Creative leadership is the key for a nation’s transformation to become self-reliant in science and technology, said A. Sivathanu Pillai, honorary distinguished professor, Indian Space Research Organisation.
Launching the APJ Abdul Kalam - City Union Bank Chair for Rural Development and the Swami Dayananda Saraswati Chair for Indian Values at SASTRA University, Dr. Pillai underlined the strength of India given its ancient technological discoveries and recalled the efforts of scientific leaders of India who chartered the course of Indian science and technology in the global order.
Highlighting the efforts of great scientists like Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, M. S. Swaminathan and Abdul Kalam, Dr. Pillai observed that Abdul Kalam was creative in his leadership roles to energise human capital not only in India’s space and defence programmes but also in ensuring that technology spin-off benefit reached the society at large. Dr. Pillai commended SASTRA for establishing the chair in rural development, an area that was close to Kalam’s Vision 2020 and also for establishing the Swami Dayananda Chair on Indian Values. N.Kamakodi, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of City Union Bank Ltd. handed over a cheque for Rs.50 lakhs as initial corpus for the APJ Abdul Kalam – City Union Bank Chair, according to a SASTRA press release.
R. Srinivasan, Development Management Expert and Faculty, School of Management, SASTRA University, and Head of the newly created Chair explained the rural development initiatives planned to transform villages as powerful socio-economic engines of growth. S.Vaidhyasubramaniam, Dean – Planning and Development, spoke.
