The 12th Annual Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) held at Philadelphia on March 22 with the theme "India Imagine" as an effort to highlight exceptional opportunities that India has and the challenges that need to be attended to realise these vast opportunities.
Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, and prominent venture capitalist and the father of the Intel Pentium microprocessor, Vinod Dham graced the occasion. The forum was attended by more than 600 students and professionals.
This forum envisaged India as an emerging economic superpower, and provides a platform to know India and learn about the opportunities entrapped there through its eminent leaders.
The great visionary Abdul Kalam said that it’s the youth who can drive India into a transformed nation.
While addressing the students at WIFE, he said, “If you have an aim in life, realise that spent time cannot be recovered.”
“Hence the precious time has to be used for achieving the goal, have confidence to win, have confidence to defeat the problems and succeed and have a righteous heart; you will definitely succeed in all your missions,” he added.
“Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind,” claimed the former president.
But he also stressed on India’s lack of courage and driving force while emphasizing on the need to overcome it.
He asked the students to acquire three important things in life, “Realising the importance of present that is today; the confidence that I can do it and building righteousness in the heart.”
He talked about his vision, mission and realisation citing the space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), the AGNI programme of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) becoming a National Mission.
WIEF has been instrumental in tracing the Indian growth story through themes such as India's Mantra for Success and Realising the Indian Dream.
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Comments:
FaridaSohrab
March 24, 2008 at 12:00 AM
I as a mother appreciate the thought of our ex-president,whom I consider as the very best teacher.I hope all teachers will teach our youth to excel to the best of their ability.