Dr APJ Abdul Kalams

Address during the launch of SIES Educational Assistance Trust (SEAT)

and felicitation of 75 Eminent Ex-Students, Mumbai
15/Aug/2008:Mumbai

EducationisthePrimaryMission

Knowledgemakesyougreat
IamdelightedtoparticipateinthelaunchofSIESEducationalAssistanceTrust.Iam
also happy to honour the alumni of South Indian Education Society (SIES). My
congratulations to all of them. During the last 75 years, SIES has made significant
contributiontothecauseofeducation,rightfromtheprimarytopostgraduatelevel
which has a strength of 20,000 students now. Educational assistance programme
launched today as a part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebration which will go a long
way in providing financial assistance to needy meritorious students. My Platinum
Jubilee greetings to all the Members of Education Society, eminent past students,
teachers,parents,staffandstudents.IwouldliketodiscussonthetopicEducation
isthePrimaryMission.

Since I am in midst of educational community, I would like to first discuss the

capacities to be built among the youth by the education system. What are those
capacities? They are: inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral
leadership. If we develop in all our students these capacities, we will produce
Autonomous Learner a selfdirected, self controlled, lifelong learner, who will
have the capacity to both, respect authority and at the same time is capable of
questioning authority, in an appropriate manner. These are the leaders who would
work together as a Selforganizing Network and transform any nation into a
prosperous nation. The most important part of the education is to imbibe the
confidence among the student is the spirit of we can do it. I am sure SIES is
buildingthesecapacitiesamongtheyouthwhoarestudyingintheseinstitutions.
Knowledge

Dear students, when you complete the education in SIES what you will carry with
you? It is knowledge. Knowledge has four components, creativity, righteousness,
courageandindomitablespirit.Thecombinationofthesecharacteristicscangenerate
enlightenedcitizens.LetuslookatthefirstcomponentCreativity:

Learninggivescreativity
Creativityleadstothinking
Thinkingprovidesknowledge
Knowledgemakesyougreat.

Thenextcomponentofknowledgeisrighteousness.ThepowerofRighteousnessis
describedinadivinehymn,whichisasfollows:

Righteousness
Wherethereisrighteousnessintheheart
Thereisbeautyinthecharacter.
Whenthereisbeautyinthecharacter,
Thereisharmonyinthehome.
Whenthereisharmonyinthehome.
Thereisorderinthenation.
Whenthereisorderinthenation,
Thereispeaceintheworld.

It is a beautiful connectivity between heart, character, nation and the world. In a

societywehavetobuildrighteousnessamongallitsconstituents.Forthesocietyasa
wholetoberighteousweneedcreationofrighteousnessinfamily,righteousnessin
education, righteousness in service, righteousness in career, righteousness in
business&industry,righteousnessinciviladministration,righteousnessinpolitics,
righteousness in government, righteousness in law and order, righteousness in
justice. In addition to righteousness in multiple dimensions in the society,
indomitablespiritisessentialforrealizingthevisionofdevelopedIndia.

Thethirdcomponentiscourage,whichisdefinedasfollows:

Courage
Couragetothinkdifferent,
Couragetoinvent,
Couragetotravelintoanunexploredpath,
Couragetodiscovertheimpossible,
Couragetocombattheproblems
AndSucceed,Aretheuniquequalitiesoftheyouth.

Asayouthofmynation,Iwillworkandworkwithcouragetoachievesuccessinall
themissions.

Hence friends, now you realize, knowledge is equal to the equation: Knowledge =
creativity+righteousness+CourageNowtheteachersandeducatorsmayliketosee,
howtherealknowledgecanbeimpartedtothestudents.

