Kalam transforms Indian embassy into classroom

Yangon, Mar 9: Trust President A P J Abdul Kalam to turn any mundane place into a lecture room.

This time he chose a manicured lawn tennis court in the Indian Embassy here for his interactive session with children of Indian community last night.

The 'missile man' was at his exuberant best as he fired questions at the students and also gave them a pep talk on how not to get flustered in the face of failures and turn adversity into prosperity through ''an unrelenting pursuit of education''.

Dr Kalam, on a three-day visit to Myanmar, turned into quintessential teacher as he also showed his penchant for fielding queries from the students who appeared both curious and stupefied by the President's persona.

''Sir, how do I become a scientist like you?'' came a query from a student, fumbling with words.

''You have to acquire knowledge continuously through hard work.

Don't get terrified by troubles. This is what I have learnt from my life,'' came the reply from India's First Citizen, who apparently relished the entire ambience.

The President continued, ''Acquire knowledge...it is master...

protect it.'' Describing science as 'innocent', the scientist-professor said the onus for its correct use lay with policy-makers. He was replying to a question whether science could usher in peace in a society fractured by so many divisions.

''Beautiful question'', quipped the President in reply to a question from a young girl. ''It is unfair to blame science for the lack of progress. My dear child, science is innocent. It gives the tools for a good life such as electricity, medicine and other comforts. You have nuclear energy and nuclear medicine, but there is also nuclear bomb.'' But he reminded that science itself was not the culprit for a nuclear bomb. Then he almost brought the roof down when he suggested that students should become good children rather than smart children.

In between, the President also revealed his diplomatic finesse when a student asked him about the recent civilian nuclear deal between India and the US. ''We are trying to study it. We have sought experts' opinion on it,'' came the prompt reply. That was end of it.

Dr Kalam then stepped into the shoes of a genial professor, giving them several pieces of advice and recounting his own failures and successes. Among the audience was Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Bhaskar Mitra, who heard the President with rapt attention.

Going down the memory lane, Dr Kalam recalled that he was the mission director of a satellite launch project in 1979. ''The satellite was to be launched in 1979 from Sriharikota. We were all set. Barely eight minutes before the final launch, the computer sent a message: Don't launch it. Some problem in the rocket system.'' Dr Kalam consulted his experts in the team and they advised him to go ahead with the project because it was a minor snag. ''I bypassed the computer and the mission was a total fiasco. The rocket did not put the satellite into the orbit; instead, it went into the Bay of Bengal.'' Recounting those depressing moments, he said the then ISRO chief Satish Dhawan shielded him from the press which unleashed tremendous criticisms against him (Kalam). ''But Dr Dhawan later told if we had failed this year, we will suucced next year. And it happened. This time, the ISRO chief asked me to address the press conference.'' Dr Kalam's recounting of experiences were well taken by the students, who were asked to repeat a vow in a chorus: ''Learning gives creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great.'' Now it was the turn of the sprawling lawns of the embassy to get transformed into an impromptu classroom. And among the listeners were Foreign Secretary Shyam Saram, members of the embassy and a large number of invitees.

While admiring ''the beautiful building of the embassy'' and ''the beautiful moon in the sky'' , Dr Kalam unfolded his nuggets of wisdom, charted out a vision of world unblemished by fanaticism and laid out a roadmap for a resurgent India.

In a world riven with religious extremism, Dr Kalam felt that spirituality could prove to be the panacea to rid the universe of violence.

''If scientific minds and spirituality merge together, it ill create a world of peace and development where no one lives under the fear of fanatics,'' he said, adding that religion must transform into a spiritual force if a country was to be blessed with a league of enlightened citizens.

''When I am in the company of religious leaders I feel I am in an orchard full of flowers, but when I come out of it I feel I am stranded on a lonely island,'' came the profound words from the President.

''We need a bridge between religious and scientific minds, and it is the best hope for the mankind,'' he addedl.

The President sounded upbeat about India's future even though he listed its shortcomings. ''We have a population of 540 million below 25 years. We have achieved a growth rate of eight per cent, and we are aspiring for ten per cent. But we have to remove poverty as 260 million people are living below poverty line.'' When the President ended with his question-answer session, Dr Kalam had a huge fan list. One of them gushed forth his emotions by saying he ''was mesmerised.''

UNI