The Hindu Business Line : Inspiring call

ALL know that the President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, has got the unique and admirable gift of striking a chord in the heart of whomsoever he meets, whether informally on a one-on-one basis, or in interactive discussions with students and youths, formal gatherings or international conferences.

Even those who are well aware of his soaring vision for the country must have felt `ignited' (to use his favourite word) to a state of incandescence by listening to his address on the subject of "Dyamics of Leadership" to the CII-sponsored Partnership Summit 2006 at Kolkata.

It is no exaggeration to say that Dr Kalam excelled himself in placing before the keyed-up participants from India and abroad a comprehensive master plan, with precisely laid down objectives and targets, that will enable India to make it to the big league of developed nations even earlier than 2020. It is both an inspired and inspiring call for all sections of the population to bend their energies to make India a nation "that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy" and "one of the best places to live in on the earth... (that) brings smiles on the one billion-plus faces".

He captures in a capsule of 10 poetic descriptions, reminiscent of Rabindranath Tagore's famous "Where the mind is without fear", the quintessence of the brave, new India that it is within the power of the people to build. His formula for success is through integrated action to exploit India's core competencies in agriculture and food processing, reliable and quality electric power; surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country, education and healthcare, information and communication technology, and strategic sectors.

For this purpose, he lays out a brilliant "connectivity model" made up of networks of grids aimed at societal transformation, "knowledge-sharing, knowledge-utilisation and knowledge re-use" interconnecting universities with socio-economic institutions, industries and R&D organisations, healthcare partnership among government, corporate and superspeciality hospitals, research, educational, and pharma R&D institutions, e-governance bringing within its coverage central government and state governments and district and block level offices, and provision of urban amenities in rural areas (PURA).

It is a must-read for every citizen and certainly, every Minister, MP and MLA.

B. S. RAGHAVAN