Vice President Venkaiah Naidu called upon the youth to draw inspiration from former president Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and work towards building a strong, self-reliant and inclusive India. He was releasing a book titled 40 Years with Abdul Kalam - Untold Stories by scientist A. Sivathanu Pillai, in a virtual event.
"Let us pledge to work towards making India a developed nation," he said, stressing the need to create employment and economic opportunities in villages and small towns.
"Youth must think out of the box to provide solutions to the various economic and societal challenges.
"Dr Kalam was a true karma yogi and an inspiration to every Indian," said Naidu. "It is time to follow Dr Kalam's advice and adopt the path of development that is sustainable and environment friendly."
He said that like Kalam, the youth should think out of the box and use technology for providing solutions to the various economic and societal challenges that impact large sections of India’s population.
Naidu expressed his happiness that the book provided a gripping first-hand account of Kalam’s life. "The life of Dr Kalam sends a powerful message about how difficulties and setbacks, when taken in the right spirit, serve as the key ingredients in making us robust in character and mindset," he added.
Recalling some of his personal experiences with the former president, Naidu said, "I had many occasions to interact with Dr Kalam when he was in DRDO and later as the President of India and every time I was struck by the depth of his knowledge and his sincere desire to transform the lives of the common people."
Naidu said that Kalam was truly a 'People's President', who endeared himself to every Indian, especially the youth. "He was an epitome of simplicity, honesty and wisdom. His contribution to strengthening India’s defence and space capabilities is invaluable," he added.
The vice president said that Kalam personified dignity and optimism throughout India and abroad and was regarded as a strong promoter of friendship and knowledge. Naidu recalled that in recognition of the contributions made by Kalam, NASA named a newly discovered organism found on the International Space Station after him.
"He was convinced that India has the potential as well as the capability to become a developed nation in the near future." said Naidu adding that Kalam's biggest passion was to motivate and inspire students to work with a passion for nation-building activities. "He was a staunch nationalist, an inspiring orator and a prolific writer. What made him an inspiring and much-loved leader was the human side of Kalam’s personality which touched so many lives," he added.
Referring to the impact of COVID-19 on the migrant workers, Naidu stressed the need to create employment and economic opportunities in villages and small towns. "We will have to focus on decentralised planning, capacity building of local bodies and largescale promotion of cottage industries so that our villages and towns emerge as growth centres," he added. Noting that Kalam passionately advocated the need to bridge the rural and urban divide through his PURA model, the vice president said that this should be a priority for everyone.
Expressing his happiness over the many innovations by the scientific community during the ongoing pandemic, Naidu said that India which had zero production capacity for PPEs at the onset of the pandemic had now emerged as the second-largest producer of PPE kits in the world. The vice president said that this success story needed to be replicated in other fields as well to create a truly 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat', which was also the dream of Kalam who dedicated his entire life to make India self-reliant in defence and space technologies.
In his last speech at IIM Shillong, Kalam had expressed his concern for environment. He repeatedly said that we have only one livable planet in our solar system and it was our duty to protect the earth and leave a livable planet for our future generations. He cautioned humanity of the harm we have inflicted on nature in our blind quest for development. Naidu said that it was time that we followed Kalam's advice and adopted a path of development that was sustainable and environmentally friendly. "Our scientists and engineers should come out with innovative technological solutions that are energy-efficient, clean and affordable," he added.
He appreciated Pillai for coming up with a comprehensive book on Kalam.
Among the dignitaries who attended the virtual event were Pillai, ISRO professor Y.S. Rajan, and MD & CEO of Pentagon Press Rajan Arya.