Vision for India

I am indeed delighted to participate in the inauguration of the centenary celebrations of Anjuman Education Institutions, Hubli, which is imparting professional education from nursery level to post graduation level through is thirteen institutions spread across Hubli, offering value based education for the students of Hubli and also others through distance education mode.

Education & IT

Since Anjuman-E-Islam has distant education centre it is essential to use Information Technology extensively and provide interactive tele-education. Information and communication technology has to be used to connect the faculty, who will be teaching from this institution, to multiple class rooms in various states. Probably fiber optic leased line cables or combination of Satellite line ( V-SAT ) can be used.

The Anjuman-E-Islam definitely need a good database, so that the traditional knowledge that has been given to us by our forefathers is propagated irrespective of caste, creed and colour. If we do not propagate now, the knowledge will soon disappear. How do we preserve this knowledge? Data-base that we create for the regional language knowledge resources can also be used to train computers to translate regional language to English and vice versa. This will make it possible for those using the regional language data-base, also to acquire additional knowledge from the vast knowledge base available in the World Wide Web in English and other languages. Digital Library is coming in a big way. In India there is a program to digitize 250 million pages, say about one million books in two years' time. This institution should become a partner to this program. Modern technologies and machineries are available with us to carry-out this digitizing.

Women Education

I would like to emphasize that women education has to be given highest priority. When the women are empowered, society with stability will get assured. We have to ensure the continuity of secondary education and university education for girls. It is essential to establish connectivity between the university and secondary schools. Distant education packages has to be evolved to cater towards women education. Periodically, secondary level students should be counseled to continue their education both in diploma level and degree level.

Vocational Programs and Higher Learning

I would like to suggest that the Anjuman Education Institutions should aim to provide educational learning program in unique areas. Vocational programs in the areas of engineering, programming, nursing may be offered to a large number of educated un-employed youth to make them employable.

A Research team should be started in this institution for creating teaching resources for both PG and Ph.D level programs in regional language particularly for professional courses. This will be highly beneficial to the the people with Urdu as mother tongue. At the same time, we have to realize and gear up to get educated in one or more national language as a back-up.

II. a Vision for the nation

We got freedom in 1947, that was the result of first vision for the nation. This vision created best of leaders in many fields like politics, philosophy, science & technology and industry. Since independence, we have witnessed, increase in life expectancy, improvement in literacy rate, self sufficiency in food production, self reliance in certain strategic areas, growth of small and large-scale industries. Now more than fifty years have gone by and we are called as one of the hundreds of developing countries, in a distinct way a separation from G-8 countries. We have many challenges. Nearly 260 million people who are below the poverty line have to join the mainstream of a good life. 100% literacy, health for all, multiple industrial and agricultural productivity and life style with value system has to emerge. Hence we need the second vision for the nation to become developed.

Integrated action for developed India

We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for an integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food processing - we have to put a target of 360 million tons of food and agricultural production. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up the economic growth. (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country. (3) Education and Healthcare - we have seen, based on the experience, education and healthcare are inter related and assist population control leads to social security and also national security. (4) Information Technology - This is one of our core competence. We believe, this area can be used to promote education in remote areas and also to create national wealth. (5) Strategic sectors - This area, fortunately, witnessed the growth in nuclear technology, space technology and defence technology. These five areas are closely inter-related and lead to national, food and economic security. A strong partnership among the R&D, academy, industry, business and the community as a whole with the Government departments and agencies will be essential to accomplish the vision.

Power young Minds

How to achieve this developed India? Young is indeed a powerful resource for the nation. Some of my friends had launched a web site in my name. I normally exchange views particularly with the young within the country and abroad. I had putforth two points in the web site for the young to share their thoughts. The first point I had putforth was, "India is a developing country for more than half a century. What you will do to make it Developed India?". The second one was, "When can I sing a song of India?". There is a connectivity. There were more than 100 responses. I thought of sharing with you four important suggestions that I received.

1. One student from Meghalaya had responded, "I will become a teacher (rather a Professor of Engineering) since I am good in, as well as enjoy teaching. Since I believe that one of the best ways in which to serve any nation is to be either a Professor or a soldier among many other professions". What a noble thought. Only from beautiful places like Meghalaya such beautiful thoughts can arise.

2. Another young girl from Kerala says, "Single flower makes no garland. I will make my countrymen to love the nation and work for garland, that is developed India".

3. A twenty year old boy from Goa has responded, "I would become an electron and like an electron in the orbit, I will work ceaselessly for my country now onwards.

