What can I give?- President Kalam's talk in Milpitas, CA, USA on Sep 18, 2007

Here's a link to the video: http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/sep/19kalam1.htm

Here's the speech:

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Address and Interaction with the IISc, IIT & TIE San Francisco, USA


18/sep/2007 : San Francisco


What can I give?


In giving,
We receive happiness.


I am delighted to address and interact with the Members of Indian Institute of Science Alumni, Pan IIT and Tie and the family members. My greetings to all of you.



Brain Drain

During the last five years plus, in India and abroad, I have met over two million youth below 17 years in groups ranging from thousand, 50 thousand and some times even a lakh. In many of these meets, one question I have been invariably asked which is relevant to this great audience. They ask me - there are large number of professionally qualified people Doctors, Engineers and Scientists migrate to foreign countries particularly USA for further studies, research or employment. Is it not such a brain drain a big problem for the country?

I firmly tell that it is not. I used to say: Compared to the Indian population of one billion people about 22 million are spread throughout the world and are contributing to the nation where they have settled and are maintaining their connectivity with their parents and the educational institutions thereby enriching both the countries. Many of them have settled down as entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers or political leaders.


I recollect now the famous saying of Avayyar, the great poetess of Tamil Nadu.

Mission of life should be to earn knowledge and wealth even if it needs crossing the oceans. That is our great culture. I am delighted to see all of you performing well in your profession crossing multiple oceans. I also used to say Columbus discovered America. America is born out of migration of many millions from many countries. If people have not moved from one country to another, America would not have been born. For example: let us take the Silicon Valley, which has great scientific institutions, research institution and enterprises. If we see the constituents of Silicon Valley, we will find they are Indians, Chinese and Americans. I am convinced that movement enriches the society. It is of course a debating point. You may all like to give your views for shaping our thoughts. . Keeping this in mind, I have selected "What can I give" as the topic for initiating discussion today.

Unity of Minds

I was studying the classic "Dialogues of Plato", where Plato brings out "our aim in founding the State was not the disproportionate happiness of any one class, but the greatest happiness of the whole" in 2400 years ago. Similarly, during the same period Tamil poet Saint Thiruvalluvar said,

That is, "the important elements that constitute a nation are: being disease free; wealth; high productivity; harmonious living and strong defence". We have to find how we can provide all these elements to all the citizens of the nation on an equitable basis for happiness for all. This may result in an extremism free world, a peaceful world. I would like to first discuss with you my personal experience in exploring what brings happiness to the human beings.


During the year 2003, I visited one of the Indian states, Arunachal Pradesh, I visited a Buddhist monastry at Tawang 3500 m. altitude. I stayed and spent some time nearly for a day. I observed a unique situation in all the villages nearby where young and experienced were all radiating happiness in spite of severe winter environment. Then, I visited the 400 years old Tawang monastery itself and there also I saw monks of all age groups in a state of serenity. I was asking myself what is the unique feature of Tawang and surrounding villages which makes people and monks to be at peace with themselves. When the time came, I asked the Chief Monk, how in Tawang villages and monastry, I am experiencing peace and happiness being radiated by everyone. There was a pause, the chief monk smiled. He said, "You are the President of India. You will be knowing all about us and the whole nation". Again I said, "It is very important for me, you please give me your thoughtful analysis".


There was a beautiful golden image of Lord Buddha radiating smile and peace. The Chief Monk assembled nearby all his nearly 100 young and experienced monks. The Chief Monk and myself were sitting amidst them. The Chief Monk gave a short discourse, which I would like to share with you. Chief Monk said, "In the present world, we have a problem of distrust, unhappiness transforming into violence. This monastery spreads: when you Remove "I" and "Me" from your mind, you will eliminate ego; if you get rid of ego, hatred towards fellow human beings will vanish; if the hatred goes out of our mind, the violence in thinking and action will disappear; if violence in our mind is taken away, peace springs in human minds. Then peace and peace and peace alone will blossom in the society". I realized the meaning of beautiful equation for peaceful life, but difficult mission for the individual is how to remove the ethos of "I" and "ME". For this, we need the education inculcated in the young age as propagated by Greek and Indian philosophers.


In my search for evolving a peaceful and prosperous society, I got part answer. My search for real truth continues. I saw an ancient Christian monastery in Bulgaria, where I had a discussion with highly experienced monks on the message of Tawang. The Monk added that forgiveness is also the foundation of good life. Similarly in the birth place of Swami Vivekananda, I explained the Tawang experience to the disciples and they too felt the Tawang experience indeed is beautiful and they added "Trait of Giving" will add to peace and happiness. Then I visited Ajmeer Sharif where I participated in the Friday Namaz. Here, the Sufi expert told me that Almighty's creation, the man, has been challenged with another powerful creation of Shaitan. Only good deeds lead to good thinking, good thinking results into actions radiating love as commanded by Almighty. While talking about good deeds, 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. During the 100th birthday of His Holiness Sree Sree Shivakumara Swamiji of Sree Siddaganga Math, Tumkur, Karnataka, a southern state of India - a message of "Giving" came to my mind celebrating his contribution, which I would like to share with you

"Radiating message on Giving"

"O my fellow citizens,
In giving, you receive happiness,
In Body and Soul.
You have everything to give.
If you have knowledge, share it.
If you have resources, share it with the needy.
Use your mind and heart,
To remove the pain of the suffering,
And, cheer the sad hearts.
In giving, you receive happiness.
Almighty will bless all your actions.”


