Manish Sisodia: “Dr APJ Abdul Kalam gave me the idea to reduce the syllabus for school students”
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Young Indians (Yi) initiative of CII organised Young Indians Youth Dialogue ‘Visioning for India’ to commemorate Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Birth Anniversary on 15 October 2015.
Dr Kalam’s contribution to the India growth story as the President and through various other eminent roles that he played prior to and after his Presidency made him the ‘Youth Icon’ of India. 15 October 2015 was the first birth anniversary of Dr Kalam after his sad demise. It was a day to celebrate the tremendous contribution that he made for the country from humble beginnings.
Mr Manish Sisodia, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi was the Guest Speaker at this interactive session where he took many questions from the young students of Government and Private schools and Colleges. He said that Innovative thinking is the key to success and the need of the hour. Education should move towards making students leaders and innovators. Critical reasoning and thinking should be imbibed in students from a very young age. He said that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam believed in the same vision. Mr Sisodia said that Indian Democracy needs people like Dr Kalam. He said that Dr Kalam had told him that students should learn Physics and Chemistry like they learn values and morals from Geeta and Quran.
He further said that Dr Kalam wanted to resurrect India through having a good quality education system. He also said that Dr Kalam, along with being one of the greatest minds in the history of India, was also very receptive to the ideas of others. A student in the audience asked Mr Sisodia about what makes Mark Zuckerburg, CEO, Facebook so successful. Mr Sisodia gave an apt response by saying that Mr Zuckerburg is not a businessman, but a thinker and an innovator and all youngsters should learn to be innovators and not followers.
Mr Rahul Munjal, Convenor, CII Delhi Panel on Environment and Managing Director, Hero Future Energies Limited while delivering welcome remarks said that Dr Kalam’s contribution to India’s growth story as President and through various other eminent roles that he played prior to and after his Presidency did make him the ‘Youth Icon’ of India. He added that Dr Kalam touched so many lives and spoke to lakhs and lakhs of people on his vision for India, mainly the youth. He planted his thoughts into millions of people and touched them in small and big ways.
Mr Nishant Berlia, Member - Management Board, Apeejay Stya Group said Dr Kalam was a very special person, who could engage with a child as readily as he did with scientist. He was equally at ease with king and commoner. His most endearing quality was his childlike simplicity and his genuine good nature. He also remembered one instance where In a lecture to the Educators of Delhi earlier this year, Dr Kalam emphasized upon creating an education system with values.
Ms Sonali Jain, Chairperson, Young Indian (Yi) Delhi Chapter, and; Director, Hotz Industries, quoted Dr Kalam’s lines from the book Ignited Minds “All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents”. She said that this statement is particularly of significance in this session, because amongst us we have curious young minds who will be the scientists and innovators of tomorrow. She said he believed that Success is a wonderful thing, but it tends not to be the sort of experience that we learn from. We enjoy it; perhaps we even deserve it. But we don't acquire wisdom from it. And maybe that's why it cannot be passed on either.
Thereafter at the end of the session, Mr Manish Sisdodia, other panelists and all students took the following oath:
Dr AJP Abdul Kalam’s Oath for the Youth
1. I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal. I realize that small aim is a crime.
2. I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
3. I will be a good member of my family, a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.
4. I will always try to save or better someone's life, without any discrimination of caste, creed, language religion or state. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is “What can I give?”
5. I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life without any bias.
6. I will always remember the importance of time. My motto will be “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.
7. I will always work for clean planet Earth and clean energy.
8. 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.
9. I am as young as my faith and as old as my doubt. Hence, I will light up then, the lamp of faith in my heart.
10. My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.
New Delhi
15 October, 2015