4. With reference to the second point which I had putforth, a young man from Atlanta says, "when India builds the capability to put sanction against any country, if needed, then I will sing a song of India". What the young man meant was: Economic strength brings prosperity accompanied with national strength

Agenda for the young in Developed India Mission

Developed India will become a reality. The Prime Minister, on Independence Day-2002, had announced that we will become a Developed India by 2020. The largest beneficiary of this dream when realized will be you, the young. Hence it is important that you contribute in its initial stages of realization and shape it to the best of your abilities with in your academic and family confines. The biggest concern of the parents and the children in your age group is about the job prospects when you complete your education. Without worrying about minor variations in the subjects of your pursuit, your opportunities and future will be brighter if you excel in whatever subject you undertake to study. At the frontier there are no borders. The employment opportunities are many, when a person becomes very selective like Government jobs, then there is tremendous constraints comes. If you open up your thoughts for entrepreneurship,design, industry, direct participation in agriculture with innovative ideas, making IT products etc. Most important thing for future young generation is to make up its mind to contribute in all sectors. The tool can be knowledge and physical contribution. In student life inspite of various constraints you can uniquely contribute for national development.

Student Centric Literacy Movement

One of the important indicators of a developed nation is the literacy level. Educating a nation of a billion people is not a small task. It requires the participation of all the stake holders starting from the young. Many of you are fortunate enough to attend good schools for a quality education. But many of your brothers and sisters are not that fortunate, particularly those from the villages near you. A good sign of a developed nation is that it is built on societies wherein "people who have" to work hard to bridge the divide between them and "those who have not". One way of doing this is for your school to adopt a village near you. When we look at the national target of increasing the literacy level from 57% to 75% by 2010, you must set the target for the village you adopted to be in tune with the national mission. Each one of you could visit the villages on holidays and contribute to removal of illiteracy of at least two persons and light the quest for knowledge in them. Work with consortium of industries, philanthropists, NGOs and ensure that this task is sustainable and its impact can be measurable and quantified.

The educational institutions have to gear-up to evolve a curriculum that is sensitive to the social and technological needs of the Developed India. Student activities towards such missions could be seamlessly integrated with the existing curriculum so that the future members of the knowledge society are fully developed in all aspects of societal transformation.

Student Centric Eco-care Movement

The trees and vegetation around us are the best transformers of energy from the sun on a sustainable basis for our utilization. In the process they provide us the most efficient way of cleaning up our environment, shelter for all living species, a source of food and energy. They are often associated with serene environments that facilitate creative thoughts and actions. As you know dreaming, and dreams transforming into action are important constituents of developed India, friends what you can contribute. Without pain and tears, 200 million of you, if you plant five seedlings, you will add a billion trees, and mother India will give her smiles to you. On that day you will demonstrate to the world that what 200 millions children can do collectively and make us proud. The tree planting may be done in your house, school or in the village your school adopts. The school management or the NGOs should help this student centric eco-care movement on a sustainable basis. Few years from now every one us, Indians, must be a proud guardian of trees planted by the young. This dynamic movement will echo the children's concern for eco-friendly future.

A billion trees also require careful planning water which is already becoming a scare commodity in this country. While the efforts are being taken to make the mother earth greener, the rainwater due to lack of proper planning gets wasted. By todays technology, it is possible to develop a small scale water harvesting stations. For example your school can think of developing a water harvesting station with 10 CFT per student with in your school complex or in the village adopted by your school. If you do that the inbuilt thoughts in you will bring a spirit to share the national resources. Rainwater harvesting will maintain water table level preventing environmental decay and making water available for agriculture and drinking.

Power of the Ignited Minds

Dear Young Friends, When you are haunted with cultural invasions through media and elsewhere, think of you as children of civilisational bliss. We withstood multiple invasions and many dynasties ruled us. Today, India is free from invasions and is independent. We cherish the family values and spiritual life. Many developed nations are dreaming for such a full life. Our philosophy is, "Give them and go on giving". Friends, when you hear the exaggerated turbulence in our society, have courage to feel that we are the nation of a billion people with multiple religions and languages. We are the largest democracy of continuity in this planet. No other nation has this unique strength of our experience. Spread this beautiful message everywhere.

Young friends, when you get the defeatist state of mind, you cheer, because you belong to this great nation. We are self-reliant in food production, we make our own communication satellites, and also we launch our own remote sensing satellites. When India became 'Nuclear Weapon State' and when India became a missile power, developed nations launched on us economic and technological sanctions in 1998 till date. We withstood and combated with our agricultural, technological, industrial might and above all the courage of our people. Keep this spirit and multiply with your dynamic momentum.

Young friends, when you look around the world, you get discouraged, to think that, you belong to one of the hundreds of developing nations and not belong to the so called developed 'G-8'. Think of the billion ignited Indian minds. This is the most powerful resource compared to any resource on the earth, above the earth and below the earth. Our sweat will transform developing India into a developed nation. That is the vision, INDIA MILLENNIUM MISSION 2020 - a developed India. Also, remember the famous saying of a poet, "I work, God honours me".

Conclusion

A nation is great, not because a few people are great, but because every one in the nation is great. I wish you all to excel in your studies and become Creative Leaders, Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Officers of armed forces, Teachers, Lawyers, Administrators, Political Leaders and above all the best human beings with traditional value system and societal care. The challenge in the mission of the developed India calls for an important, cohesive and focused efforts of the young. Just like our first vision of Independence created leaders, I am sure you all will rise to the occasion and become professional in multiple areas.

Best wishes to you.

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