The visionary of progress and development

Whenever the rarest of the rare personalities, father of rocketry, Bharat Ratna, Dr. Abdul Kalam, meets someone—be it a child, be he a youth or a person of age, a female or male, writer, poet, press correspondent, scholar, administrative officer or an ordinary employee, he leaves a great impact of his everlasting affection and friendliness. His greatest quality is that as soon as he gets a chance to meet children, students or science graduates, he, without caring for protocols, comes forward and encourages them and also answers their queries withoout delay. He studies the problems, goes deep into them and then instructs the concerned departments to do the needful.
Recently he visited Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) and assured the victims of all possible help at the Central Government level. There he met children and made them sing his ‘song of youth’ in order to fill them with energy and encourage them to work for the development of India. Then he met teachers, intellectuals, engineers and political leaders without hesitation or reservation, gave autographs to children, participated in photo-session and expressing his affection for media persons, he stressed on the need of a network of four-point formula for the progress and development of villages. The four things that are required to be exploited for the development of villages are—
1. Knowledge, 2. Roads, 3. Science, and 4. Technology.
He inspired the people of this country to make a network of the above four things for the progress and development of villages in India. And seeing the ‘Gandhi Jal Sangrahalaya’ he expressed his appreciation for it and said that such experiments should be carried out all around in the country.
The more we acquaint ourselves with the supreme thoughts and feelings of Dr. Abdul Kalam, the greater is the impact that he leaves on us. His determination and humble prayers offered to God fills us with reverence for the Almighty and creates faith in Him. His latest book, which has been written specially for children, begins with important journeys made by him, philosophy and other things, but in the last chapter of the book which is almost a dedication to the citizens of India and especially the prayer made by him to the Almighty God is one which speaks out his emotions for the citizens of India and also his longing to see India as a developed country. He prays to God to bless him to be reborn as an Indian so that he may enjoy hearing the song of its glory.
Such humble articulation of feelings makes one feel that the Veda itself is reciting its hymns. Such great thoughts reveal their eternal existence collecting words from the storehouse of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam—a person who does not bind himself to one particular religion. Or else how could he talk of rebirth? By talking of his rebirth in India he means to convey that not only for the present but in the future also he wants to hear the song of glory sung in praise of his great nation.
It is only such great and idealistic persons who continue to exist till eternity. The tales of their virtuous deeds performed by them during their lifetime reverberate till the existence of the universe. Eternal are the stories of their determination to serve the mankind. And it is their such deeds which compel even God to extend His protection to them. Otherwise how else could he remain unscathed even after his helicopter crashed during its flight to Jharkhand? Here, one may have a glimpse of his large-heartedness by the fact that an incident which would have shaken even the bravest from within, left hardly any impact on him. He shook hands with the pilots, who were frightened to the core, and said that such happenings do take place with flying machines sometimes and that they should face such incidents bravely. What pleasant surprise it is that Dr. Kalam had a very narrow escape and yet he was absolutely normal and undeterred. It is nothing but his greatness. It has been rightly said—
‘Jaako Raakhe Saaiyan,
Maar Sake Naa Koye.’
i.e. one, who has God’s protection, cannot be killed by anyone.
It is also worth mentioning here that Dr. Abdul Kalam Sahib is the only person who has paid attention to the enormous quantity of minerals, iron ores and coal etc, available in Jharkhand and other such places, which are exported to Japan and other countries. These countries sell these in the form of steel and earn profits many more times in excess of their investments. And at the same time India has to remain content with a very meagre amount earned against the material exported. The same is with beryllium (a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic bivalent metallic element used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys) also, which is exported to America and some other countries at a very low price, and they are earning profits several hundred times in excess of their investment. Dr. Abdul Kalam Sahib is of the view that if these ores and minerals are processed and made use of in India, a new revolution in the field of industries can be brought.
While envisaging the possibilities of overall development of India and making India a most capable and powerful country by the year 2020, Dr. Kalam sometimes makes a mention of Ashtavakara and sometimes of great personages like Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor Ashoka, Abraham Lincoln and Caliph Omer. This shows that his vision is not limted to the borders of India only, he wants to make development a global phenomenon. Dr. Kalam says that the youth of India are the assets of this country. He considers the children of India to be the future ideal citizens of the country, politicians, scientists and ideal industrialists, and opens up the treasure of possibilities and hopes for the welfare of the country.
He pays special attention to incurable diseases like cancer and heart attacks and draws the attention of those in authority to make suitable arrangements for carrying out research works on them and make arrangements for treatment of such diseases. He believes in the universal truth that good health of the people of a nation enables them to work more vigorously and sincerely and ultimately leads the nation to the path of progress and development.
Dr. Abdul Kalam, while giving stress on the importance of keeping oneself in the sacred company of pious people, has also drawn the attention of his readers towards spiritual inclination also.
He went to Ahmedabad on 13 June 2001 to visit the earthquake victims, and then, having done the needful for them, he went and met the head of Swami Narayan Sanstha—Swami Maharaj. Dr. Abdul Kalam discussed with him in detail about science and spirituality. He met other saints also and felt that our openness to spiritualism is our strength in true sense. He is of the view that the people of India shall have to prepare the model of development of the country on these very grounds.
Dr. Abdul Kalam says that patriotism is something which is beyond politics and religion. He quotes Swami Vivekananda in support of his views—‘I shall continue to work for the welfare of others like water from a waterfall keeps falling in an endless process. This is what I call my Dharma.’