What message do we get from all these experiences? All these experiences give an insight that human beings can attain lasting peace and happiness only when they rise above their selves and work towards serving others without external temptation. Is it utopian goal or is it practicable in day-to-day life? I have come across many incidents where people have, irrespective of their normal professional affiliations, have come forward for great societal missions by giving.



Punjab Experience in reviving the waterways

Last year, I was in Punjab, a northern state of India. There, I visited Sultanpur Lodhi and saw the marvelous development which has taken place on the river Kali Bein. I was delighted to see the rejuvenated Kali Bein, the place where the revered Sikh Guru Gurunanak Devji is said to have received enlightenment. Over the years this rivulet had turned into weed choked drain. Now, river is clean due to the efforts of Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, a priest in a Gurudwara temple and his team. Babaji had organized people’s participation in stopping the massive flow of sewage into the Bein and cleaned 160 km long polluted and choked rivulet within the last five years by deploying on an average 3,000 kar sevak (volunteer pilgrims) per day. Today one can feel the flow of fresh water in this rivulet released from the Tarkina Barrage by the government. The revival of the rivulet has recharged the water table as the hand pumps that had become dry for the past 4 decades are now pumping out water. Also, I saw speed boats running on the river. The 3 kms stretch which I physically saw was a beautiful site to watch with nice bathing ghats, tree orchards on the bank of the river and well laid out roads parallel to the river. I also saw the great happiness of giving on the faces of the volunteers who had physically participated in this task. This is a great example of giving and happiness arising out of giving. In the context of "Giving,nations all around have the responsibility of promoting peace and prosperity. "



Righteousness in the heart

Recently on 25 April 2007, I addressed the EU Parliament on the subject of "Dynamics of Unity of Nations", in which I started with Righteousness in the heart leading to peace in the world. Let me share the divine hymn

Righteousness

"Where there is righteousness in the heart
There is 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 an order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
There is peace in the world."





This is true, for the whole world. When we need peace in the world, we need order in the nation; we need harmony in the home, whether in Europe or in India or in any part of the world, the origin is righteousness in the heart. How do we evolve righteousness, in the hearts of every citizen of the world? For this I discussed a three dimensional approach: "Education with value system", "Religion transforming into Spiritual Force" and "Economic Development of the nation to remove the disparities in the society".
Now, I would like to talk to you about the present ambience in India and the dreams, that will pave the way for intensifying our cooperation towards national prosperity and world peace.



Ascent Phase

India is in an ascending economic trajectory, with continuously rising foreign exchange reserves, moderate rate of inflation, global recognition of our technological competence, energy of 540 million youth, umbilical connectivities of 22 million people of Indian origin in various parts of the planet. India as the largest democracy in the world has the reputation for providing leadership to one billion people with multi-cultural, multi-language and multi-religious backgrounds. Our technological competence and value systems with civilizational heritage are also highly respected. Foreign Institutional Investors are finding investing in India attractive. We are in the process of accelerating our clearance system of investment proposals. Our industrialists are also investing abroad and opening new business ventures. The Indian economy is growing with an average annual GDP growth rate of over 8 to 9%. Very soon, we will be reaching the target of 10% GDP growth rate. Now, I would like to talk to you about the possible Indian ambience in 2020.



Possible Ambience in 2020

I visualize a prosperous India well before the year 2020. We expect the people below the poverty line to come to near zero and our literacy must be nearly 100%. The Human Development Index of India will be less than 50. Every Indian will have either a good university degree or quality training with globally competitive employable vocational skill. E-governance would be in position for all Government to Government (G2G) and Government to Citizens (G2C) transactions making the governance system transparent with a National ID card in position. Tele-density will reach over 75%. All our villages will have reliable, uninterrupted quality electric power supply. 600,000 villages will have all three connectivities such as physical connectivity, electronic connectivity, knowledge connectivity leading to economic connectivity through the programme of PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas). The interlinking of rivers and water bodies and use of technology for water collection, water recycling and water management will result in equitable distribution of water for drinking, irrigation, industry, navigation and as natural beauty. There will be no shortage of water in any part of the country nor will there be disasters due to floods, water logging etc. India would have realized energy security and would be working towards energy independence. Good sanitation facilities will be available in homes in every part of India and for all Indians and tourists. We will be using more of renewable energy such as solar energy, wind power, bio-mass, mini and micro Hydel and thorium based nuclear reactors which are environment friendly energy sources.





