Dr Abdul Kalam: hearty cheers for his delight and wisdom
The former Indian President Dr Abdul Kalam, who seems to be a
visionary on matters pertaining to communication sciences and other
allied subjects, was here with us discussing some significant factors
that need to be reassessed in its right perspectives. He had been
addressing various groups of individuals inclusive of the common masses
as well as specialized groups.
But all in all some of the addresses were not documented and lay in
various places. The time is ripe for us to tie them together and devise
ways of circulating in all the three languages: Sinhala Tamil and
English.
The addresses already documented carry a lot of information
formulated in a multi discipline and cross-cultural communication
format. The subject matter aims at a larger canvas of wisdom that is
linked with the technology and the use of the same in a globalised
world.
His basic premise seems to be the rediscovery of oriental knowledge
where he hints at the very meanings of terms, phrases and mottos. One
example that comes to my mind is the motto of the Moratuwa University:
‘Vidyatva Sarwadhanam’ which means ‘Wisdom is all Wealth’. According to
Dr Kalam a higher institute like a university is not just a place which
churns out our graduates in numbers, but a place where scholars are
produced with great difficulty.
The scholars are not mere humans who perform a particular job of work
but scholars who are required to change the society for the betterment
of masses.
In this direction he had pointed out several celebrities like Mahatma
Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dr C V Raman, our scholar Prof Mohan Munasinghe,
Prof Vikram Sarabhai and the pioneers of the calibre of Alexander Graham
Bell and Edison.
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Dr Abdul
Kalam |
He was also referring to the poems of Moulana Jalaludeen Rumi, the
Sufi poet who lived in the 13th century. A poem was quoted with a multi
dimensional meaning which goes as follows
‘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’
He analysed the poem in order to show how a person can fly through
the sphere of education as it is the system that gives the wings to a
scholar. In order to achieve the right kind of education, as he stated,
the several basic factors have to be fulfilled. ‘I will win’ should be
the guiding motto of a scholar according to Kalam. For him the system
design, system integration and system management are the significant
beginnings in the direction of education.
Followed by this phenomenon he draws examples from his own
experiences from the schooling days to his university and post graduate
periods of education at home and abroad on a subject like aeronautical
engineering. One of the most striking factors of his addresses is the
way he formulates and lays down models of guidance one such example is
his oath for students.
The first oath goes as ‘engineering, technology healthcare and
management is a life time mission. I will work, work and work and
succeed.’
How many of us had the chance of meeting a teacher who ever imparted
us this knowledge? This could be a starting point in our own primary
education. But harking back perhaps we ought to see some oaths of this
calibre written in the form of verses.
Secondly, he says ‘wherever I am, a thought will always come to my
mind. That is what process or product I can innovate, invent or
discover’. This could be a well laid down guideline for any form of
subject irrespective of the area of scholarship. Even the creative
writers may learn a lot from this guidance. What am I writing and to
whose benefit am I writing may be a starting point.
Thirdly, I will always remember that ‘let not my winged days be spent
in vain’. Fourthly, I realize that I have to set a great technological
goal that will lead me to think high work and persevere to realize the
goal.
The remarkable factor here is the ‘goal’ or the intention which
should be noble and a great achievement.
Fifthly, who should be our friends and well wishers in this goal to
achievement? They should be the great scientists, the great
technological minds, great teachers and great books. These factors have
to be exemplified at length.
Sixthly, one should try his /her best to eliminate ‘defeatism’ which
looks like the greatest enemy to innovations and creations of all kinds.
As such the great teachers, the great technological minds and great
books have the power to eradicate the concept of defeatism. All oriental
religions teach us this lesson of overcoming defeatism.
As the seventh factor he takes the planet earth as the most important
area to change for good living which is the greatest achievement of
humans in the course of the evolution.
One has to work hard in order to remove the problems faced by the
planet earth in the areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management
and environment through the application of science and technology.
The eighth factor is an age old saying modernized as ‘I will work in
order to see that Sri Lanka be made the granary of South East Asia’, a
historical truth forgotten over the times. Let us not forget the fact
that we belong to an agrarian culture.
The ninth and the last in the list of oaths is the most significant
of the individual in the society.
This goes to say that one should strive to be a good family member,
as the family is the most significant unit in our lives. So the oath is
drafted as ‘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’.
It is heartening to observe the personalities like Dr Abdul Kalam
visiting our country to impart the right kind of knowledge at the right
time.
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