President Prepares "Valuable Minds" of Children for "Focussed Missions" to create a "Competitive India" where his visions would be turned into Realities.

Many amongst us may be treating the President's address to the nation on the eve of every Republic day as a customary event. However, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is a President with the difference. Every one of his speeches is loaded with suggestions and guidelines. In his address to the nation this year on 25th January, he not only touched upon numerous subjects but also provided his vision to handle them. These included - economic prosperity, the thaw in Indo-Pak relations, profile of Competitive India, the challenges before the country, S&T growth, modernizing our defense forces, increasing energy production, civic awareness which basically is keeping our environment unpolluted and clean, and eradicating corruption. He also called upon the political parties to present manifestos that would appeal to the optimism of the young India. He equally argued for more voter turn out in the ensuing general election to strengthen our democracy.

The President prescribed ten dimensional transformations needed for creating a competitive India where in equitable distribution of energy and water is ensured, the divide between urban and rural India is narrowed down, education is offered to all meritorious, and it is a healthy nation driven by technological advancements with scholars getting their due respect and importance. While touching upon the challenges daunting the country, he listed the service to the society as one of the challenges to the scientists and he called upon the scientists to have social responsibility. Being himself a scientist, his words carry more weight. He also listed the image of our higher education, examination reforms, need to boost our agricultural production to around 400 million tones per annum by 2020 and also the need to boost our agro-based industry, and pharmaceutical industry as the major challenges in order to combat the negatives that come in the way of creating a "competitive India".

Although all of them require deep introspection and even the need for the social scientists and psychologists to prepare theses on them as they are so important and thoughtful, we would touch upon two important unusual aspects of President's address to the nation this year. Fundamentally, he sent a clear message to the nation that only the kids of today can transform his visions into realities. As he addresses school and college kids in every one of his visits to any corner of this country, he devoted considerable portion of his address to the nation to children. He chose to specifically dwell on the optimism that he witnessed on Young India's face. When he was discussing the need to build a corruption-free nation, he rightly talked about the need to build the character of the country. Who is more amenable for change and evolution? Obviously not the grown ups but the one's who have impressionable minds.

His prescription to rid this nation from corruption is simple and he calls it a "three dimensional action plan". He exhorted every father, mother and the elementary school teacher to get into this action plan. He says only these three can build right character in the young children of this country. If this simple job is done properly, this country in the near future would definitely be rid of corruption and other social evils. He advised the children to start this (eradicating corruption) from their families. A very simple but a powerful suggestion! The distressing fact is that as he is addressing the nation, in the same week, a Judge gave the warrant to arrest President himself in exchange of Rs 40,000 as bribe. Not only the President and the Chief Justice of India Mr. V.N. Khare but the entire nation is worried as to where this country is heading for! Instead of deploring, let us implement President's "three dimensional action plan". Obviously it would not help today as it would take time for our children to take guards. We have rotten this nation at least let our children reform it and build it as a strong nation with "character" when they take guards.

Dr Kalam administered oath to the children of this nation during his address which is a right deviation from the custom. He covered in the oath to children the following: the need and the power of education, spreading literacy, planting saplings and growing them into trees (he is very accurate here as he advised them not only to plant saplings but also to ensure their growth through constant care), societal responsibility in alleviating the pain of fellow brethren and eradicating addiction and gambling from society, being honest and eradicating corruption, building a righteous family with a strong character and being an enlightened citizen, helping the mentally and physically challenged people, not supporting any religion, caste, and language differentiation, and most importantly the need to proudly celebrate the success of our country and our people. As the wide spread religious intolerance prevailing in the country today can drag our progress, he rightly stressed the need for not supporting any religious, language and caste based differentiation. In his message to the nation, the President recalled his address that he delivered in 2002 after he became the President. In that address he stressed the need for "unity of minds" and he suggested that this must become one of the "focused missions" of our nation. 

In his recent address to the nation on the eve of our 55th Republic day, he happily shared the development that has taken place in this mission. He shared the details that recently fifteen Gurus, Acharyas, Swamijis, Maulavis, Reverent Fathers, Spiritual leaders, devotees and the representatives of many religions met at Surat in the presence of His Holiness Acharya Mahaprajna and deliberated for two days. This deliberation has taken vital decisions leading to the religions graduating as "spiritual force". These religious leaders declared that the nation is bigger than any leader or individual or an organization. They had also collectively evolved five inter-religious projects for implementation. This profound and focused mission of elevating religion into "spiritual force" in order to "unite minds" would definitely find a new height for India among the other world countries. Especially in a charged atmosphere that we live today, if religions have to achieve what they are meant for, this mission is the only way by which they could serve as positive forces. Otherwise religions would lose their meaning and relevance. India is the destination for foreigners for spirituality and this latest effort is building our supremacy and credibility in that aspect. By sharing the above detail and specifically administering the oath to the children of this nation, the President prepares "valuable minds" of children and youngsters (who constitute 54% of our population) to create a "competitive India" where his visions would be turned into realities. 

In this effort, he requests the contribution of every father, mother and elementary school teacher of this country to put into force his "three dimensional action plan". He is clear and accurate in his thoughts and suggestions. He did not say teachers of this nation. He specifically asked for the help of elementary school teachers. Because, the seed has to be sown properly at the right place and at the right stage. The President recalled the famous statement from Vedic Guru who said "You give me a child for seven years - after that, no God or devil can change the child". That is the real power of the teacher. Who can build the character of this nation if not the elementary school teachers?

The President's address to the nation on the eve of our Republic day this year was truly an unusual event, but then the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is an unusual man. For those who missed to hear his address the nation, please visit http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/republicdetail.jsp?id=2

This write-up is devoted to my elementary school teachers and our venerable President.