Ushering in a better world through the minds of youth
Text of address by former Indian President
Dr. Abdul Kalam at the BMICH Colombo on January 21, 2012 titled ‘Ignited
mind of the Youth are the greatest resource for the nation’
I am indeed delighted to participate in the public lecture organized
by Bandarnaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) in Colombo. When
I see large number of youths and the distinguished citizens of Sri
Lanka, I would like to share my thoughts on the topic ‘Ignited minds of
the youth are the greatest resource for the nation’.
Youth power
I would like to put forth that ignited minds of the youth is the most
powerful resource on the earth, above the earth and under the earth. I
am convinced that the youth power, if properly directed and led, could
bring about transformational changes in humanity for its progress,
meeting its challenges and bring prosperity and peace. Let us now
consider two major problems the world faces: one is, out of seven
billion people, about three billion people live below poverty line, 50
percent of the population do not have access to safe drinking water,
above all many do not have access to quality education. What can the
youths of the world contribute to face the situation? Can every one of
the educated spread literacy at least to five in their life? Can the
youth spread the message of water conservation? Can the youth come with
‘out of box solutions’ for solving water scarcity?
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Former
Indian President Dr. Abdul Kalam |
I normally administer ten point oath to the youths of my country
conveys that the youths can make difference to the society where they
are living in the areas of literacy, environment, social justice,
minimizing rural urban divide, and work for the national development,
while working hard for an individual goal. I insist that small aim is a
crime. I see the youths development has multiple dimensions: The youth
working hard improving his knowledge with a career goal, can serve the
family, can serve the society, can serve the nation to which he or she
belongs and can serve the humanity as a whole. All are complimentary.
Unique you
I realize how the contributions of the youths in the past have
continuously enriched the world of today in many fields. When I am with
you, I would like to recall the inspiring advice to the youths by Swami
Vivekananda, “how has all the knowledge in the world been gained but by
the concentration of the power of the mind? The world is ready to give
up its secret if we only know, how to knock, how to give it the
necessary glow. The strength and force of the glow come through
concentration. There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The
more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point
that is the secret”. This thought has indeed influenced many and I would
suggest that the education system must develop this faith among our
youths and the youths to practice this faith of the confidence in all
their actions.
Dear friends, Look up, what do you see, the light, the electric
bulbs. Immediately, our thoughts go to the inventor Thomas Alva Edison,
for his unique contribution towards the invention of electric bulb and
his electrical lighting system. When you hear the sound of aero plane
going over your house, whom do you think of? Wright Brothers proved that
man could fly of course at heavy risk and cost. Whom does the telephone
remind you of? Of course, Alexander Graham Bell. When everybody
considered a sea travel as an experience or a voyage, a unique person
questioned during his sea travel from United Kingdom to India.
He was pondering on why the horizon where the sky and sea meet looks
blue? His research resulted in the phenomena of scattering of light. Of
course, Sir CV Raman was awarded Nobel Prize. India is fortunate, the
world is fortunate to have had a millennium leader of 20th century, that
is Father of the Nation ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ who got us the freedom and also
he became a great leader for South Africa’s movement against apartheid.
As President, Abraham Lincoln rallied most of the Northern Democrats to
the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation
Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the
Confederacy. Lincoln is remembered for this great action throughout the
world.
Inventions and discoveries have emanated from creative minds that
have been constantly working and imagining the outcome in the mind. With
imagining and constant effort, all the forces of the universe work for
that inspired mind, thereby leading to inventions and discoveries. The
question is: are you willing to become a unique personality? Let me
share an experience.
Friends, I have, so far, met 12 million youths in a decade’s time. I
learnt, “every youth wants to be unique, that is, YOU! But the world all
around you, is doing its best, day and night, to make you just
“everybody else”. At home, dear young friends, you are asked by your
parents to be like neighbours’ children for scoring good marks.
When you go to school, your teacher says “why not you become like the
first five rankers in the class”. Wherever you go, they are saying “you
have to be somebody else or everybody else”.
Criteria for achievement for youth
The challenge, my young friends, is that you have to fight the
hardest battle, which any human being can ever imagine to fight; and
never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place, that is, a
UNIQUE YOU! Friends what will be your tools to fight this battle, what
are they: have a great aim in life, continuously acquire the knowledge,
work hard and persevere to realize the great achievement.
How does achievement come? There are four proven steps; having an aim
in life before 20 years of age, acquiring knowledge continuously, hard
work towards the aim and perseverance to defeat the problem and succeed.
In this connection let me recall famous verses of 13th century Persian
Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi:
Wings to Fly
“You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.
You were born with ideas and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling,
so don’t, you have wings.
Learn to use them to fly.”
- Jalaluddin Rumi
Persian Sufi Poet (13th century)
My message to you, young friends, is that education gives you wings
to fly. Achievement comes out of fire in our sub-conscious mind that ‘I
will win’. So, each one of you assembled here and elsewhere in Sri
Lanka, will have ‘Wings of Fire’. The Wing of Fire will indeed lead to
knowledge which will make you to fly as a doctor, or an engineer, or a
scientist, or a teacher, or a political leader, or a bureaucrat or a
diplomat or you would like to walk on the Moon and Mars or anything you
want to be. I would like to assert that “No youths today need to fear
about the future”. How? The ignited mind of the youth is the most
powerful resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth.
Let me talk you about characteristics of knowledge society and
creative leadership.
