NEW YORK: Former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was conferred the Hoover Medal for 2008 – a prestigious award instituted by five major engineers organizations in the US to recognize unselfish, non-technical services by engineers to humanity – at a ceremony held on the Columbia University campus in New York City on April 28.
At the event attended by Nobel laureates, academicians, students and members of the Indian American community the former President made a detailed presentation of his vision for India that encompasses rural connectivity, energy independence and water mission with the application of science & technology management.
Kalam said in his long career as a scientist he had learnt that leadership essentially requires a leader to have a vision, passion for transferring that vision into action, know how to manage success and failure and most importantly ability to work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
As has become his style, Kalam later opened the floor to take questions from the audience, interacting with them directly by dispensing off with the moderator, and fielded queries on a wide range of subjects from India’s need for nuclear energy, education, terrorism, nuclear weapons, to HIV/AIDS in India.
Kalam said eradication of poverty was important to eradicate terrorism. “Rich nations have to come together to help remove poverty from the poor nations. That is the only way to rid the world of terrorism,” he said.
He said he believes the ignited minds of the youth are the most powerful resource on earth.
The ever optimist, Kalam said India would succeed in finding a solution to combat HIV/AIDS in the next four to five years; would produce thorium-based nuclear energy in the next 10 years and eradicate poverty by 2020.
Asked what his message was for the Indian youth pursuing higher studies in the US, Kalam said, “For those students who intend to come back to India after completion of their studies, my message is that they learn what is most unique to the US -- entrepreneurship -- and become entrepreneurs on their return to India. And for those students who decide to settle in this country, my message is: Work and do your best for the country you are in.”
At the Indian Consulate
It was vintage Abdul Kalam – a scientist, a visionary, a teacher and a humanist – that had endeared himself all over again to more than 300 people who turned up to hear him speak at the Indian Consulate in New York on the eve of the Hoover Medal ceremony.
The immensely popular former President of India, who, in a manner akin to a kindergarten teacher, made the standing room only audience of highly qualified professionals, and community leaders repeat after him the profoundly simplistic message of attaining world peace through righteous living by every individual; and further endeared himself when he refused to stand to ceremony by freely and indulgently mingling with the people, endlessly posing for photographs and shaking countless hands through the evening.
The teacher in him was also apparent when Kalam kept his speech brief and encouraged the audience to ask him questions, even prodding them to keep up the questions and pay attention to his responses rather than talk among themselves at the back of the room.
Kalam had earlier inaugurated a photographic exhibition – Through the Eyes of Others: Photographs of India – presented by the Indian American Arts Council. Curated by Priyanka Mathew, the exhibition features uncanny shots of sights from different parts of India seen through the lens of ten photographers from the US, Canada and Switzerland.
Commending the photographers for their creativity, Kalam later said creativity always creates a beautiful environment, which leads to innovation, which in turn leads to happiness in mankind.
On the subject of green energy, Kalam said, all the cars in the world put together generate 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide. “I have suggested what is called energy independence -- go off of fossil fuels with solar power using high powered solar cells; nuclear power through thorium-based nuclear reactors; and biofuels. The combination of these three will give a clean livable environment throughout the world.”
On the impact of the current economic slowdown in the West on India, Kalam said the conservative nature of the Indian banking system and the Indian psyche of saving have helped India. “Our economic condition is better off than many other nations though our export potential is reduced.”
For a sustainable economy Kalam repeated his vision of rural connectivity. For the development of the 600,000 villages in India with 700 million people, he propounds physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity, which will lead to economic connectivity. “That will inspire farming and fishing communities and craftsmen in the villages and will revive rural economy and lead to infrastructure development and small scale industry.”
On education, Kalam said there were three components – primary, technical and higher education – and was needed was reform in primary education. “We need great teachers, schools need to be become like laboratories with a beautiful environment.”
And finally, he said righteousness of character in every individual leads to harmony at home, order in the nation and ultimately peace in the world, and that righteousness can be achieved with the help of only three persons – one’s father, mother and primary school teacher.
And for good effect, Kalam, who is oft described as the “People’s President”, made the audience repeat after him his pet mantra of righteousness, which the amused audience willingly did.
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