Udupi district had the privilege of hosting the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam twice. Both his visits – one as the President – were to three educational institutions in the district. He had inspired the students through his words on both these visits.
Dr. Kalam visited Manipal as President on March 28, 2003, for the inauguration of the golden jubilee celebrations of Kasturba Medical College. He later participated as the chief guest at the 28th convocation of the T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) on April 2, 2014.
After participating in the convocation, he participated in an interaction programme with the students of SMV Institute of Technology and Management (SMVITM) at Bantakal in Udupi district on the same day.
In his speech at the golden jubilee celebrations of Kasturba Hospital, Mr. Kalam had said the country should join the ranks of developed countries by 2020. “In the India of future, children should sing songs of prosperity. The Indian mind should be ignited by a real vision. Children should be curious and develop the spirit of questioning,” Dr. Kalam had said.
Energy independence
At the TAPMI convocation, Dr. Kalam said that the country should aim at energy independence by 2030 instead of energy security. Renewable sources of energy, including solar power and wind power, should be given priority. The potential of solar energy should be tapped, he said.
Interacting with students at SMVITM, Dr. Kalam advised students thus: “Don’t become employment seekers. You should become employment generators,”
The faculty members in engineering colleges must give short-term projects to the students to hone their skills, he said. “Technology and innovation should empower the nation,” Dr. Kalam had said.
Wall-E
At SMVITM, Dr. Kalam was welcomed by ‘Wall-E’, a tele-presence robot. He was fascinated by it and asked about its functioning and was keen to meet the students behind its successful operation. He congratulated the whole team of students called ‘The Flying Robodrones’ and lauded their efforts in designing the robot.
In the India of future, children should sing songs of prosperity. The Indian mind should be ignited by a real vision.