Through responsive and innovative venture capital systems and entrepreneurial training both in schools and colleges, we will have more enterprises leading to a large number of employment generators rather than employment seekers. A pro-active healthcare system delivered through innovative schemes will provide quality healthcare access at an affordable cost to all the people including those living in remote areas. Everyone will have an opportunity to take up and complete courses of choice in higher education. In addition to the above economic, social and human development, India will also have a visible global presence in strategic sectors and will contribute to world peace. All our technological and economic advances while enhancing our prosperity would embed our value system derived from our civilizational heritage. This unique combination will make our growth robust and sustainable and will lead to a peaceful, secure, happy and prosperous society. For achieving Vision 2020 from the present ambience, we need a measurement tool which can guide us in our growth path. Since we are looking for inclusive growth for our one billion people, we need a comprehensive measure of our growth in terms of the National Prosperity Index.



National Prosperity Index

While our economy is very much in the ascent phase and our GDP is growing at nearly 9% per annum, it is evident that economic growth is not fully reflected in the quality of life of a large number of people, particularly in rural areas and even in urban areas. Hence, we have evolved what is called a "National Prosperity Index (NPI)" which is a summation of (a) Annual growth rate of GDP; plus (b) improvement in quality of life of the people, particularly those living below the poverty line plus (c) the adoption of a value system derived from our civilizational heritage in every walk of life which is unique to India. That is NPI=a+b+c. Particularly, 'b' is a function of availability of housing, good water, nutrition, proper sanitation, quality education, quality healthcare and employment potential. 'c' is a function of promoting the joint family system, creation of a spirit of working together, leading a righteous way of life, removing social inequities, and above all promoting a conflict free, harmonious society. This will be indicated by peace in families and communities, reduction in corruption index, reduction in court cases, elimination of violence against children and women and communal tensions. There should also be progressive reduction in the number of people living below the poverty line leading to its becoming near zero by 2020. All our efforts are directed towards improving the national economic performance guided by the measured National Prosperity Index of the nation at any point of time.



Conclusion

Imagine the efforts needed to achieve this mission. Based on my visits to all the states and union territories and my discussions with many people from different walks of life, I am convinced that it is possible for the country to be developed by 2020. We constitute one sixth of the global population and the transformation that we do to one sixth of the world will benefit the other population also. A great opportunity awaits you wherever you are in providing your contribution to this great transformation. I request all of you to participate in this mission of Developed India 2020 and to make it a reality by your attitude of give, give and give of the knowledge and experience you have gained over the years. This will be the singular contribution for which our motherland will be proud of you. Wish you all the best in all your missions.





May God bless you.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
18.09.2007

Mera rang de basanti chola...

We don't realize how hard earned India's freedom was..some paid the price for everyone else. Its upon us to realize their dreams..



I'm hopeful...

Just another day for you and me in paradise...

Can't say anything, after this song.
I'm hopeful...

Laugh your way through life...and make others laugh..that's all life is all about..

This is an hour long talk by Prof. Randy Paush at Carnegie Mellon University - his last lecture before he leaves this world due to serious Cancer Illness in two months or so.
I've to be honest, I'd never heard of him before, but I'm full of awe and amazement as well as am totally inspired by what he taught in this one hour.
So many things we talk about in Corporate world, doing the right thing, integrity, team work, having fun at work, this man has demonstrated all of that while continuously dreaming big through out his life and enabling people to achieve their dreams. Even as he leaves this world, he leaves a legacy behind which is all about enabling people to achieve their dreams.

Believe me this one hour is worth every second. So watch it till the end.


I'm hopeful...

What can I give to my nation?

On Republic Day, January 26, 2007, president Kalam addressed the nation ( President Kalam's Republic Day Speech). His address was to Indians who ask "What can I give to my nation?".

A Good Thing A Day is an effort which gives Indians a platform to hopefully start by taking baby steps to give something back to mother India and its people and then depending on what they want to do, accomplish big feats to take India forward in many many ways. A Good Thing A Day will also provide them a way to share, learn from other like minded people who dream of making India better, stronger every day.

I'm hopeful...

A Good Thing A Day

Today I started a new blog called "A Good Thing A Day". http://agoodthingaday.blogspot.com  The blog is primarily focussed on making a call to so many able Indians to come forward and take a little time every day to do something good..some thing that they feel good about in their heart as they go to bed every night...something they are proud of.. and then spread the word or share their experiences with other people who would like to make a difference in lives of so many other Indians.  These deeds could be simple things they do as they go through their busy schedules or could be really complicated initiatives..

 

 

I hope this blog/site will bring several like minded people together  who want to do positive things and make India better. I hope people will share their experiences and also help each other  in their endeavors. Social networking has been so powerful, but lets see if it works to improve the lives of millions of Indians or even a fraction of them.

 

I'm hopeful.

 

Navneet

Fir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (My heart is still Indian)

Accidentally I came across this song again today after a long time... and it touched me... I've always loved this song (especially its video)..reminds me of everything Indian..



My heart is and will always be Indian