Address at the Residential Tribal School of Kalinga Institute of School Sciences
Bhubaneshwar : 29-11-2006
How to make impossible possible?
I am delighted to be here in the Kalinga Institute of School Sciences, Bhubaneswar and interact with the students of residential tribal schools. I greet all the members who have contributed in establishing and growing this tribal school for providing quality education to the children of twenty eight different tribes of Orissa. During the last twelve years, this school has grown from strength of fifty students to three thousand students. I am happy that the children from this school are excelling in every field and the school has achieved 100% results in the State Board Examination. I congratulate the Dr. Samanta, teachers and support staff for shaping the young minds. When I am with you, I would like to talk about ?How to make impossible, possible??
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.
According to the laws of aerodynamics the bumble bee 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 bumble bee, 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.
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?.
Now let me talk about how to propagate the probing of scientific minds.
Propagate the probing of scientific minds
A. Towards Raman Effect:
Why is the sea blue? The view has been expressed that the dark blue of the deep sea has nothing to do with the color of water. It is simply the blue of the sky seen by reflection. Sir CV Raman then questions this view describing his own experiment on board the ship: Observations made in this way in the deeper waters of Mediterranean and Red sea showed that the color so far, from being impoverished by suppression of sky reflection was wonderfully improved here by. It was abundantly clear from the observation that the blue color of the deep sea is a distinct phenomenon itself and not merely an effect due to reflected sky light. Later Raman draws attention to the connection between the color of deep waters and the Einstein Smoluchowski formula. Naturally he starts with that the sky is blue because of scattering of light by the molecules in the upper atmosphere. The color of the sea is a different matter. Rayleigh believes it was all due to reflection, but Raman gives an entirely different view, that in this phenomenon, as in the parallel case of the color of sky, molecular diffraction determines the observed luminosity and in great measure also its color. Hence the birth of the Raman Effect.
Now let us study how great scientists in their school days got shaped for science. First let us take up the example of Albert Einstein.
B. Teachers influence:
In Albert Einstein life, we find that his interest in science started early, beginning with his encounter with magnetism, which he called ?the first miracle?. He was given a compass by his father and Einstein was endlessly fascinated by the fact that invisible forces could make object move. This experience made a lasting impression on him. His interest in compasses was reinforced when he found a caring mentor to hone his ideas. At the age of 12, he experienced second wonder in a little book given by his mentor Max Talmud with Euclidean plain Geometry which he called ?Holy Geometry Book?. Einstein called this his ?second miracle?. Here Einstein made contact with the realm of pure thought. Without expensive laboratories or equipment, he could explore universal truth, limited only by the power of human mind. Mathematics became an endless source of pleasure to Einstein especially if intriguing puzzle and mysteries were involved.
Visualizing pictures: Einstein?s father was in an electro chemical business. Being in the midst of electro magnetic contraptions awakened an intuitive understanding of electricity and magnetism in Albert Einstein. It sharpens his ability to develop graphic, physical pictures that would describe the laws of nature with uncanny accuracy. This trait, the ability to see everything in terms of physical pictures, would mark one of Einstein?s great characteristics as a physicist.
Freedom to Learn : Though born in Germany, Einstein moved to Zurich Polytechnic Institute in Switzerland. The entry into the polytechnic did not require a high school diploma, just a passing grade on its tough entrance examination was sufficient. Einstein failed in the entrance examination but he did exceptionally well in the Maths and Physics section. That impressed the Principal and he promised to take him during the following year without an entrance test. The message we get from this experience is about having a flexible system of admission. Also an ability to spot the aptitude of the student in a particular subject and nourishing the talents. In addition, Einstein enjoyed the liberal atmosphere of the Swiss school.
Simplicity in description: Unlike lesser scientists who often got lost in Mathematics, Einstein got in terms of simple physical picture ? speeding trains, falling elevators, rockets and moving clocks. These pictures would unerringly guide him through the greatest ideas of the twentieth century. He wrote ?All physical theories, their mathematical expression notwithstanding, ought to lend themselves to so simple a description that even a child could understand?. This is a very important message for all physics researchers and physics teachers. Here the birth of famous simple, elegant and very powerful energy equation E=MC2, which decided war and peace system of the world.
