I am happy returning to teaching: Kalam

Hyderabad, Sep 27 (UNI) Former President A P J Adbul Kalam today said he was happy to return to teaching, his passion, even as students expressed disappointment over his disinclination to run for Presidency for a second term.

Interacting with a large number of students at the 58th International Aeronautical Congress, he said he had accepted to contest for the high office ''only to sell his 2020 vision of a developed India to politicians.'' ''After fulfilling the task, I am happy to come back to the teaching profession once again'', he said even as the students gave a standing ovation to the former President.

Expressing satisfaction over the country registering about nine per cent economic growth, he said ''we need to maintain a growth rate of 10 per cent for the next 10 years to realise 2020 vision''.

He said the country was bestowed with 540 million ''ignited'' youth, a powerful resource above the earth and on the earth. He told the students to dream and work hard to realise the dreams. ''Don't be afraid of failures. Defeat the failures and succeed''.

Giving a vision for ''space youth'', he asked ''will you be part of evolution of next generation of scientific payloads''.''Will you work for reducing the cost of access to space from the present 20,000 US Dollars for putting one kg in orbit to 2000 USD and then 200 USD''.

UNI