Former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam on Sunday went down on memory lane and said that he was inspired by his teacher Siva Subrahmanyan Iyer.
“He used to draw on the blackboard the picture of a flying black bird which inspired me to think on flying lines. I became an aeronautical engineer and a rocket scientist. My teacher radiated knowledge and purity of life,’’ Dr. Kalam said while addressing golden jubilee celebrations of Chetana, a residential school run by Venkateswara Bala Kuteer.
Dr. Kalam urged the students to develop a desire to be a unique person and narrated anecdotes about Thomas Edison (electric bulb) and Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) and Sir Timothy (World Wide Web).
Equal opportunities
Social activist Santha Sinha said crass commercialisation of education and creation of schools for the elite initiated ‘education apartheid,’ and urged the government to provide equal opportunities for all.
Society president Lakshmarao, secretary N. Mangadevi and Col. K.P. Rao were present.
Later during an interactive session with students, Dr. Kalam said that one should not allow failure to bother them and one should take the mantle of leadership.
Replying to a question by Harsha Vardhan, Dr. Kalam said that he had never thought he would become a politician. After he was elected as President in 2002, he set himself the task of forming a vision to develop the country by 2020.
He also said that failures should not be allowed to lead men.
Replying to a question by G. Lalith, Dr. Kalam said that out of 10 attempts to fire Agni missile, he had succeeded only four times.
Social activist Santha Sinha says crass commercialisation of education and creation of schools for the elite initiated ‘education apartheid’
