Address to the Students of Indra Vidya Niketan High School

UNLEASHING THE POWER OF YOUNG MINDS

I am indeed delighted to interact with the young students of Indra Vidya Niketan High School and other schools in this old city of Hyderabad. My greetings to all of you. I am happy to note that the school is imparting quality education to the children, especially to those belonging to economically backward class and that these children are excelling in their academic career. I feel, such dedicated students have tremendous potential to contribute to the task of national development. Many of the students have been asking me in what way students can contribute for realizing the "Developed India vision". For students, I would suggest the following things for you:

Students' contribution

First and foremost, children should excel in their studies. That is your present task. One of the important indicators of a developed nation is the literacy level. Educating a nation of a billion people is not a small task. It requires the participation of the people from all walks of life, starting from the young. Each one of you can visit the villages on holidays and contribute to removal of illiteracy of at least ten persons and light the quest for knowledge in them.

It is important that you contribute to the realization of the vision to the best of your abilities within your academic and family confines. The biggest concern of the parents and the children in your age group is about the job prospects when you complete your education. Without worrying about minor variations in the subjects of your pursuit, your opportunities and future will be brighter if you excel in whatever subject you undertake to study. At the frontier, there are no borders.

Further, children can plant at least 10 trees either in the school campus or in their houses. Few years from now, every one of us would be able to work in a serene environment that would facilitate creative thoughts and actions.

Students can take care of the elderly members, ailing persons and be the friends of differently challenged people. Such noble gestures create a conducive and harmonious atmosphere for the developmental activities. Whatever work you do, put your 100% sincere efforts to complete the same. Discipline, determination and dedication lead to success. I would like to cite the words of a famous scientist of India about indomitable spirit required to achieve success in every walk of life.

Indomitable spirit

Sir CV Raman led teaching and research in Physics and created great scientific leaders and also the birth of Raman Research Institute, Bangalore. I would like to quote Sir CV Raman, at the age of 82, while addressing young graduates. The message is still reverberating in my mind: "I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is perhaps driving force which takes one anywhere. We have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a spirit which will recognise that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization, are entitled to a rightful place on this planet. If that indomitable spirit were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny."

Those were the words from the Nobel laureate scientist of India. You would see the bridge of science and society. Friends, I request all who are responsible for the young, all who are creators of the young, for the childrens' growth, allow them to dream. Dream transforms into thoughts and thoughts result into actions.

I have got 15 questions from some of you. I would like to answer a few of them. The first question is from a student Suman Sri of Class-8 of Indra Vidya Niketan that is:

Qus:1 "When do you say that we are developed, What is the index?

Ans: India has a population of billion people. Our nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting 260 million people who are below the poverty line. They need habitat, they need food, they need health care, and they need education and employment, finally resulting into a good life. We should see the smile in the faces of all the one billion population of our country. That is the Index of developed India.

Qus:2 is from Azif, Class-IX of Central School, Hyderabad We need a second struggle like independent struggle to eradicate corruption in public life. To fulfill our mission for developed India we need to have many micro visions. Please comment?

Ans: Eradication of corruption in public life requires a movement and this movement has to start from home and school. Only three people can help in eradicating corruption. They are father, mother and primary school teacher. If they inculcate righteousness among the youth nobody can change them in their later life. Hence we need this movement in all our homes for eradicating corruption in public life. The developed India vision has to be broken into number of micro missions and not micro visions.

Qus: 3 is from Suba, Class.8,Javed High School, Hyderabad.Ancient India was civilized and knowledge society. Were we rated as developed in those days?

Answer: India has a rich civilisational heritage. During the period of Emperor Ashoka India was the destination for many scholars. The university of Nalanda used to attract scholars from nearly 63 countries. That was the golden period of Indian history.

Qus.4 Another question is from Sara, Class-VIII of Rosy High School, HyderabadWe only read history in our curriculum. No lessons on vision for India, Please comment.?

Ans: I agree with you that the schools must educate the children on the vision for the nation. This can be done innovatively by the Principal and teachers. I have seen a programme being conducted by one of the newspaper group for Action in Education (PACE) in which the curriculum is constructed based on the news item of the day. Mathematics, science, history, geography and the language are all taught from various occurrences taking place around the world being reported in the newspapers. This venture can become a supplementary education for the child leading to their commitment in national development. School can also motivate students by publishing school magazines monthly or quarterly giving importance to national vision and missions.

Qus: 5 This question has been asked by Nithi Saxena, Class-V,Rainbow School, Hyderabad:World is changing fast, how to fast forward Vision 2020?

Ans: India has a population of one billion people. Out of this one billion, 540 million people are below the age of 25 years. We have a road map for transforming India into a developed nation by the year 2020. It includes, Integrated action in the five areas of Agriculture and agro-processing, education and healthcare, infrastructure including power, information and communication technology and strategic systems and critical technologies. Igniting the minds of the 540 million youth towards this road map will be the solution for fast forwarding the Vision 2020. Realising these missions will need youth with indomitable spirit.

Is there anything impossible?

Friends, I want to share with you what was working in my mind after the Columbia's tragedy. Human flight is nothing but creativity of human mind and it undergoes several struggles to achieve excellence by exploring the space. In 1890, a great well known scientist Lord Kelvin, who was the President of Royal Society of London said, "any thing heavier than air cannot fly, and cannot be flown." Within two decades, Wright Brothers proved that man can fly of course at heavy risk and cost.

On the successful completion of Moon Mission in 1961, Farnbraun, a very famous rocket designer, who built Saturn-V, to launch the capsule with astronauts and made moon walk a reality, in 1975 said, "If I am authorized, I will remove the word impossible."

Conclusion

A cross section of people of young age group have inspired mind to make the nation great. India is a nation of a billion people. A nation's progress depends upon how its people think. Thoughts are transformed into actions. India has to think as a nation of a billion people. Let the young minds unleash the hidden power and allow the thoughts to blossom, the thoughts of prosperity. Before concluding, I would like to administer a ten-point oath to all of you:

Ten point oath

1. I will love whatever profession I take up and I will try to excel in it.

2. From now onwards I will teach at least 10 persons to read and write those who cannot read and write.

3. I will plant ten saplings/trees and ensure their growth.

4. I will go to rural and urban areas to reform at least five persons from the habits of addiction and gambling.

5. I will take responsibility for removing the pain of ailing persons.

6. I will participate in the mission of realizing the economic strength of India by combining it with an education with value system and by transforming religion into a spiritual force.

7. I will not support any differentiation on account of community or language.

8. I will lead an honest life free from all corruption and will set an example for others to adopt a transparent way of life.

9. I will always be a friend of the mentally and physically challenged and I will work hard to make them feel normal.

10. I will celebrate the success of my country and my people.

I wish you all success in your missions.