A fan made of fibre with less consumption of power

Dr. Abdul Kalam takes pride in singing the glory of the past of India. This proves that the feeling of nationalism is there in every cell of his body; and his such great feelings cannot be declared synonymous with any of the greatest things in the world.
Dr. Kalam quotes with great reverence the sayings of Maharshi Patanjali and Ravindranath Tagore in his writings and prays to God—‘O Almighty God! Create an awakening in my country.’
Dr. Kalam’s vision putting science and development together
It is a matter of pride for any scientist to become the president of his country. This is for the first time in the history of the republic of India that a senior scientist has attained the status of President of India.
This is an unforgettable moment for the scientific and academic world. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s becoming President of India is a wonderful event for the world of science and technology, and as has been realized and felt by all, it is a pleasing experience. It is not only because Dr. Kalam is a renowned scientist; or because he has made ‘Prithvi’ and ‘Agni’ missiles; or because he has helped India emerge as nuclear power; it is only because Dr. Abdul Kalam has, in addition to the above, had a vision and dream for India—a vision, a dream of every Indian—every child of India shares his dream. Dr. Kalam’s dream is to make India a developed nation; to make every Indian educated and healthy—the primacy of which cannot be ignored. He would love to see India emerge as a prosperous, powerful and developed country on the map of the world.
It is said that having dreams is not bad, but being obsessed by one’s dreams is indeed bad. But in the case of Dr. Kalam, things are different. He has a dream of India as a developed country and is determined to realize his dream. Dr. Kalam’s dream is not one the continuity of which breaks when one wakes up. In order to realize his great dream, he has prepared a plan which in technical terms is known as ‘Road Map’ or ‘Blue Print’. And so, Dr. Kalam’s dream is not simply a dream, it rather is a mission. He has plans to give it a form of national movement. This dream of Dr. Kalam is also known as ‘Vision-2020.
The credit of the fact that scientists like Dr. Abdul Kalam have flourished in India goes to the great politicians of this country who created suitable atmosphere for the world of science on our land. This is the only reason why India, despite being a developing and poor country, has put science and technology on a very high pedestal. Even before attainment of freedom, scientific researches were paid due importance and today also such researches receive serious attention. And the positive aspect of this seriousness is that India, now, does not have to depend on any developed country with regard to performance in the field of technology.
Today the entire world is aware of the technological capability of India in the field of space technological capability of Indian Remote Sensing Technology. The way in which gaint strides are being made by ISRO today is indicative of the fact that India will succeed in landing its satellite on moon in another ten years. Like, in the field of space technology India holds its head high, in the field of nuclear science also—be it the field of atomic energy or atom bombs—India plays a lead role in making use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. Now India holds sway in the field of nuclear power, especially after the successful neclear tests carreid out in Pokharan, known as Pokharan-2.

There is increase in the use of ‘Fly Ash’ in various fields. A technological
mission has been formed for its necessary technical development.

