Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam to PM Mr.Narendra Modi
Originally Posted in Times of India
Former President Abdul Kalam's words of advice for India's next PM
It almost sounded like a crash course for India's next Prime Minister.
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam - a leader who made India's highest office accessible to the common man during his tenure as the President of the country from 2002 till 2007 said on Wednesday that India was in need of a creative leadership that would make it a true democracy with the fastest rate of growth.
With the election results to be announced on May 16, Dr Kalam who will receive an honorary degree of the doctor of science from the University of Edinburgh on Thursday said India's leader "must have a solid vision for the country and be able to think 20 years ahead of his time".
Addressing students, one of whom called the experience "the greatest day of his life" Dr Kalam spelled out what kind of leader India needs.
He said "He should have the courage to take difficult decisions, tread into unexplored areas for the overall development of the country, manage success and failure with equal ease, should have a strong ability in management and capable of working with integrity".
He added "India needs a creative leadership which is the most important component for attaining success in all missions. So who is a creative leader? It is a leader who could shift seamlessly from being a commander to a coach, manager to a mentor and a director to a delegate. Youth of today want democracy. Regardless of their nationality, regardless of whether they live in democratic India, communist China or under any monarchy, the youth globally and unanimously agree that the future belongs to systems which are of the people, by the people, for the people".
The comments come as almost every exit poll predicts Narendra Modi as the next Indian Prime Minister.
Interestingly, Kalam did not want to delve much into it and skirted questions on what he thinks of Modi.
He said "I will tell you on the 16th".
However, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that had strongly backed Kalam for a second term in office and urged him to stand in a presidential election against the present President and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee.
Kalam in a statement had said he "never aspired to serve another term or shown interest in contesting the election".
Acknowledging that political parties had urged him to contest the election, he had said "I want to thank them for the trust they have in me. I've considered the totality of the matter and the present political situation and decided not to contest the presidential election 2012".
Dr Kalam was aggressively wooed by the BJP that is all set to come to power in India now.
Talking about how he would like to see India in the future, Kalam said on Wednesday in Edinburgh "Transforming India into a developed nation implies that every citizen lives well above the poverty line, their education and health is of a high standard and national security is assured".
A student Shariq Zia from Bhopal who is doing his PhD in business from the University of Edinburgh called Kalam's speech "very inspiring as it gave total emphasis to the youth and floated the idea of a global knowledge platform".
Dr Kalam is being given the award by the University of Edinburgh in recognition of "his outstanding contribution to science and technology and his focus on transforming India into a developed nation by 2020".
The 36-day, nine-phase polls ended on Monday. The Election Commission said voter turnout was a record 66.38%. Votes will be counted on 16 May.
The election began on April 7 and has been held in nine phases for security and logistical reasons. With 814 million eligible voters, it is the world's biggest exercise in democracy.
Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 40 universities and institutions.
He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards, Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). Kalam was India's 11th President.
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam - a leader who made India's highest office accessible to the common man during his tenure as the President of the country from 2002 till 2007 said on Wednesday that India was in need of a creative leadership that would make it a true democracy with the fastest rate of growth.
With the election results to be announced on May 16, Dr Kalam who will receive an honorary degree of the doctor of science from the University of Edinburgh on Thursday said India's leader "must have a solid vision for the country and be able to think 20 years ahead of his time".
Addressing students, one of whom called the experience "the greatest day of his life" Dr Kalam spelled out what kind of leader India needs.
He said "He should have the courage to take difficult decisions, tread into unexplored areas for the overall development of the country, manage success and failure with equal ease, should have a strong ability in management and capable of working with integrity".
He added "India needs a creative leadership which is the most important component for attaining success in all missions. So who is a creative leader? It is a leader who could shift seamlessly from being a commander to a coach, manager to a mentor and a director to a delegate. Youth of today want democracy. Regardless of their nationality, regardless of whether they live in democratic India, communist China or under any monarchy, the youth globally and unanimously agree that the future belongs to systems which are of the people, by the people, for the people".
The comments come as almost every exit poll predicts Narendra Modi as the next Indian Prime Minister.
Interestingly, Kalam did not want to delve much into it and skirted questions on what he thinks of Modi.
He said "I will tell you on the 16th".
However, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that had strongly backed Kalam for a second term in office and urged him to stand in a presidential election against the present President and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee.
Kalam in a statement had said he "never aspired to serve another term or shown interest in contesting the election".
Acknowledging that political parties had urged him to contest the election, he had said "I want to thank them for the trust they have in me. I've considered the totality of the matter and the present political situation and decided not to contest the presidential election 2012".
Dr Kalam was aggressively wooed by the BJP that is all set to come to power in India now.
Talking about how he would like to see India in the future, Kalam said on Wednesday in Edinburgh "Transforming India into a developed nation implies that every citizen lives well above the poverty line, their education and health is of a high standard and national security is assured".
A student Shariq Zia from Bhopal who is doing his PhD in business from the University of Edinburgh called Kalam's speech "very inspiring as it gave total emphasis to the youth and floated the idea of a global knowledge platform".
Dr Kalam is being given the award by the University of Edinburgh in recognition of "his outstanding contribution to science and technology and his focus on transforming India into a developed nation by 2020".
The 36-day, nine-phase polls ended on Monday. The Election Commission said voter turnout was a record 66.38%. Votes will be counted on 16 May.
The election began on April 7 and has been held in nine phases for security and logistical reasons. With 814 million eligible voters, it is the world's biggest exercise in democracy.
Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 40 universities and institutions.
He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards, Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). Kalam was India's 11th President.
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