National

'500 Million Young Will Transform India'

The Prez on the bird's flight, the power of youth, river-linking, fighting corruption and other ideas for the future

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'500 Million Young Will Transform India'
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A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Why don't we start with you telling me what you do and what you want to be?

Satvik Sarwade: I'm in my final year civil engineering at IIT Kharagpur and I want to be an entrepreneur.

Aditi Banerjee: I'm a second year economics student at Lady Shriram College. I have many plans for the future; currently I want to help my father expand his business.

APJ: How many questions do you have?

SS:  We have many; around 20.

AB:  I hope we are not taking to much of your time

APJ: I have a lot of time for you.

SS: Sir, you are the inspiration of millions, who was your inspiration?

APJ: My inspiration? Prof Vikram Sarabhai, heard about him?

AB & SS: Yeah, yeah.

APJ: Well, my earliest inspiration was my science teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer. This man taught me in fifth class, I was 10 then. He was teaching how a bird flies. He went to the blackboard, drew the bird, its tail, nose, beak and wings and started talking about how it flies.You know which year [it was]? 1941. You were not even ideas then. After 45 minutes, he asked how many of us understood. Many students raised their hands. There were 30 of us who did not. He said, "Those who did not understand...come in the evening." Rameshwaram is a small island, with birds flying over the sea. He said, "Just watch, the wings are flapping. Now, the tail lifts, the wings flap and the direction changes." Tell me, what propels a bird? Cars and aircraft have engines, what does a bird have?

SS: It has life.

APJ: Yes, life! Life is what actuates the brain. That's how he would explain. In a few minutes we allunderstood how a bird flies. But that's not important - what is important is, from that day something got into me, the bird's flight! I was just 10 but the teacher was so good he made me dream.... Flight?Science? I knew in a definite sense, my future had to have something to do with flight. That is how Ideveloped interest in maths and physics. After school, I did aeronautical engineering at Madras Institute of Technology. Then on to rocket engineering atISRO. That's where my career started. My science teacher put me on this orbit, but the full shape was given by Prof Sarabhai. He was a visionary. It was the '60s. Back then, we had no rocket, no missile, nothing. He gave us a vision statement—India should design and develop high-powered rockets, make communication satellites, remote-sensing satellites. That was his vision.

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AB: Was he the one, your teacher initially, who inspired you to write Ignited Minds?

APJ: No, Ignited Minds I wrote after meeting young people like you.

AB: For a man of simple ways, how has the ceremony and fanfare of being a president affected you?

APJ: Well, I'm at home with three things, ok?  First is the beautiful nature, you know ... withit, I'm always, I'm home. With flowers, with fragrance, with birds flying, the deer and what not -everything's here. I spend a lot of time. The second thing: I meet 50 to 100 children from various parts ofthe country. Third thing, I have my scientific agenda and tasks. I'm guiding a scientist for Ph.D. which I wasdoing when I was in Anna University as a Professor. He was my student, so currently I'm guiding him even now.

AB: Even now?

APJ: Yes, he wouldn't leave me! There's also a fourth thing. I have come here with a mission—India should be transformed into a developed nation.And we are trying to talk to Parliament members, political leaders and legislatures, I'm trying to show we allcan live in a developed nation.

SS: The prime minister said at the ASEAN meet that 54 per cent of India's population is now under 25. What do you feel about this, sir? Ours being a young nation...

APJ:  

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APJ: Yes, its true, below 20 itself there are more than 200 million people. 

AB: So, what do you feel about this, Sir, since we are getting into this groove of a young nation.

APJ: I believe it is our wealth. And just like in 1857, they were told to get freedom, and the young people werethe first to jump into it. I believe that was the first vision of our nation. The second vision for the nationis transforming it into a developed nation. Out of a thousand, 260 people are below the poverty line. We haveto lift them up. If the mission is injected into the minds of the young, then their minds will be ignited,they will transform India into a peaceful and prosperous country. 

SS: Don't you think the youth has to be handled carefully? 540 million young people can be dangerous if they getinto the wrong line...

APJ: We all have passed the phase of youth. Basically, it all depends on family values, which are good in India. Sothere's a big hope. And regarding the possible problem with the young, it can be tackled by giving a bigmission to them. First & foremost, you as a student should excel in academics. Second, over the weekendyou can educate the 40% people who are illiterate, without disturbing your studies. Third is: environment isbeing damaged particularly in the urban areas. You can contribute by organising a "youngmovement" to conserve environment. You plant trees. Suppose you decide to plant 5 trees before you comeout of IIT Kharagpur or Lady Shriram College, and each one of 500 million people plant
two trees each, that would become 1 billion trees! 