In the profession of teaching, teachers are indeed playing the role of creating the creative minds. Sir CV Raman?s questioning why the sky is blue? - leading to Physics Nobel Prize, is indeed inspiring teaching material to the teachers. Similarly a message of spotting an outstanding talent in physics in spite of failing the school entrance, is another message comes how Swiss school spotted one of the greatest scientific minds in 20th century, Albert Einstein.
Conclusion
Education is not just teaching and learning lessons. It has to be concerned about building human values along with knowledge. The examples of the teachers cited above clearly show how they have influenced the entire life of individuals and enabled them to chart their future life. I am sure the teachers of Kalinga Institute of School Sciences will be providing such guidance to the students of this school, which the students will remember for their entire life.
Let me once again greet all the members of the Residential Tribal School of Kalinga Institute of School Sciences. My best wishes to all of you for success in your mission of promoting excellence in value based education.
May God bless you.
Seven Point Oath
1. I realize, I have to set a goal in my life. To achieve the goal, I will acquire the knowledge, I will work hard, and when the problem occurs, I have to defeat the problem and succeed.
2. As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
3. I shall always keep myself, my home, my surroundings, neighbourhood and environment clean and tidy.
4. I realize righteousness in the heart leads to beauty in the character, beauty in the character brings harmony in the home, harmony in the home leads to order in the nation and order in the nation leads to peace in the world.
5. I will lead an honest life free from all corruption and will set an example for others including my home to adopt a righteous way of life.
6. I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure that it remains lit for ever.
7. I realize, whatever work I do if I do the best, I am contributing towards realizing the vision of developed India 2020.
Interaction with His Excellency, the President of India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam by the Children of KISS.
1.Name: Kusal Majhi Class: +2 Science (1st year) Age : 17 years Sex: Male Tribe : Santal
Hon?ble Sir, I have come from a primitive tribe living in the tribal district of Keonjhar, Orissa. No one in my village has ever come to school but after studying here I could know the benefits of education. We are Indians but when everybody gets the benefit of education, health care and other necessary support, our tribal children are still remained in abject poverty in the forest without proper education and health care even after 60 years of independence. When shall we expect such type of facilities not only in Orissa but also in the Country?
Ans: Tribal PURA with tele-medicine, mobile clinic, tele-education and mobile schools will be the answer for providing quality education and healthcare to all the people in the country. Recently, I visited BR Hills in and I found substantial new developments has taken place in this area. I can see a ?New Tribal Hospital?, roads and education environment and above all the earning capacity of the tribal citizens have been increased with the technology resource centre as a base. Previously, they were selling honey at Rs. 6 kg. whereas now they are selling at Rs. 60 per kg. There are solar lamps, health insurance, quality schools available in the rural complex. Dr. H. Sudarshan, is an inspiring architect of this societal transformation.
2.Name: Sanjita Kirsani Class: IX Age : 15 years Sex: F Tribe : Bonda
Hon?ble Sir, I am a Bonda child. My tribe is supposed to be the most primitive tribe in the state. While most of my people are not educated and living in poverty, I am fortunate to get education here in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). We want to come to the main stream but we are not been provided with enough opportunity. When our government will bring us to the national main stream by providing minimum good health and education?
Ans: I have already answered this question. The present school is providing education upto 12th class. This has to be extended for vocational education and higher education in colleges.
3.Name: Purna Chandra Tudu Class: +2 Science(1st year) Age : 18 years Sex: M Tribe : Santal
Esteemed Sir, You are a living legend. You are called the Missile man. We are told by our teachers that you are from a lower middle class family. How could you become so popular?
Ans: Fix an aim, acquire knowledge continuously, work hard. Whenever problem arises, do not allow problem to become your master. You become the master of the problem and succeed.
4.Name: Kamalini Karuwa Class: +2 Science(1st year) Age : 18 years Sex: F Tribe : Munda
Sir, which is more important, Prithvi missile or education to the children like us ?
Ans: Education is the highest priority for the nation for making India into a knowledge society which in turn would lead to our economic growth. We are paying adequate attention to the school education of all the children in the country. I have given assent to the Right to Education Act which provides free and compulsory education to all the children between the age group 5 to 14. State Governments are in the process of implementing. However, as all of you can understand for pursuing economic development without hindrance we have to protect our borders. In this effort, Prithvi missile is also an important area for the country.