The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : 'Entrepreneurship orientation key to solving unemployment'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

'Entrepreneurship orientation key to solving unemployment'

By A.V. Ragunathan

The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, answering a question put by a student at the platinum jubilee celebrations of Annamalai University at Chidambaram on Friday. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

CHIDAMBARAM, AUG. 27. The President, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, today said that if universities consciously strove to give entrepreneurship orientation to students the unemployment problem could be tackled.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the triune celebrations in Annamalai University here.

Mr. Kalam said that every year three million graduates passed out about 300 universities and most of them sought government jobs.

The triumvirate of the university — Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar, Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar and M.A.M.Ramaswamy — who had done yeoman service to education were the greatest entrepreneurs. Candidates graduating from the university were endowed with two qualities: the courage to take up challenging tasks and an inclination to start small-scale industries. Mr. Kalam said the prosperity of the developed countries was not only because of big corporates, but also due to efforts by small entrepreneurs.

He called upon the banks to lend venture capital to prospective entrepreneurs, giving up the "tangible asset syndrome." Universities could act as facilitators in finding financial and marketing avenues to aspiring entrepreneurs. For uplifting 260 million people below the poverty line, the universities should adopt villages and explore the possibilities of implementing the PURA (Providing Urban Facilities in Rural Areas) to improve their living conditions, the President said.

Research in palm leaves

The President said the Tirukkural with 1,330 couplets was a treasure trove of knowledge and the saint-poet Tiruvalluvar wrote them on palm leaves. He suggested the university take up research to "detect the (original) palm leaves of Tiruvalluvar."

Mr. Kalam declared open the Platinum Jubilee Hall.

The former President and alumnus of the university, R.Venkatraman, said a number of Oxford University Union presidents became the British Prime Minister and he himself held the post of the Annamalai University Union president and rose to become the Indian President. The university produced many eminent personalities, who occupied elevated positions, he said.

Mr. Venkatraman inaugurated the Raja Sir Muthiah Birth Centenary Arch. He said the second founder-Pro-Chancellor contributed a great deal to education and nurtured art and culture with zeal.

The Governor and Chancellor, Ramamohan Rao, said the Chettinad family dedicated itself to social services and each succeeding generation inherited the trait.

The Governor also released souvenirs.

The Pro-Chancellor, M.A.M.Ramaswamy, recalled the efforts by his grandfather, Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar, and his father Rajah Muthiah Chettiar, to establish the institution to impart higher education to the poor. The Vice-Chancellor, L.B.Venkatrangan, read out a report on the achievements of the university.

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