Saturday, February 21, 2015

Don’t doubt your ability: Kalam



Abdul Kalam, ISRO, Satish Dhawan, Jaipur Literature Festival

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.

 

17 comments:

  1. The words we read or listen from you always inspires me...

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  2. Will follow you and your thoughts

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  3. great line which i usually fantasise , mostly the thought of student skill devlopment, we need skill more than knowledge

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  4. we will try to follow.

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  5. Sir i dreamed to meet you one time.. And i know it will happend one day... Thank u.. Good thinking,thoughts always rises.....

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  6. RESPECTED SIR MY DREAM IS TO FULFILL YOUR DREAM .....#2020+

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  7. I recently met Sir Abdul Kalam in my dream which reminds me "Dream Is Not What You See In Sleep, Dream Is What Which Does Not Let You Sleep"...I'll meet him some day!!

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  8. With your Blessings we will achieve our dreams

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  10. Sir your works and actions speak louder than your words.

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  11. I always wants to listen your words and experience and knowledge for the best of our society, nation and the world.

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  12. only Courage will take us to higher level and in that journey Sir your thoughts are very helpful

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  13. Thoughts are a result of actions also. Kalam was a determined person.

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