Inspiring words
MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY
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An anthology that details the vision of A.P. J. Abdul Kalam and his attempt to reach out to the younger generation...
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"I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure place in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness..."
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Initially, before Avil Pakir Jalaluddin Abdul Kalam, was sworn in on July 25, 2002, as the 11th President of India, some of the things we knew about him were that he prays twice a day, plays the veena, loves the shri raga, writes poetry in Tamil, and swears by self-sufficiency in science and technology.
Now, and especially in a "compilation that commemorates his first year as Rashrapathi", what many more of us know about him is that here is a President who has enthused people in a manner not really seen before, especially striking a chord in children, when he speaks of a vision of the transformation of India into a developed nation powered by economic strength and a value system.
Vision to Mission is perhaps notable in that it is an anthology in which personalities reveal "how the President has touched, moved and inspired them".
And, it begins with the Foreword where Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, talks of how the President "was not afraid to get his hands dirty, ... to break something just to see how it worked... That made him a great innovator ... ."
The book gets into its own from page 4 onwards, when it adopts this format of the President quoted on what he has to say on various subjects, followed by the reactions of people associated with that field.
Thus, we have the President as: "The Patriot, "Connecting India", "The Saint Scientist", "Peaceful Warrior", "Tutor Kalam", "The Musician Scientist", "The Sportsman" and "Chacha Kalam" to name a few.
Vision to Mission, Healthcare Communications Pvt. Ltd., 2003, Chennai, p.65.
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