Interaction With The Students Of Bishop Cotton Girls School , Bangalore

Evolution of Enlightened Citizens

I am happy to interact with the students of Bishop Cotton Girls School. My greetings to all teachers, students, other participants and distinguished guests on this occasion. I take this opportunity to congratulate the members of Bishop Cotton Girls School community on the occasion of their forthcoming 140th year celebrations of this prestigious academic institution. Bishop Cotton has established a niche name for itself and had been the home of many of the world famous cottonites.

Dear Children, you are all in the mission of learning. What will learning give?

?When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms. When the creativity blossoms, thinking emanates. When thinking emanates, knowledge is fully lit. When knowledge is lit, economy flourishes.?

In the dimensions of knowledge, we can see the scientific, technological history coupled with human endeavours.

Creativity changes life pattern

What we have seen in science and technology in the last 60 years, the predictions and happenings are going at different rates and phases. What was impossible has happened and what is thought possible has not yet happened and it will happen. Particularly in the field of aeronautics, space technology, electronics, materials, computer science and software products, the world has progressed to new dimensions and India itself is a part of these challenges. Indian bio-technologists with business houses will have opportunity of analyzing the available genomic data and lead to production of drugs for healthcare and early treatment. The bioresearch transforming into technology will lead to higher production of agricultural products.

In the coming decades, we may see the birth of unified field theory integrating gravitational forces, electro magnetic forces and general relativity theory, space and time as functions. Young people may also see in their time establishment of habitat or industry in one of our planets or moon by human race. The world may also enter into launch of solar power satellites through reusable launch vehicle (Hyper plane) system for electricity needs, as fossil based fuels would become rare in fifty to hundred years. These are possible only through creative minds.

On the successful completion of Moon Mission in 1969, Von Braun, 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?.

In ancient days, Ptolemaic astronomy is a widely used system in calculating the dynamics of various stars and planets. Assumption by then was that the earth is flat. What a scientific struggle had to take place to prove that the earth is spherical in shape orbiting around the sun. The three great astronomers Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler had to give a new dimension to the world of astronomy. Today we take it for granted that earth is a globe, orbiting around the sun, and the sun orbits in the Milky Way. All the technological advancements we have today are the outcome of scientific exploration of scientists of earlier centuries. At no time, man was beaten by problems. He strives continuously to subjugate impossibility and then succeeds.

Impossibility to Possibility

Human flight is nothing but creativity of human mind and it undergoes several struggles to achieve excellence. In 1890, a great well-known scientist Lord Kelvin, who was the President of the Royal Society of London said, ?any thing heavier than air cannot fly, and cannot be flown.? Within two decades, the Wright Brothers proved man could fly, of course at great risk and cost.

Enlightened Women and Nation Building

In our country women constitute 48% of the total population. If this whole 48% contribute to the national development then the National Vision 2020 of transforming India into a developed nation will be nearer. Now-a-days women are entering in every field. They are becoming doctors, engineers, advocates, teachers; political leaders, administrators, police officials, professionals and they also have joined the Armed Forces. Particularly, enlightened women are very important for nation building since their thoughts, the way of working and value system will lead to faster development of a good family, good society and a good nation. I would like to give some examples of women who have excelled in their professions such as Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shah in biotechnology, Mrs Sudha Narayanamurthy in Societal missions. There are many more from Bishop Cotton School itself who would have excelled in their area of profession. I am sure they will definitely become your role models.

Women Education

I would like to emphasize that women education has to be given highest priority. When the women are empowered, society with stability will get assured. We have to ensure the continuity of secondary education and university education for girls. It is essential to establish connectivity between the university and secondary schools. Distance education packages have to be evolved to cater towards women education for reaching remote areas. Periodically, secondary level students should be counseled to continue their education both in diploma and degree level.

The best part for a person is his or her learning period in childhood at School. The prime learning period is 6th to 17th year of age. Hence, the school hours for children are the best time for learning, and need the best environment and mission oriented learning with value based educational system. This reminds me the echo from Bestolozzy, a great teacher's saying, "Give me a child for seven years, afterwards, let the God or devil take the child, they cannot change the child." That is indeed the power of the teacher.

For parents and teachers, school campus and home have to have an integrated mission. During this period it is essential to have a one-hour class every week to discuss about good human beings present and past and what makes them a good human being. This class can be called as ?Elevating young minds?. As an example this class can discuss the personalities such as Buddha, Confucius, St. Augustine, Kalifa Omar, Mahatma Gandhi, Einstein, Abraham Lincoln including some scientific personalities and moral stories linked to our civilizational heritage.

Twelve-year value-based education of 25,000 hours in the school campus is essential to establish an open and transparent society or a society with integrity. Up to the age of 17 years, the father, the mother and the teacher lead a child to become an enlightened citizen.

Conclusion: Magnanimity in Victory

I would like to share with you some of my experiences which I had during my recent visit to South Africa. I met a great personality who was responsible for the freedom of South Africa. Particularly for the young people, you can learn two lessons. They are: indomitable spirit and virtue of forgiveness. He is none other than Dr. Nelson Mandela.

Cape Town is famous for its Table Mountain; it has got three peaks called Table Peak, Devil Peak, and Fake Peak. Between the peaks it was a beautiful sight throughout the day, sometimes dark clouds and sometimes white clouds embracing the peaks. Table Mountain is very close to the sea coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We traveled by helicopter to Robben Island from Cape Town in 10 minutes flight. By fast powered boat it will take 30 minutes to reach the Robben Island. When we reached the Island, except sea roaring, the whole island, was a silent island symbolizing the thought: this is the place the freedom of individual was chained. We were received at the Island by Mr. Ahmed Kathrada a South African, who was a co-prisoner. What surprised me was this: can you imagine a tiny room, where sleeping and all human needs have to be fulfilled. It has to be remembered that Dr. Nelson Mandela, who was 6 feet tall was imprisoned in that room for 26 years ? fighting against the apartheid. The major part of his life was spent in this silent Island. He used to be taken for quarrying in the nearby mountain for a few hours in bright sun. This is the time his sight got damaged. In spite of his body being tortured, he revealed to the world the indomitable spirit in him. This is the time he evolved a manuscript of freedom in tiny letters every day, when the jail wardens went to sleep. This small tiny lettered manuscript finally became the famous book of Mandela ? A long walk to freedom?.

It was a great event for me to meet him in his house in Johannesburg. Dear friends, I would like to share with you, when I entered Dr. Nelson Mandela?s house, I saw his three dimensional form with cheerfulness: the mighty man who got the freedom for South Africa from the tyranny of apartheid. And also a person when he became the President of South Africa he gave the people freedom to move, freedom to live in South Africa to those people who specialized in apartheid and ill-treated and put him in jail for 26 years. Nelson Mandela accepted them as equals citizens who ill treated them practicing apartheid. I felt that, I am touching the hand of a Mighty Soul. When he started walking he used to have a walking stick, he discarded the walking stick; I became his support ? walking stick. Dear friends, a big lesson that we learnt from this personality Dr. Nelson Mandela which is explained in one of the Thirukkurals written 2200 years before.

which means, for those who do ill to you, the best punishment is returning good to them.

I have a mission in mind for the the 3200 students and 1200 teachers assembled here. I would request each one of you to choose the village of your choice in the neighbourhood of Bangalore and work on a project of providing literacy to at least three women each for a year who cannot read and write. This will enable provision of literacy to 13,200 women in this area. This mission can be done on Saturdays/Sundays and other holidays without disturbing your regular school work. This could be the fitting celebration of 140th year of Bishop Cotton School.

I wish you all success in your educational career.

May God Bless you.