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The movement of the young always has the ability to excite. Apart from that, you must always have a dream -after economics, after B.A., what will I do? It should be clear: what I want to do in the next 10 years.Similarly, after Civil Engineering, will you become a designer, will you become a manager, a leader? Or as aneconomist would you become a good professor, or, would you like to contribute in the making of the economicdesign of our nation? Or, would you like to
contribute nationally by participating in the planning of National Development?  Like that, you shouldhave a dream.

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SS:  You were talking of the youth educating people. At IIT, we have an organisation of students and a fewprofessors, called Prabuddha Bharat, which tries to educate illiterate children outside the campus...

APJ: I won't call these people illiterate, because may be they have great knowledge - what do you say?

AB and SS:  Yes, Sir.

AB: Why is it that in our country, people who raise their voice against corruption meet a fateful end? Satyadev Dubey, to quote a recent example.

APJ: I have talked about it recently in the 200th session of Rajya Sabha, I've clearly indicated thatthe freedom to think, the freedom to perform, excel, all is engrained in these three stages of freedom - it isvery vital. And also, our constitution permits any person to have the right to perform. There should not beany hurdle for them. 

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In my personal view, for corruption you can put any number of laws, we cannot do anything. Only threepeople can do something for corruption, i.e., father, mother, and elementary school teacher. When the child isgrowing, only they can plant the best of thoughts, the best of character. If it done before the age of 20years, no one can change it. Once a teacher said, "If you give me a student, a child, for 7 years I willteach him and no god or devil can change him. So my feeling is, a corruption-free world has to start in thehome. Because then you have a role model. That's why we have to see that we have very good role models -teachers. A good teacher leads a perfect noble life. 

AB: This is what we can do in the future, but what about the youth who want to join now? Because of the prevailing corruption, no one wants to joingovernment organisations...

APJ: Let me recount two recent events, one in Delhi and another one in south Orissa. I was talking to 400children in Orissa. After my presentation, I asked them what will they do after 10+2. Many said they want tobecome doctors, lawyers, engineers, fashion designers, and social workers. One girl got up and said "I want to become apolitical leader." Everybody laughed, you know. They said , "Why do you want to become a political leader?" I said there's nothing to laugh, at least shehas a dream. Lets find out from her, why she wants to become a political leader. She said, "to remove corruption." That is, you should not befrightened and run away from the problem. 

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In Delhi recently, in Vigyan Bhavan, I was addressing 200 children. The same question came up - "what doyou want to be"? I want to be an astronaut and all those things, they said. One boy said, "I want to join theIAS". He said he wanted to remove corruption. Please write: "In life, whether while studying or during yourprofessional career, you may encounter problems. Problems should not become your master. (Pauses). You should become the master and defeat the problem".

SS:  This is right, Sir, we need to take control of our lives, but in this S.K.Dubey case, what the government does and whether it sees to it that theguilty are punished .... If this does not happen, then may be...

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APJ: No, A probe has started by the CBI and the truth has to come out. 

SS: If something is done, then it would definitely do a lot to boost the confidence of the people who want to fightcorruption.

APJ: No, what I want to do is, you must realise, we are a nation of a billion people, and a professor from USA asked me,"Mr. Kalam, what is the core competence of India?" Now tell me what would you say? Suppose someone wouldask you this?

SS:  People.

APJ: My answer was, we are a nation of a billion people with multi-cultural, multi-religious, with many languages, what can be our core competence? We have got freedom since 1947. We are democratic since then. We have proved to theworld - our core competency is managing and giving leadership to brilliant democratic people. Imagine how your college principal or director manages yourcollege. Nobody else has got an experience of managing a billion people. We have many problems -  who cannot have problems? An aircraft is there. Ittakes off. Aircraft generates lift that's why it takes off. Drag also comes in. Suppose you make drag zero, then the aircraft will not fly. Similarly inour life challenges are always there. How we encounter the challenge, how we make it successful, that decides how powerful your life is. 

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AB:  At the end of the day, do you see an end to this corruption?

APJ: It may take some time for the movement to start. If 300 to 500 million young people said that we want a corruption freeIndia ... Every one of you is a member of a family and you have a responsibility. You decide that whatever happens, I will not help corruption and will not become corrupt- and suppose you take that dream forward? You can change the world. 