Dearfriends,asIamwiththeyoungstudentsintheprocessofshapingthevisionof
yourlifeatthispoint,Ithoughtofsharingwithyousomeincidentsinthelifeoffew
great human beings. That will be beneficial in your thinking and in your actions. I
wouldliketosharetheuniquenessofthreegreatminds,allofthemNobelLaureates,
each one having unique traits such as cherishing the Value of Science; Birth of
CreativityinadifficultsituationandScientificMagnanimity.CertainlyIbelievethis
willenableyoutoimbibeconfidenceandvisioninyourlife.
ThetraitsofNobelminds

Value to Science: Let me start with an incident about Sir CV Raman a Nobel
Laureate in Physics for discovering Raman Effect. Raman gives the view that the

color of sky is blue due to molecular diffraction, which determines the observed
luminosity and in great measures also its color. This led to the birth of the Raman
Effect. Raman was in the first batch of Bharat Ratna Award winners. The award
ceremonywastotakeplaceinthelastweekofJanuary,soonaftertheRepublicDay
celebrationsof1954.ThethenPresidentDr.RajendraPrasadwrotetoRamaninviting
himtobethepersonalguestintheRashtrapatiBhavan,whenRamancametoDelhi
fortheawardceremony.SirCVRamanwroteapoliteletter,regrettinghisinability
togo.Ramanhadanoblereasonforhisinabilitytoattendtheinvestitureceremony.
He explained to the President that he was guiding a Ph.D. student and that thesis
was positively due by the last day of January. The student was valiantly trying to
wrapitallupandRamanfelt,hehadtobebythesideoftheresearchstudent,see
thatthethesiswasfinished,signthethesisastheguideandthenhaveitsubmitted.
Herewasascientistwhogaveupthepompofaglitteringceremonyassociatedwith
thehighesthonour,becausehefeltthathisdutyrequiredhimtobebythesideofthe
student.

It is this unique trait of giving value to science that builds science. Next, let me
highlighthowsciencebecomesalifetimemissionforChandrasekharSubramanyan.

Birth of Creativity in a difficult situation: Mario Capecchi had a difficult and

challenging childhood. For nearly four years, Capecchi lived with his mother in a
chaletintheItalianAlps.WhenWorldWarIIbrokeout,hismother,alongwithother
Bohemians,wassenttoDachauasapoliticalprisoner.Anticipatingherarrestbythe
Gestapo, she had sold all her possessions and given the money to friends to help
raisehersonontheirfarm.Inthefarm,hehadtogrowownwheat,harvest;takeitto
millertobe ground.Then,themoneywhichhismotherleftforhimranoutandat
theageoffourandhalfyears,hestartingwanderingonthestreets.Heheadedsouth,
sometimeslivinginthestreets,sometimesjoininggangsofotherhomelesschildren,
sometimeslivinginorphanagesandmostofthetimehungry.Hespentthelastyear
inthecityofReggioEmelia,hospitalizedformalnutrition.Hewanteddesperatelyto
escape. Scores of beds lined the rooms and corridors of the hospital, one bed
touchingthenext.Nosheets,noblankets.Thatwaswherehismotherfoundhimon
his ninth birthday after a year of searching. Within weeks, the Capecchi and his
mothersailedtoAmericatojoinhisuncleandaunt.

He started his 3rd grade schooling afresh over there and started his education,
interested in sports, studied political science. But he didnt find interesting and
changedintoscience,becameamathematicsgraduatein1961withadoublemajorin
Physics and Chemistry. Capecchi never took a Biology class; he learned about
biology in the labs. For his practical experience, he worked several terms at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Although he really liked Physics, its
elegance and simplicity, Capecchi realized from his lab experience that everything
we learned [in Physics] was only up to the 1920s. He knew he would switch to
molecular biology in graduate school, on the advice of James D Watson. Watson
taughthimthatheshouldnotbebotheredaboutsmallthings,sincesuchpursuitsare
likelytoproduceonlysmallanswers.

Hisobjectivewastodogenetargeting.Theexperimentsstartedin1980andby1984,
Capecchihadclearsuccess.Threeyearslater,heappliedthetechnologytomice.In
1989,hedevelopedthefirstmicewithtargetedmutations.Thetechnologycreatedby
DoctorCapecchiallowsresearcherstocreatespecificgenemutationsanywherethey
chooseinthegeneticcodeofamouse.Bymanipulatinggenesequencesinthisway,
researchersareabletomimichumandiseaseconditionsonanimalsubjects.Whatthe
researchofMarioCapecchimeansforhumanhealthisnothingshortofamazing,his
work with mice could lead to cures for Alzheimers disease or even Cancer. The
innovations in genetics that Mario Capecchi achieved won him the Nobel Prize in
2007.NoblelaureateCapecchilifeindeedreveals:

