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four countries in the world have. You remove all the doubts from your mind,’ I told the

child, who gave me a very satisfied look.

I have selected only eleven questions here from among the hundreds of questions I
have been asked during the course of meeting 40,000 high school students so far. The
questions reflect the children’s innocence, but most of all they show how strongly they
feel the desire to live in a strong and prosperous nation. I also realised from these sessions
how important it is for them to have role models, whether in science, industry, sports,

entertainment or some other field. The question is: Can we give our children a role model?
And how?

I recently had the chance to meet a legendary personality, a role model herself. Lata
Mangeshkar was presiding over a function in remembrance of her father, Master
Deenanath Mangeshkar. Lata Mangeshkar is a recipient of the Bharat Ratna and I felt
honoured that she had asked me to inaugurate the 450-bed Deenanath Hospital and

Research Centre in Pune. I visited the hospital just before the inauguration. I found that
it would be treating nearly 30 per cent of the patients free. I was touched by the fact that
despite her wealth and fame, she had not lost sight of the fact that one needs to do all one
can to help relieve the suffering of others.

Her songs played over the radio have brought pleasure to countless hearts over the
decades. During the India—China conflict in 1962, her song ‘Ae mere vatan ke logo’
moved an entire nation. Few people can claim to have influenced the lives of millions in

such a delightful way.

Role models can help us focus on what is correct for us as individuals, as groups and,
of course, as a nation. They can also lead us to great success. We seem to have gotten
carried away with the success of a few in the field of information technology. But that
is indeed nothing compared to what we can and should achieve. Ancient India was a
knowledge society and a leader in many intellectual pursuits, particularly in the fields

of mathematics, medicine and astronomy. A renaissance
is imperative for us to once again become a knowledge renaissance: (say ruh-nay-
sons) a revival of or renewed
superpower rather than simply providing cheap labour in areas interest in something
of high technology. imperative: of vital importance

—From Ignited Minds by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam (abridged)

About the Author
Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam Azad (1931–2015) was an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the
11th President of India. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. He studied Physics at the St. Joseph’s
College, Tiruchirapalli and Aerospace Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai. Before becoming the
President of India he used to work with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).

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