Life is a song if you love your job

Raju Gavali / TNN / Feb 25, 2007, 22:36 IST

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President Kalam participated in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Maratha Mandal Group of Educational Institutions.

BELGAUM: When Padmaja Pavaskar, a student of Maratha Mandal’s institutions, asked President Kalam if India could become self-sufficient in nuclear power, the President could not just resist from terming her question "fantastic" and said India was aiming at producing 50,000 MW power by 2030 after the thorium-based fast breeder nuclear reactors were activated.
President Kalam on Sunday participated in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Maratha Mandal Group of Educational Institutions here. Interacting with the students, he said "We are advocating energy independence and will produce 1,000-2,000 MW power in the next two or three years by using solar, bio and nuclear power generators.Uranium, the main material needed for generation of nuclear power, is limited with us,whereas we have abundant quantities of thorium and it has to be made fissile by using fast breeders and by the year 2030 we can produce 50,000 MW power."
Another student, Ajay Prabhu, asked the President which role he cherished most in his long career from Rameswaram to New Delhi. The President said his first love was teaching. He said that after education, 90% go for in for employment, as that was the way of life and 10% get what they want. One should start loving the job and life would be beautiful. Or else would become miserable.
To another question by Y Rameshwar as to why despite controls the standards of education were falling, the President said there was no shortage of manpower and the government was setting up a chain of institutions for teaching and research and a network would be formed to enable students to go in for research after their 10+2 education. Good teachers would man the institutions, he added.

Earlier, addressing the students on "creative leaders", the President gave the example of one G R Shanmugappa, vice-president, All India Motor Transport Congress and president, Karnataka Lorry Owners Association,who started as a porter in Bangalore. Today, he employs around 1,200 persons to run the trucks and premixed coffee and tea business.
"Through this example,we can see how enthusiasm, hard work with devotion and above all the will to succeed made Shanmugappa, a successful entrepreneur." "On his invitation, I inaugurated the Motor Transportation Congress, of which he had become the Chairman. I was happy and privileged to sit by his side to understand further his dreams. India needs many Shanmugappa-like leaders."
Citing the example of the first project entrusted to him in 1972 and which had to be completed in seven years, the President said it worried him as many seniors were working. "The then ISRO chief Satish Dhawan had told me that if you don’t do anything there would be no problem, but if you do a difficult mission/task difficult problems would come and problems need to be defeated. The problem should not be the captain, but we."

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