Dr. Abdul Kalam believes that India, now, is entering the scond phase of technological development. In the first phase India developed the basic scientific infrastructure and progressed in the important fields of nuclear and space technologies. Now, in the second phase of development India shall have to concentrate on new spheres of scientific advancements and make science and technology synonymous with development. Dr. Kalam Sahib says that in the coming decades our success in the field of science will depend on how we improve the quality of education management and research works. We shall have to link scientific researches and education, both with the requirements of our industries, agriculture and other services. It is only then that the benefits of scientific researches and inventions will emerge in the form of opulence and prosperity. Dr. Abdul Kalam believes that there is only one way following which India can be made a developed country and that is—science and technology should be linked with development. The role of these two is very important. And for this the first thing that we are required to do is to become self-raliant. Dr. Abdul Kalam had this very target on mind while working in various scientific departments. The development of India that we see today in the fields of space technology and the fields which are of tactical importance are all results of his efforts.
‘Technology should be multipurpose and multidimensional’—is the mantra of Dr. Kalam. The purpose of development of high technology is not to establish supremacy in the field of science. Many of the technologies developed for the security and safety of India are of non-strategic importance also. The rocket technology that has been developed is being used to serve the purposes of launching the tele-communication satellites. The technique applied to nuclar technology, which is of strategic importance, is also being used for generation of electricity. The technology, which is being used for making light combat Aircraft, can be used for making passenger planes also.
In order to realize the dream of making India a developed nation, an improvement shall have to be made in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the rate of development, in job opportunities, and in fulfilling the fundamental requirements of people with regard to education and health services. And along with this, concrete arrangements shall have to be made for safety and security of the nation. Dr. Kalam Sahib says that all this can be achieved with the help of developed technology and its proper use in every field of life. High technology can be made use of in every field of development. The greatest thing is that Dr. Kalam considers the increasing population of our country an important resource for developement of nation. It is also necessary that there should be complete co-ordination from all quarters for carrying out successfully the process of development.
Dr. Kalam has marked five great plans which can indeed become instrumental in realizing the dream of making India a developed country. The five plans as envisaged by Dr. Kalam are as under—
Agriculture and Food Processing—India shall have to produce double the quantity of foodgrains and agricultural material as compared with the present rate of production. Giving encouragement to agriculture and food processing will help villages prosper and there will be overall economic development in the country :
Electric Power Supply—It will be required to concentrate on proper supply of electric power throughout the country keeping in view its proper functioning also.
Education and Health Services—It has been seen that education and health services are linked with each other. For example, we can see that the state of Kerala has been able to exercise check on its swelling population with the help of education and health services. This has also brought an improvment in the standard of living of the general mass of Kerala. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu also, the plan of providing food to schoolchildren, has in some way, helped check the growth of population in the state.
Andhra Pradesh, too, can be quoted as an example. Big states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar also can benefit themselves with the experiences of the above states. The developed technological systems in farming can improve our agriculture and can also improve the standard of living of the general masses of our country.
Information Technology—By making suitable use of this technology we can make available education in every corner of our country, which, in turn, will bring opulence to our nation.
Fields of Strategic Importance—India has already attained great successes in these fields (space, nuclear and defence technologies). All the 30 missions depend on these five great plans. The purpose of these is to ensure proper production of foodgrains and make it economically secure. Already some missions had started during 2000-2001. The principal ones among these are as under—
Traffic machinery
Textile industries machinery
Health services and technical education etc.
Seeing the importance of these missions, the Finance Minister had, in the 2001-2002 budget, made provisions of special subsidies for them.
For example we may take technological experiments in the fields of agriculture. In ‘Vision 2020’ India has been envisaged to emerge as a big power in the world in the field of agriculture. In order to enable India to rise high in connection with export of foodgrains, it is required that the eastern zone of this country, where the rate of production is much less comparatively, shall have to make improvements in the field of production of wheat. In the areas where rice is the main crop, arrangements shall have to be made to produce hybrid rice at a very large scale. The central part of India requires to be developed as the centre of production of fruit, vegetables, pulses and rice paddies. Water shall have to be seen in the form of a national resource and water management shall have to be made on these very lines. The technicalties of precautions required to be taken after the harvest of crops, must also be observed. The farmers shall have to be acquainted with the latest techniques of agricultural science, so that they know what the farmers of the other parts of this country and the farmers of developed countries are doing. This may help enhance the productivity of Indian farmers and make them prosper. In various fields of agriculture the Indian scientists have developed many new techniques. All that we need to make these permanent is to create an organized infrastructure.
According to Dr. Y.S. Rajan, the results of ‘Mission Agriculture’ are already visible now. There has been improvement in total productivity of foodgrains in Bihar on the whole. The farmers are being advised to grow not only rice paddies, but other crops as well; and this has a positive effect on their economic development also. In the same manner the ‘Green House Technique’ has been made available to the farmers of Uttaranchal, so that they may grow various kinds of medicinal herbs.
The other concrete example of successful implementation of ‘Vision 2020’ is the development made in the field of advanced material. There is great storehouse of all kinds of minerals in India. But of what use are these storehouses of minerals to us unless we process and transform them into alloys? For rockets and satellites and other devices used in space technology and for defence materials of strategic importance, various kinds of highly processed metals and alloys are required.
Dr. Kalam meets tribesmen—An addiction to alcohol and to similar other harmful drugs is a definite vice which not only leaves a harmful effect on millions and millions of our people but it effects their families also. It is mainly due to this vice that every other day the newspapers may be seen flashing news of deaths in villages and other rural areas due to consumption of poisonous liquor.
It is a happy and inspiring news for our country that Dr. Abdul Kalam, President of India, realizing the vices of consumption of liquor, made a tour to Ahawadi, which is in Kerala, on 17 November 2002 (Sunday) and made 25,000 tribesmen of various tribes swear that they will not consume any kind of liquor in future.
The oath taken by the tribesmen was-‘There is no difference between boys and girls. Our greatest assests are our children. Comsumption of any kind of drugs is harmful to them. And so, we shall always protect them against the vices of these.’
After the tribesmen completed taking oath, Dr. Kalam said that that was the right time to give a meaning to Mahatma Gandhi’s slogan—‘The soul of India dwells in its villages.’
(courtesy—Hindustan Times)
Dr. Kalam made the tribesmen swear against consumption of liquor in Tamil language; and by doing this he has blown the conch of awakening in the hearts of those living in that area.

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