Close to 10,000 students and hundreds of teachers in Padmabhushan Sri. N. Ramaswami Ayyar Educational Complex on Wednesday exhibited elation while listening to a role model profiling exalted personalities to draw inspiration from.
Providing ample insights into lives of Thomas Alva Edison, Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Madam Marie Curie, and Sir C.V. Raman, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam engaged an enthusiastic audience consisting of students of Savitri vidyasala, Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Kamakoti vidyalaya and N.Ramaswami memorial polytechnic for over an hour with his interactive talk espousing culture of excellence, individual uniqueness, and women empowerment, and proactive role of educational institutions in the knowledge era.
Motivated students
Dr. Kalam described the achievements of the 2004 Nobel Prize winner of Kenya Wangari Maathai, for her environmental crusade in the African continent, and motivated each student to plant five saplings. Dr. Kalam also introduced the students to contributors to women empowerment closer home: Social activist Ela Bhatt, who, he said, could bring into the lives of five lakh women in Gujarat socio-economic self-reliance with her innovative leadership by floating Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA); Vanitha Mohan, whose water management project Siruthuli (meaning small drop) in Coimbatore has created the desired impact in large scale rain water harvesting, afforestation, sewage / waste water treatment and solid waste management; and the three women behind management of the ground station at Hassan for launch of PSLV C17 (polar satellite launch vehicle of ISRO) earlier this month from Sri Harikota: Project Director TK Anuradha, Mission Director Pramodha Hegde, and Operation Director KS Anuradha. For the first time, an all women team was involved in the significant task of managing the ground station for the mission to place communication satellite G Sat 12 on the geostationary orbit. When women are empowered, society with stability gets assured, said in his address that focussed on the theme: Women empowerment leads to society with stability and peace. Lauding the vision of Shri Ramaswami Iyer for providing quality education for girls of the Tiruchi region, Dr. Kalam said the nation owes its gratitude to such pioneers who had laid the foundation for women empowerment in the country. Dr. Kalam was all praise for R. Panchapakesan, Secretary of the Educational Complex and Ramani Panchapakesan, Executive Director, for carrying the initiative forward.
Commitment needed
The former President administered an oath, extracting the students' commitment for bringing about change in the lives of women in education, employment or healthcare; promoting courage and self reliance, particularly among women; working continuously to remove gender discrimination and crime against women and children; promoting righteousness in the heart; and lighting the lamp of knowledge. Culture of excellence and individual uniqueness are what would lead to achievement. Fundamental for becoming unique is knowledge in the 21{+s}{+t} century where multiple opportunities exist. Educational institutions were the powerhouse for knowledge, Dr. Kalam said, calling for education with value system to enable the younger generation to carry out multi-disciplinary missions.
