Interaction With School Children at Srinagar
Srinagar : 29-07-2006
Make Impossible is Impossible
I am delighted to interact with the students of Srinagar schools. My greetings to all of you. During my interaction with six hundred thousand children in different parts of the country both urban and rural areas and e-mails and letters received from many citizens of our nation, I realize our children have a dream. Their dream is to live in a prosperous, happy and safe India. How do we build a new India of their dream? To realize this dream certain unique qualities are essential. Now I would like to talk to you on the topic "Make Impossible is Impossible".
My message
Dear Children, you are all in the mission of learning. What learning will 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."
Nothing is impossible?
Human flight is nothing but creativity of human mind and it undergoes several struggles to achieve excellence. In 1895, 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 a decade, Wright Brothers proved man could fly of course at heavy risk and cost.
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.
According to the laws of aerodynamics the bumblebee should never be able to fly. Because of the size, weight, and shape of its body in relationship to the total wing span, flying is scientifically impossible. The bumblebee, being ignorant of scientific theory, goes ahead and flies anyway. I would like the youth assembled here to take a lesson from these examples and work to make everything possible.
Diverting Asteroids
A few days back one important event took place in space. That was the impact of the NASA spacecraft called deep impact smashing into the comet Tempel-I, with enough force to create football stadium sized crater with a depth of a 14 storey building. The spacecraft was navigated by an Indian Shyam Bhaskaran ? the deep impact traveled 431 million kms in 172 days escaping from the earth orbit and intercepted the comet at a straight distance from earth at 134 million km. the comet was orbiting around the Sun every five and half years. This is a land mark in space exploration.
This event is important to divert asteroids which may hit the earth in future. One such large asteroid 1950 AD is expected to hit the earth on March 16, 2880 AD and nearly one third of the earth will be damaged. Like the "Deep Impact" one spacecraft is required to be sent with high energy material to divert or break the asteroid to move it out of the present orbit.
Conclusion
Now, I would like to administer a Six point oath to the students. Are you ready?
Six Point Oath
1. I will pursue my education with dedication and I will excel in it.
2. I will plant at least 5 saplings and shall ensure their growth through constant care.
3. I will constantly endeavor to remove the pain of my suffering brethren.
4. I will work for becoming an enlightened citizen and make my family righteous.
5. I will always be a friend of the mentally and physically challenged and will work hard to make them feel normal, like the rest of us.
6. We the children of India promise that we will work hard with honesty to transform our nation into a developed country.
Question and Answer Session
1. Sir, would you like to be remembered in history as a great Scientist, as the President of India or as a great teacher
- Humaira, Tibetan Public School, Srinagar
Ans: I want to be remembered as a good human being.
2. Mr. President, as you know today's children are hard pressed for time, perhaps more than ever before. How would you advise us on managing time in the face of curricular over-load, peer pressure and parental goads?
- Mir Fahim Rasool, SP Higher Secondary School, Srinagar
Ans: You must fix a aim. Work constantly towards the aim. If you love your subject you will develop deep interest which will enable you to manage your time better. Do not allow any pressure to influence. Take your own decision. Overcome the problems by becoming master of the problem and succeed.
3. Your Excellency, the way space technology is going, do you anticipate any traffic bold ups in space with disastrous collisions?
- Mehak Zubair, GHSS Kothibagh
Ans: Before any new launch take place, debris analysis is done. The whole system works on an international guidelines. This will ensure prevention of disastrous collision.
4. Your Excellency, J&K is in the seismic Zone Five. The bomb is ticking and we continue talking. Could you unfold a preventive plan?
- Aasim Bashir, Tyndle Biscoe School, Srinagar
Ans: All efforts of the research has to be on forecasting earthquake. India has started forecasting activity in partnership with Iceland and some other countries. This will provide slightly early warning so that we can take preventive action for the impending disaster.
5. Your Excellency will agree the scientific temper in our society, at large is not catching up. What is the reason?
- Syed Bushra, Mallinson School, Srinagar
Ans: It is not true. There is a progressive increase in application of science in day-to-day activity by our citizens. All the youth have to promote scientific temper in their home, in their surroundings and wherever they can influence.
6. Mr. President, how soon do you think will the Indian astronauts be able to reach moon?
- Arslan, Burn Hall School, Srinagar
Ans: We have Chandrayan programme an unmanned Moon Mission. The next effort will be to have a manned mission to Moon based on a national requirement. As and when decided, Indian Space Research Organization will be able take a mission.
7. Your Excellency, alluring packages in the industry and management wean away the best of talent to the Corporate Sector, with not-so-bright youths going for research and ecology. Any comment?
- Arslan, Burn Hall School, Srinagar
Ans: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research are being established in different parts of the country. This is to capture young talent and nurture them for research. Also I have advocated creation of an assured career for M.Sc. and Ph.D. in organization like atomic energy, DRDO, space, science and technology, universities and bio-technology. This will make the career in science and research attractive for best of talent in the country. Also, I am suggesting technologists in all institutions to demand basic science output from young scientist.
8. Mr. President, the people of our country are not fully participating in the elections. What do you suggest the government should do to increase the participation of more and more people in the elections?
- Ishfaq Jamal Lone, BHSS Trehgam
Ans: The awareness is constantly increasing. In the recent election the percentage of people who voted has been much higher than earlier election. It shows that the people are getting interested in the election process. Youth have a responsibility to persuade the eligible voter in their region to go and vote for the right candidate.
9. Sir, Science is more read than practiced in our country. What do you suggest to change the trend?
- Ishtiyaq Ahmad Dar, BHSS Anantnag
Ans: Science is being applied in agriculture, industry, Pharma, space and in day-to-day life. Before applying science, we have to understand and hence reading is necessary.
10. Your Excellency, thousands of children are engaged in child labor. Don?t you think, with Dr. Kalam as the President of India, they deserve a better deal?
- Aashish Kumar, BHSS Rajpora, Pulwana
Ans: I have assent to a Bill for free and compulsory education for the all the children in the age group of 5 to 14. Also, the industries are being asked not to resort to child labour. The Mid-day meal scheme has been introduced by many State Governments to prevent nourishment to poor children. Collective societal action is required to wean away the practice of child labour in the country.