APJ Abul Kalam, CEO of India
I attended the Pan-IIT meet last weekend. Around 2000 IITians from around the world had assembled to discuss on the theme of "IITians empowering India". The high point of the meet was President APJ Abul Kalam's speech. The President came to know about this meet just that day and being a technologist himself, decided to address the gathering inspite of the short notice. However, he did not give a speech. He gave a powerpoint presentation.
The President started off by saying that his presentation was also available on his website http://presidentofindia.nic.in. Wow! How many Presidents before him had their own websites? The topic of Kalam's presentation was "What Can I Do For India". He went on to present his vision of a developed India by year 2020. We have heard so many of our politicians talk about a developed India so that was nothing new. But what was different was that Kalam presented a detailed and well thought out action plan to attain that vision. It was clear that he has spent lot of time thinking about the problem. And he has actively worked with different people and organisations to get the process rolling. He has kept abreast of technology and realized the role that technology can play in realizing the dream of a developed India. Kalam spoke with passion and conviction. He talked about achievable targets, not lofty goals. I will not go into the details of what he spoke about since the presentation is available on his website for all to see. However, it was truly inspiring to hear the great man. His scientific approach touched a chord amongst the largely technincal audience. Kalam dispelled the long held notion that the President is merely a symbolic figurehead. This could well have been a CEO of a large corporation presenting his business plan
and urging his employees to take the company to greater heights!
Comments
Kudos to Kalam. Let all of us Indians ask what we can do for India and let God give us the strength so we can each contribute our bit and make India shine like it should!
Posted by: Rohan 4 India | April 1, 2006 11:20 AM
Sir,
Do the politician know that what happens in IIT.What they think is that it is just the place to be filled by garbage.I think I would be better option to have lottery system for selecting the student.I dared to propose after having so many great insane suggestion from our politician.Instead of thinking what they are doing ,they are only crying for reservation.I don't how national leader can think of this which is even hard to think in the dream .No logic can be given to support it.Can our great leader give the data of development of poor section of society. Their condition is getting worse even more.What they have really done for poor section of society.I don't think that poverty line has gone too high.
it is hard to think that a student securing 100 marks is not being selected in IIT but the one with 35 marks is studying in electrical department . What are you doing for those who are securing 100 then our politician will say people are not sincere.The irony is that they are being sent to institute like IIT where we are thinking of producing researcher,good engineers.They are not even able to cope up with course load.Their condition is pathetic over here .They are over here only in greed of getting job.The condition is so bad that they are not even able to understand the lecture as they are being done in English.Please consider this matter with great attention.
manjesh kumar(IIT kanpur)
Posted by: manjesh kumar | May 20, 2006 10:36 PM
I would request only ONE thing...Parliament systems is Failing, we want PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS TO BE IMPLEMENTED., so All systems(Education, Rural Development, Population...etc) will automatically change.
We will definitely reach our goals and vision 2020 , when we have Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam for 2nd term as President of India. and India soon become UNITED INDIA
Posted by: TmsArun | July 3, 2007 02:47 AM
I, fully agree, upon the fact that a sort off injustice being done on students securing high percentile. I am not posting any extremist views & that I have always believed in the middle path. I adore shree Gautam Buddha for his teachings on middle path & staunchly support it.
We cannot afford to live as a divided society, especially when we all are committed, to transform our India into a developed nation by 2020. Let us all work towards achieving this goal.
Views posted by Mr.Manjesh kumar, from IIT kanpur should be taken very seriously & simultaneously, neither the idea of bringing the unprivileged class back into the mainstream, as perceived by our good leaders, be disowned.
It is disheartening to see a person securing 90% & above not getting the quality education he desires to have only because a seat is being thrown away at just 35% to one who does not deserve to have. Is it not a waste of national talent? Is it not a waste of country's resources?
If yes, how can we undo this injustice? Simultaneously how can we do justice to underprivileged? The debate should not divide us on the lines of classes. It should not destroy our unity in diversity. It should not be done to pocket votes for politicians. It should not give any room for dissent. Is there any solution to this problem, attacking very fabric of our unity in diversity?
The answer should not be very far away from retaining what we have gained after centuries of struggle. May I suggest something? Something that has been shown to us thru thoughts and deeds of our own saints, those thoughts that were also shared by all great people at all times. Yes the "middle path".
It is true that reservation is necessary & is it not equally true that it is an evil? Yes, it is a necessary evil. Now how long should we embrace it? The fact remains that the birdie shall never ever learn to fly if mother birdie keeps it spoon-feeding.
Let the mother birdie push it with a strong heart so it learns to fly. Rest is necessary to the birdie but too much of it could be an evil. The likes of Mr. Manjesh Kumar are therefore not entirely wrong when they fear deserving person being denied the rights and those undeserving get in without any fight.
Let those are underprivileged have there rights but not certainly unless they give a fight. With times they will evolve, just as the "mankind" has & reach to a point when they require no rights.
There should be criteria, minimum percentage criteria that shall help them to reach their goals. Say, for e.g. an open category candidate needs to score on an average 89% to secure an admission into an engineering college, the criteria for an underprivileged should be minimum 65% and just as mankind evolves by generation the minimum criteria be pushed up slightly every year so that there is finally a day when we are all equal.
Vinod Madhav Takarkhede.
B.Sc, MBA (Finance)
Note: - I, myself belong to an underprivileged category but thanks to my dad who was opposed to such a certification that today in my business in telecommunications I had many such Engineers from privileged class work for me "with love".
Posted by: Vinod Madhav Takarkhede(Suryavanshi) | July 26, 2007 09:39 PM
Persons like Dr. APJ are born once in a century. Only sane people will listen and appreciate what he says about his vision 2020. Politician, in India are a selfish lot. Parliamentarians are the even worst, who wear the mask of gentlemen but are corrupt to the core. They have little interest in the national development. Because of them even our national security is threatened. Now every part of the country, from Kashmir to Kerala, from Arunachal to Gujarat has terrorist groups that can strike at will. They are allowing free access to the terrorists in India through the porous borders of not only Pakistan and Bangaladesh, but also from Sri Lanka and Nepal. They will not allow even a single person given death penalty by TADA court to be hanged. The reason is obvious.
The economic boom that we see today in India is more because of dynamism of individual enterpeauners than due to the political wisdom of financial wizards like late PV Narasimaroa, ManMphan Singh and P. Chidambaram.
Dr APJ’s vision 2020 can be fulfilled only if politician allow academicians, scientists, judiciary, national security agencies and the like to work without political interference.
I wish India many more of APJs and Sheshans.
Posted by: Dr. Umesh Behari Mathur | July 29, 2007 12:40 PM