he said.

 

Effective policy alignments for rural areas is required : Kalam

News article from Financial Express

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Friday called for “effective policy alignments” in favour of rural sector to create new markets and generate employment.
He said scientists should work in rural technologies to transform the rural sector, which can lead to growth and help boost the economy.
The ‘Missile Man’ said there needs to be necessary policy alignments to suit the condition so that the sector gets a boost.
“Small and medium size industries need more attention. We should enterprise so that they give higher level of contribution to the GDP in the economy.
“For this we need effective policy alignments to suit the condition. All the scientists and technologists should work in appropriate region, specifically the rural technologies, to transform Indian rural sector,” Kalam said.
He was delivering a lecture on ‘Evolution of a Nation with prosperity and value system’.
Kalam said that 70 per cent of people live in rural areas and it was essential to provide them adequate access to energy and quality water. “New markets could be created by rural potentials, which could lead to rise in the employment,” he said.
“I foresee possibilities of creating new markets through rural potentials and employment, giving rise to interesting possibility of public private and international partnerships,” the former President said.
Emphasising on energy independence, Kalam said the country must reduce its dependence on fossil fuel and look for new sources of energy, especially solar.
He also pointed that the trade deficits were undermining the growth of the economy and said a sizable chunk of the import was due to import of crude oil.
“We need to set up 100 per cent energy independence by 2020 and see that economy is not burdened by weight of our reality demands.
“India’s trade deficit is because of excess of import over exports. 87 per cent of the import bill was due to import of crude oil. We need freedom from fossil fuel and undertake a mission in solar, nuclear and bio-fuel.
We need to set up 100 per cent energy independence,” Kalam said.
Kalam added that the domestic factors of the Indian economy were strong, which is why the Global Financial Crisis that hit the west, did not affect our the country in a big way.
“While having discussions with different experts, we realised that the Indian economy was less affected due to the World Financial Crisis. The Indian banking system has always been conservative, which has prevented the crisis and the saving habits of Indians saved the country,” Kalam said.
Responding to a question on skill development, Kalam said 25 per cent of syllabus should be dropped at the school and college level, so by the time the student comes out, he acquires employability.
Pointing out his interaction with ISRO scientists, with whom he worked for over 20 years while, Kalam narrated an incident when a comet was passing closely to the Mars Orbiter Mission.
“Comet 2013 was passing near the planet Mars. So, to protect the spacecraft, ISRO scientists maneuvered the mission in such a way that the spacecraft was behind planet Mars when the comet appeared (on the scene).
Great scientist uses his or inventions to counter such challenges,” he said.

Quote !!

Righteousness of the heart, leads to beauty in the character.