A P J Abdul Kalam's speech

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>"Ashwini Kumar"

>A P J Abdul Kalam's speech >Fri, 26 Jul 2002 22:47:26 -0400 > >

> >> Full text of Kalam's speech > PTI [ THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2002 11:07:31 AM ]

> NEW DELHI: Following is the text of address delivered >by A P J Abdul Kalam

in the Central > Hall of Parliament after being sworn in as thePresident of

>India. > Respected Shri Narayananji, Mr Vice President, Mr >Prime Minister, Mr

Deputy Prime Minister, > Chief Justice of India, Speaker of Lok sabha, Members

>of the Union Council of Ministers, > Governors, Chief Ministers, Deputy

Chairperson of >Rajya Sabha, Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, > Members of

Parliament, Excellencies, friends and >children -- my greetings to all of you.

> When I see in front of me, the distinguished >dignitaries including a number

of senior diplomats > representing their countries and other eminent

>personalities, a beautiful Thiagarajaswamigal's > Keerthana in Sri Raga echoes

from my heart: "Endaro >Mahaanubhavalu andhariggi vandanamulu," > which means,

"I salute all the great noble heartedhuman >beings." > I thank the members of

Parliament and State >Legislatures for having elected me. The endorsement > I

have received from the nation, giving me the >responsibility to realise our

shared dream of India > with prosperity, harmony and strength is really

>overwhelming. Ten illustrious personages have > adorned this office of the

President and contributed >to the nation building with their outstanding

personal >qualities. > I salute them all. While I assume the office of the

>President of Republic of India with humility > and gratefully recognising the

immense trust, the >people of the country and the political system > have

resposed in me, I promise to endeavour to >fulfill the aspirations of our

people. > Indian civilisational heritage is built on universal >spirit. India

always stood for friendship and > extends warm hands to the whole world. > We

have made significant achievements in the last 50 >years in food production,

health sector, > higher education, media and mass communication, >industrial

infrastructure, information technology, > science and technology and defence.

Our nation is >endowed with natural resources, vibrant people > and traditional

value system. In spite of these >resources, a number of our people are below the

> poverty line, undernourished and lack primary >education itself. Our aim is to

empower them to > be poverty free, healthy and literate. A country >needs to

have the characteristics as defined in > hirukkural, composed over 2,000 years

ago: > "Pini inmai Selvam Vilaivinbam Emam, aniyenbaNattirkiv >vainthu." > That

is, "The important elements that constitute a >nation are: being disease free;

wealth; high > productivity; harmonious living and strong defence." >All our

efforts should be focused towards > building these five elements at various

levels in a >coherent and in an integrated manner. I am > onvinced that our

nation with a strong, vibrant and >billion plus population can contribute to

realise these >elements. > Today our country is facing challenges such as

>cross-border terrorism, certain internal conflicts > and unemployment. To face

these challenges, there >must be a vision to ensure focused action of > one

billion citizens of this great country withvaried >capabilities. > What can be

that vision? It can be none other than >transforming India into a developed

nation. > Can the government alone achieve this vision? Now, we >need a

movement in the country. This > is the time to ignite the minds of the people

for >this movement. We will work for it. We cannot > emerge as a developed

nation if we do not learn to >transact with speed. I recall the saintly poet >

Kabir's wisdom to us: "Kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare >so ab". that means,

"What you want to > do tomorrow do it today, and what you want to dotoday do it

>now." > This vision of developed nation needs to be achieved >with

Parliamentary democracy, which is the > core of our governance system. The

basic structure of >our Constitution has stood the test of time. > I am

confident that it will continue to be responsive >to the demands of changing

situations. The > first and foremost task is to respect and uphold the

>Constitutional processes, in the best interest > of our people and our nation,

without fear or favour >and with fairness and firmness. > India is a Union of

States based on the framework of >co-operative federalism. Within the >

co-operative framework, there is also a requirement >to develop competitive

strengths for the States > so that they can excel at the national level and the

>global level. Competitiveness helps in > ensuring economic and managerial

efficiency and to be >creative to meet new challenges. These > are essential to

survive and prosper in a fast >changing world of today. In addition, in order to

> strengthen democratic processes and institution, we >should all truly strive

for substantive ecentralisation. > I wish to emphasise my unflinching

commitment to the >principle of secularism, which is the > cornerstone of our

nationhood and which is the key >feature of our civilisational strength. During

> the last one year I met a number of spiritual leaders >of all religions. They

all echoed one > essage, that is, unity of minds and hearts of our >peple will

happen and we will see the golden > age of our country, very soon. I would like

to >endeavour to work for bringing about unity of > minds among the divergent

traditions of our country. > Along with speedy development aimed at elimination

of >poverty and unemployment, national > security has to be recognised by every

Indian as a >national priority. Indeed, making India strong > and self reliant

-- economically, socially and >militarily -- is our foremost duty to our

motherland > and to ourselves and to our future generations. > When the child

is empowered by the parents, at >various phases of growth, the child transforms

> into a responsible citizen. When the teacher is >empowered with knowledge and

experience, good > young human beings with value systems take shape. >When

individual or a team is empowered > with technology, transformation to higher

potential >for achievement is assured. When the leader of > any institution

empowers his or her people, leaders >are born who can change the nation in >

multiple areas. When the women are empowered, society >with stability gets

assured. When the > politcal leaders of the nation empower the people >through

visionary policies, the prosperity of the > nation is certain. The medium for

transformation to >developed India is the empowerment at > various levels with

power of knowledge. A roadmap of >realising this vision of developed India is

in front of us. > At this juncture, I recall a beautiful though of Dr G >G

Swell, an eminent leader from the North > East: "We must have a mental

infrastructure. Mental >infrastructure means sincerity of purpose, of > vision,

or purity of heart and mind." > When I travel across our nation, when I hear the

>sound of waves of the three seas around the > shores of my country, when I

experience the breeze of >wind from the mighty Himalayas, when I > see the

bio-diversity of North-East and our islands >and when I feel the warmth from

the western > desert, I hear the voice of the youth: "When can I >sing the song

of India?" What can be the > answer? I have so far interacted with over 50,000

>school children during the past one year. I > would like to share with you my

answer to the urge of >these children. If youth have to sing the > song of

India, India should become a developed >country which is free from poverty,

illiteracy > and unemployment and is buoyant with economic >prosperity,

national security and internal harmony. > To create this transformation we all

have to resolve >ourselves to work and sweat for the national > development. I

would like to share the song of youth, >which I normally recite with the school

> children, here at this juncture. I am very happy to >see the children present

here representing the > future generation. Through them I would like to >convey

the song of youth to all children of our country and >the people. > As a young

citizen of India, armed with technology, >knowledge and love for my nation, I

realise, small aim is a >crime. > I will work and sweat for a great vision, the

vision >of transforming India into a developed > nation, powered by economic

strength with valuesystem. > I am one of the citizens of billion; Only the

vision >will ignite the billion souls. > It has entered into me; The ignited

soul compared to >any resource is the most powerful resource > on the earth,

above the earth under the earth. > I will keep the lamp of knowledge burning to

achieve >the vision - Developed India. > If we work and sweat for the great

vision with >ignited minds, the transformation leading to birth > of vibrant

developed India will happen. This song, >when sung in our own beautiful

languages will unite our minds >for action. > Send and receive Hotmail on your

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