Secondly, from all sectors, family-ties are very important for us in India. And this hope has to become the view of enlightened citizens. It would take aboutfive decades. But if you want a faster action, the young movement will take you there. 

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Thirdly, the nation should have a vision i.e. "I want to live in a developed India". The higher the aim, the lesser will you be affected by thevarious deviations, various problems. You must articulate it. 

Fourthly, laws should also take care of the people.

SS: You are very optimistic?. 

APJ: I wouldn't say optimistic. I would say realistic. There is a lot of difference. (Laughs)We need to look at the good aspects of life. Look at the shadows in life, not the sunshine, and have a big goal in life. There arethree thingsWe need to look at everything, the shadows and the sunshine. Have a goal, be happy, appreciate your colleagues, and have good friends —books, apart from your three-dimensional friends! Books have always been my friends. My companions.

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AB: What are your five favourite books, that you recommend to the youth?

APJ: 

1. 'Light from many Lands', by Lilliam Watson.
2. 'Thirukkural' - an ancient book, by Thiruvalluvar
3. Everyone should have a spiritual book, for me it's the Holy Koran.
4. 'Empires of the mind', by Dennis Waitely.
5. 'To begin where I am', by Czeslaw Miloz.

SS: The youth in Northeast & J&K feel neglected due to lack of opportunities for employment. This resulted in violence in Assam recently.What message do you have for the youth there?

AB: How do you reassure them?

APJ: I have been to all states in the Northeast and to Jammu & Kashmir. My feeling is thatthere are two things: One is, employment is to be generated. Just like both of you are saying you want to be an entrepreneur and you wantto join business - this is beautiful. I have never seen this kind of 100% yield till today. (Laughs).When I go there, most of them want to joingovernment jobs. That is because of the way our education system has grown us. 

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I personally believe when you are studying in Lady Shri Ram college or in IIT Kharagpur, along with your course you should also receive a diploma type, a trainingfor about 6 months of specialising in certain training leading to employment. So that along with your Civil Engineering degree, you have employmentpotential of giving the country what is immediately required. Maybe, agricultural implements or harvesting methods you could improve, or storingproblems, silos. Our problem is that millions of tons of food is wasted because of storing problem. 

In college they can give you additional computer experience or since you are an economics student, there arethree sectors, agriculture, industry and services, so you should have your own choice in college to prepare you for a particular sector. Youshould have an entrepreneurship capability. The whole economy of the nation comes from the entrepreneurs, the smallenterprises. It is not by joining government jobs. People should have the confidence to do what they want to do and theprofession that they choose should have a demand in the nation.

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Have you exhausted all your questions?

AB and SS:  No sir! Quite a few more...

APJ: Some people are waiting outside .. but you tell me..

AB:  The safety of women is an issue on everyone's mind... How would you make the women of India feel more secure?

APJ:  There are three things. First, the law has to be amended to make it more stringent. Punishment should be severe and serve as a deterrent. Second, there should be quick judgement. Cases should not be allowed to pile up. Third, the diagnosis should be carried out properly by the police.[And, there is a fourth], you must have self-confidence.

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AB:  Do you see movies?

APJ: For me, you are all movies. Everyday I meet people like you and you are the movie for me.

AB:  You don't even watch cricket? 

APJ: Cricket, I like; commentaries I hear.

SS:  Are you interested in Cricket ?

APJ: In my school and college days I used to play. Now every time I want our people to do well. They did well in Australia.

AB:  There seems to be a beacon of hope in the present Indo-pak ties. Do we see peace coming our way? 

APJ: We have offered, we had peaceful elections. Secondly, our PM has himself volunteered, offered amessage, now only by discussion we have to solve the problem.

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AB: So how do you think we, as the youth, can help in this?

APJ: When I was in Kashmir, children told me to allow them to cross the border, spread the message of peace. Looking at history, there is a common civilisational fibre among all Asians. We must look at the common things (that affect common people) like roads, buses, trains, aircraft. Here's apoem, hope you understand it:: "When guns are silent, Flowers blossom on the Earth/ Fragrance engulfs good soulswho created beautiful silence" Whoever is responsible for making the guns silent gets the fragrance of the flowers.[Laughs]

SS: The next question is pertaining to the IITs and IIMs. The HRD ministry is trying to have a greater control, greater authority over the functioningof the IITs and the IIMs. Don't you think this will lower the standards of these premier institutions?

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