I want you to fly, says Kalam

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam interacts with young engineers in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: “India is a knowledge society. In this knowledge society, the education system can be changed with focus, interaction and creativity”, said A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, renowned scientist and former President of India, addressing young engineers at Mahindra Ecole Cetrale in the city on Thursday.

Kalam said, “During my graduation, I understood that effective leadership promotes teamwork and inculcates sensitivity. In the present society, the education system can only be changed by creativity”. He added that in this competitive world, leadership promotes teamwork, which plays a crucial in technological progress.

Talking about the importance of effective system management, he said, “Prosperity of the nation is empowered by human development; human development is empowered by competitiveness, competitiveness by knowledge, knowledge by power, power by employment loyalty, employment loyalty by employee satisfaction, employee satisfaction by employment environment, employment environment by the management interaction.” He also stressed that, in the process, integrity is crucial to success.

He asserted that artificial intelligence is only complementary and that the youth should be creative, focused and interactive to be able to face the contemporary world. He also said that students are the capital of the country and that they should not pursue prosperity because prosperity itself is empowered by the human development.

On this occasion, Kalam pointed out that even though the majority of the people in the country have their own mobile phones, people living in rural areas still do not have access to technology. Fibre optic cables, he said, should be used for high-speed data and that even remote villages should have access to it. He further stressed that people from rural areas should educate themselves in order to contribute the growth of the economy.

Kalam’s address was followed by a question-answer session, during which he interacted with the students and elaborated on various subjects. The event was also attended by Sanjay G Dhande, Professor of Technology at MEC, Shailaja Ramiyer, Vice Chancellor of JNTU, A.S.N.Murthy, Chief technology officer in Tech Mahindra and Hari Haran, Professor of Creative Sciences and Dean of Student Affairs.