Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Thus Spake Kalam

Small aim is a crime

By Shyamsunder Panchavati

Former President of India Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam speaking at the mass training programme organised to ignite & train 50 thousand students by the TTD Devasthanam Tirupati Andhra Pradesh India.Working with him and for Lead India 2020 Foundation has been a proud privilege and a great learning experience,I will always cherish till the end of my life. 

Please read and comment,


Shyam


kalam_speachNo youth today need to fear about the future

Small aim is a crime

Friends, when I see you all as Lead India team many scenes come in front of me. What are the scenes? As boys and girls below 15 years, I see you all trained by Lead India to be good students of your teachers, lovable child of your parents and good citizens of the nation.

I am happy that lead India 2020 Foundation with the motto “Aap Badho – Desh Ko Badhao” is facilitating conduct of training programme in different parts of Andhra Pradesh. I appreciate Dr. KV Ramanachari for taking the initiative in training large number of school leaders and lecturers from TTD institutions and creating a base for value based education to the students of this region. Shri Ravichandra, Collector of Chittoor district has also played an important role in inculcating Lead India concepts in maximum number of schools of this region. This type of action will definitely enable promotion of removing the illiteracy of the state and building of knowledge society.

You will succeed

This lead India training is a beautiful lifelong experience for you. With this background of training for the youth, what type of India you will make? After all India needs ignited minds of the youth which is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth and under the earth.

When I was a young boy of your age I had few concerns in my life. Will I ever go out of my village for high school studies? When I reached the high school in small town and saw my colleagues well dressed, good at speaking English, I used to ask myself, when will I enter into their company? When I reached 9th class I had a concern, will I get good marks to go for higher education particularly engineering science or medicine? When I reached 10th class definitely all these concerns vanished, because of the company of great teacher. He gave me the vision for my life. Definitely the members of Lead India movement have great teachers who will provide the Vision for the youth.

Let not thy winged days, be spent in vain

As you all know, the earth rotates on its own axis once in a day having 24 hours or 1440 minutes or 86400 seconds. Earth itself orbits around the sun. It takes nearly one year for an orbit. With the completion of one rotation of earth around the sun, your age is added by one year as you are living on planet earth. Seconds fly, minutes fly, hours fly, days fly and years fly. We have no control over it. The only thing that we can do is, while the time flies, we can navigate the time.

“Let not thy winged days, be spent in vain”.

Building Confidence

The next important quality required in you is building confidence. Building confidence comes out of company of great human beings, great teachers and great books.

When I was studying in the 5th standard, many of us used to get less than 40 marks in mathematics. My mathematics teacher asked us when you are getting more than 80 marks in other subjects, why are you getting low marks in mathematics. Immediately, he evolved a method of teaching and creation of confidence for the whole class. How did the teacher inject the confidence in us. He conducted a class and gave us an exercise of 10 problems. In that exercise, more than 90% of the class including me got 100 out of 100. We were bubbling with happiness. Then onwards our maths performance improved much better. After few years only, we realized, that our teacher injected the confidence in us that I can do it by his teaching and also formulation of the problem to make us succeed and promote self-confidence. So friends, to succeed in life, each one of you have to cultivate the confidence in you that “I can do it”. The nation will build the confidence that “we can do it”.

Gandhiji’s mother’s advice

When I am with the students of TTD Institutions, I am reminded of the advice given to Gandhiji by his mother.

 She says,

“Son, in your entire life time, if you can save or better someone’s life, your birth as a human being and your life is a success. You have the blessing of the Almighty God”.

This advice has made a deep impact in the mind of Gandhiji, which made him to work for the humanity throughout his life.

I had another unique experience, a few years back, that reveals how a single leader can inspire a large population. I happened to meet, in Delhi, the grand-daughter of Mahatma Gandhiji, Mrs Sumitra Kulkarni. She narrated to me an incident about her grandfather, which she personally witnessed.

Nobility in Mind

Each day, as you all are aware, Mahatma Gandhiji used to have prayer meeting at a fixed time in the evening. After the prayers there will be a collection of voluntary gift for harijan welfare. The devotees of Gandhiji used to collect whatever was given by the people of all sections and this collection wouldcounted by the supporting staff of Gandhi family. The amount so collected would be informed to Gandhiji before his dinner. The next day, a bank man wouldcome for taking this money. Once the bank man reported that there was a discrepancy of few paise in the money given to him and the money collected. Mahatma Gandhiji, on hearing this, went on fast telling that this was a donation for the poor and we have to account for every paise. Dear friends, his act of righteousness should be practiced by all of us.

On this day, let us rededicate ourselves to practice righteousness in all our thoughts and actions. Now I would like you to recite with me the divine hymn – Righteousness :


“Where there is righteousness in the heart,
there is a beauty in the character.
When there is beauty in the character,
there is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home,
there is order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
there is peace in the world.”

Friends, we can see a beautiful connectivity between heart, character, nation and the world. Now I would like to share some examples of transformation which has taken place in TTD Institutions and other schools due to Lead India Training.

Respect to elders

I was studying the transformation which has been brought among students who have undergone the Lead India training programme in Tirupati. Miss M. Suguna studying in 10th class in Sri Padmavathi Girl’s High School, daughter of M. Lakshmi Devi working as a labourer and who had lost her father in a young age had undergone this course. Prior to attending the course, Suguna was not respecting her mother and elders. She used to remain isolated and never used to talk anybody. The training programme made her realize the value of her mother. She started taking her blessings everyday before commencing any work. She had become courageous and had started taking deep interest in the study. In her spare time, she has started educating her neighbours. Also, she is explaining the evils of drinking and gambling among the neighbourhood members. Suguna is being recognized as a Lead India social reformer in her locality.

Truthfulness

I would like to share with you another example of transformers through Lead India Training. Master Nitish Kumar is studying in class 7th of Zilla Parishad High School, Shatham Baakam, Penumuru Mandalam. He was famous as a naughty boy always telling lies. After attending the Lead India training programme, Nitish Kumar has realize value of truth and has become self-disciplined. One day when he was traveling in a bus, a person called Gangadhar belonging to Nellore, Eguvakaaluva lost his mobile. He searched for his address and returned back mobile. As a complement, Shri Gangadhar sent Rs.200/- to Master Nitish Kumar. But Master Nitish refused to accept the money sent by Shri Gangadhar that “we cannot purchase truth with money”.

Conclusion

Friends, as a Lead India team member, I suggest to the teachers, parents to ensure that the Lead India young members have three unique characteristics of life. (1) Realising the importance of present that is today (2) the confidence that I can do it and (3) building righteousness in the heart.

Friends, India today has a mission of transforming itself into a developed nation with value system. This is a great challenge. This can be achieved through our youth power. Youth has got the power of ideas, ambition and ability. This resource of the youth is an important building block for transforming India into a developed nation. No youth today need to fear about the future.

May God bless you.

I would like the youth take an oath with me.

Oath for the Youth

1 I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. I realize that small aim is a crime.

2 I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.

3 I will be a good citizen of the country, a good member of my family, a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.

4 I will always try to save or better someone’s life, without any discrimination of caste, creed, language religion or state. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is “What can I give?”

5 I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life without any bias.

6 I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.

7 I will always work for clean planet Earth and clean energy.

8 As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.

9 My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.

Thanks for reading,

Shyamsunder Panchavati

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