The knowledge society in 21st century
The world in the 21st century will be a knowledge based society with
multiple opportunities. I was studying a book, ‘Empires of the Mind’ by
Denis Waitley. This book gives what type of the new world which we are
facing now? What was yesterday and what is today. I have modified
certain points of the author to suit our conditions. I have also added a
third line which is pertinent to the action required by the management
institutions.
It specially says that 'what worked yesterday, won’t work today'.
*Yesterday – natural resources defined power
*Today - knowledge is power Institutions will be the powerhouse for
knowledge
*Yesterday - Hierarchy was the model
*Today- synergy is the mandate Institutions will be enabler of inte
section of multiple faculties towards mission goals
*Yesterday - leaders commanded and controlled
*Today - leaders empower and coach Potential Leaders will be empowered
through exposure to the needs of sustainable development
*Yesterday - shareholders came first
*Today - customers come first Education should inculcate sensitivity to
‘customer’ needs
*Yesterday - employees took order
*Today - teams make decision Institutions can inject team spirit
*Yesterday - seniority signified status
*?Today - creativity drive status Institutions is the breeding
environment for creativity
*Yesterday - production determined availability
*Today - Competitiveness is the key Competitiveness is powered by
research and university has to have the motto of
‘teaching-research-teaching’
* Yesterday - value was extra
*Today - value is everything Value based education has to be introduced
as a part of the curriculum, at least for one hour every week
*Yesterday - everyone was a competitor
*Today - everyone is a customer During education industrial and
entrepreneurship training is essential
*Yesterday - profits were earned through expediency
*Today - Work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
Home, organizations and educational places should become learning
places.
I am sure, all the members present here will keep these aspects of
21st century in mind which will facilitate the youths of Sri Lanka to
evolve the learning process for meeting the demands of the 10 components
of knowledge society. For that what is needed is the creative
leadership. Creative leadership means, exercising the vision to change
the traditional role from the commander to the coach, manager to mentor,
from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who
facilitates self-respect.
For accelerated societal transformation, we need the large number of
creative leaders. I am sure, the education system in Sri Lanka is geared
up for the generation of large number of creative leaders needed in
different disciplines required for national economic development.
The national economic development to be sustainable needs inclusive
development of both urban and rural sector. Sri Lanka has over 15,000
villages which need inclusive and integrated development comparable to
urban cities in Sri Lanka. They need knowledge transmission,
infrastructural provision – such as storage, processing and fast
transportation. These areas can be serviced in an integrated way through
PURA – Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Area. PURA envisages –
provision of physical, electronic and knowledge connectivities, leading
to economic connectivity in a rural complex using rural skill and
competence and raw materials. I have proposed this system of PURA
numbering 7,000 for inclusive development of India having 600,000
villages with 700 million people living there. For Sri Lanka, for a
rural population of over 15 million, I would suggest creation of 150
PURA complexes. For Sri Lanka, these 150 PURA complexes distributed
certain number as Coastal PURA, Hill PURA, and Plain PURA, depending
upon the terrain and the local core-competence. In PURA, main thrust
area is capacity building in farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, tourists
promoters and workers of small-medium scale industries. In India, this
system of PURA has been accepted by the government as an integrated
economic development system for rural development.
I am progressing in addition to sustainable economic development, it
is also essential to ethics and value system of citizens.
Every youth needs to have an ethics to acquire the quality of
creative leadership. If the nation needs creative leadership in all its
domain, the nation has to have national ethics.
National ethics for sustained growth
We need to have national ethics for sustained growth and peace. Where
from it starts?
* Nation has to have ethics in all its tasks, for sustained economic
prosperity and peace.
* If nation is to have ethics; society has to promote ethics and value
system.
* If society is to have ethics and value system, families should adhere
to ethics and value system;
* If families have to get evolved with ethics and value system,
parenthood should have inbuilt ethics.
* Parental ethics come from great learning, value based education and
creation of clean environment that leads to righteousness in the heart.
Let me now discuss about a very important area which is significant
to our quest in evolving an economically developed nation, we also have
many challenges to overcome. They include; promotion of morally upright
society which is will promote clean environment and above all, building
a compassionate society. All this can come out of a youth movement which
I have started in my country called “What can I give?” Let me give some
examples:
Can I be an Environment giver, thereby giving a clean environment and
conserve the planet and its habitat from degradation? (billion trees for
billion people; today we can decide, each one of us will plant five
trees and nurture)
Can I be a Care giver, and providing care to those needy, those who
are sick and those who are lonely in their pains? (Visit a hospital and
give happiness to the patients who are not visited by anybody. You can
offer flowers, fruits and cheerfulness of the youths)
Can I be a Rural Reform giver, leading to the transformation of my
village and rural India through programme PURA?
Now I would like to administer an oath for the youths, as I have done
for over more than 12 million youths in my country. Are you ready to
repeat with me?
Oath for the Sri Lanka Youths
I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. I realize that
small aim is a crime.
I will always be righteous in the heart which leads to beauty in the
character; beauty in the character brings harmony in the home, harmony
in the home leads to order in the nation and order in the nation leads
to peace in the world.
I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
I will be 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.
I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life. 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?”
I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in
vain”.
I will always work for Clean Green Energy and Clean planet Earth.
As a youth of Sri Lanka, I will work and work with courage to achieve
success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
All my knowledge and work will be towards bringing glory to Sri
Lanka.
May God bless you.
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