It was a sangam of two great minds as former President Abdul Kalam urged the students to imagine the impossible and break the limitations to change the world. Speaking at a function organised by Transforming Indians to Transform India (TITI) here on Saturday, the former president who was compared with Swami Chinmayananda by The New Indian Express CMD and chairman of TITI’s advisory committee Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, stressed the need for the education system to develop faith among the youth of the nation.
Hailing the Chinmaya Mission initiative of TITI, the former president urged the students present during the occasion to aim big to achieve the goal, acquire knowledge continuously, work hard to attain the aim and perseverance to defeat the problem and succeed.
Paying tributes to his science teacher Siva Subramaniam Iyer, Kalam said he was inspired by his teacher’s drawing of how a bird flies. He said his teacher and the book Light from Many Lamps had taught him not to be overwhelmed by the problem but to defeat it.
The former president, who would now like to be called PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas), nurtured the green initiative among youngsters by urging them to plant five saplings in home, park and school.
He urged them to remove darkness in the lives of underprivileged by helping educate those who could not pursue education. He also asked them to remove the pain of others by visiting the hospitals and try to bring in hope among those patients who have no one to take care of them. Kalam also urged the parents to start a library in their home to inculcate the reading habit and values in children. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Sonthalia said that the Transforming Indians to Transform India initiative aims to mould youngsters to become good citizens and do their duty to the country. Swami Mitrananda, director of the All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, also spoke.