Whenyouwishuponastar,
Makesnodifferencewhoyouare

Scientific Magnanimity: Now, I would like to narrate an incident which took place
duringafunctionconferringNobelLaureateProf.NormanEBorlaug,awellknown
agricultural scientist and a partner in Indias first Green revolution, with Dr. M S
SwaminathanAward,atVigyanBhavan,NewDelhionthe15thofMarch2005.Prof.
Borlaug, at the age of 91, was in the midst of all the praise showered on him from
everybody gathered there. When his turn came, he got up and highlighted Indias
advancement in the agricultural science and production and said that the political
visionary Shri C. Subramaniam and Dr. M S Swaminathan, pioneer in agricultural
science were the prime architects of First Green Revolution in India. Even though
ProfNormanBorlaugwashimselfapartnerinthefirstgreenrevolution,hedidnot
make a point on this. He recalled with pride, Dr. Verghese Kurien who ushered
WhiteRevolutioninIndia.Thenthesurprisecame.Heturnedtoscientistssittingin
thethirdrow,fifthrowandeighthrowoftheaudience.HeidentifiedDr.RajaRam,
a wheat specialist, Dr S K Vasal, a maize specialist, Dr. B. R. Barwale, a seed
specialist. He said, all these scientists had contributed for Indias and Asias
agriculturalscience.Dr.Borlaugintroducedthemtotheaudiencebyaskingthemto
stand and ensured that the audience cheered and greeted the scientists with great
enthusiasm.ThisactionofDr.NormanBorlaug,IcallitasScientificMagnanimity.
Friends,ifweaspiretoachievegreatthingsinlife,weneedScientificMagnanimity
tofocustheyoungachievers.Itismyexperiencethatgreatmindandgreatheartgo
together. This Scientific Magnanimity will motivate the scientific community and
nurturethespiritofachievementamongtheyoungtowardsscience.

DearStudents,withthisbackgroundofuniquetraitsofgreatminds,dearfriends,I
am sure you will think big. Now it is time to have a great dream in life, dream
transformsintothoughtsandthoughtsresultintoaction.Inthisenvironment,Iwas
thinkingwhenyoucompleteyoureducation;youhavetotakedifferentassignments
indifferentinstitutionsinthecountry.Manyatimesyouhavetotaketheleadership
positionalsoafteracquiringexperience.Toachievegreatthingsinlife,youneedfour
traits (i). Aim in life (ii). Acquisition of knowledge (iii). Hard work and (iv).
Perseverance

Conclusion

Dear friends, I have seen three dreams which have taken shape as vision, mission
and realization. Space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization),
AGNIprogrammeofDRDO(DefenceResearchandDevelopmentOrganization)and
PURA(ProvidingUrbanAmenitiesinRuralAreas)becomingtheNationalMission.
Ofcourse,thesethreeprogrammessucceededinthemidstofmanychallenges and
problems.Ihaveworkedinallthesethreeareas.IwanttoconveytoyouwhatIhave
learntonleadershipfromthesethreeprogrammes.

1.Leadermusthaveavision.
2.Leadermusthaveapassiontotransformthevisionintoaction.
3.Leadermustbeabletotravelintoanunexploredpath.
4.Leadermustknowhowtomanageasuccessandfailure.
5.Leadermusthavecouragetotakedecisions.
6.LeadershouldhaveNobilityinmanagement.
7.Everyactionoftheleadershouldbetransparent.
8.Leadermustworkwithintegrityandsucceedwithintegrity.

In order to achieve excellence in any area or in any institution, what we need is

creative leadership. Creative leadership means exercising the vision to change the
traditionalrolefromthecommandertothecoach,managertomentor,fromdirector
todelegatorandfromonewhodemandsrespecttoonewhofacilitatesselfrespect.I
am sure; SIES will generate such leaders for participating in our national
developmentmission.

Withthesewords,IlaunchtheSIESEducationalAssistanceTrust.Mygreetingstoall
the members of SIES success in the mission of developing quality human resource
withvaluesystembackedbyourcivilizationalheritagetoournationaldevelopment
tasks.

MayGodBlessyou.

Dr.APJAbdulKalam,
15.08.2008