Don’t crawl, but fly: Kalam to youngsters

The youth should strive to bridge the divide between rural and urban India, fight injustice and ensure equity of water, food and energy for all and make the country the best place to live in by being a partner in its development, said former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

He was participating in an interactive session at Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Girinagar, on Friday. He encouraged each one to become a page in human history with their unique contribution.

He explained to students his mission for ‘unique youth’ and exhorted them to look at the everyday objects and read about the unique men and women who made great contributions to society such as Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Wright Brothers, C V Raman, Ramanujam, Madame Curie and other great people whose discoveries and inventions have made invaluable contribution to society.

“To be unique one has to aim big, small aim is a crime, before the age of 20, acquire knowledge, work hard with perseverance. We are born with potential, goodness and trust, ideas and dreams, greatness and confidence and with wings. Giving an equation, knowledge is equal to creativity plus goodness of heart plus courage.”

He told the youth not to crawl but to fly.

At the interactive session he was asked why a nation of limited funds should spend huge amounts to prove the existence of neutrino at the research centre in Tamil Nadu, asked a student. Kalam said that neutrino discovery was important as its influence on plant and human life was vast.

When another student asked why India was promoting nuclear energy when developed countries were saying ‘no’ to it, he explained that India needs clean and green energy which includes nuclear energy, solar energy, wind energy...

On being asked how there could possibly be change when Mother India was being looted by her own children, he said,”One should be positive. Six hundred million youth can bring about a vast change.”

Justice Padmanabhan Nair, chairman, Adv Ashokan, secretary and D Ramankutty, director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kochi Kendra, Ravikumar, director (finance), Cochin Shipyard, M D Varghese, GM (IR) Cochin Shipyard, were also present.

School principal Nirmala Venkateshwaran welcomed the gathering and vice-principal Umadevi K P proposed a vote of thanks.