India's Prez Honors Scottish Church College

[Guest guest]

Both AC Bahktivedanta swami Prabhupada and Netaji Subhash candra Bose

attended Scottish Church College.

 

"Abhay Charan De(Srila Prabhupada's Birth Name)was at first educated

at home, and did not attend school until his eighth year. Thereafter

he was educated in English and Bengali medium schools. He completed

his studies at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta and took his

BA. examination in 1920."

"Later he (Netaji Subhash chandra Bose) joined the Scottish Church

college with honours in Philosophy. From the same college, he

appeared for the B. A. examination in 1919. He got first-class

honours in B. A. and was placed second in order of merit."

 

ADDRESS AT THE 175TH YEAR CELEBRATION OF SCOTTISH CHURCH COLLEGIATE

SCHOOL, KOILKATA

 

13-07-2005 : Kolkatta

 

Evolution of Enlightened Citizens

I am happy to participate in the 175th year celebrations of Scottish

Church Collegiate School, Kolkata. My respects to Rev Dr. Alexander

Duff and the Great Rajaram Mohan Roy who were responsible for forming

the nucleus of the Scottish Church School with five boys in the year

1830. This institution had a pioneering role in imparting knowledge

to the people of Bengal since the dawn of 19th century. I am

delighted to know that this collegiate school has produced many

distinguished personalities who are contributing in different

disciplines in India and abroad. My Greetings to all of you. I would

like to discuss with all of you on the topic "Creativity in

Teaching".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where are we in the galaxy?

 

Where are we now? We have assembled here for participating in the

175th year celebration of Scottish Church Collegiate School. Kolkata

is a small dot on the earth. Earth is a representative of the solar

system. Earth constantly rotates around the Sun.

 

Earth while orbiting around the Sun keeps on rotating around its own

axis. While doing so, how much time the earth takes to complete one

rotation. One of you please answer. Earth takes twenty four hours for

completing one rotation on its own axis. This is how night and day is

created. Apart from what does earth do? Earth also orbits around the

sun. How much time does it take for this orbital motion? 365 days.

i.e. one year.

 

Your Scottish Church Collegiate school has orbited around the sun

hundred and seventy five times. This is the importance of hundred and

seventy five years. Let me pray the almighty to provide continuous

growth and prosperity in education to Scottish Church Collegiate

School for many thousands of years.

 

 

 

 

 

What one should be remembered for?

 

When the students join the schools, it is important for the

institutions to see that what they should be remembered for? If the

institution can develop enlightened citizens and moral leaders

through value based education then the institution will be remembered

ever. The institution should create necessary environment to enable

the students to transform into enlightened citizens.

 

 

 

 

 

Evolution of Enlightened citizens

 

National development, is a collective process, and has to be

accomplished through the constructive efforts of enlightened

citizens. The evolution of enlightened human beings is indeed a big

challenge for the world community. I was asking myself, what will be

the components of such a mission? There are three components to that.

The first component is education with value system, second is

religions graduating into spiritual forces to bring universal

brotherhood and the third is poverty eradication by attaining

economic prosperity through a national vision.

 

Education with Value System: The best part of a young person is his

or her childhood in school and the best time spent is 0800 Hrs to

1600 Hrs in the school. The prime learning environment is 5th to 16th

years of age. The student spends approximately 25,000 hours in the

school campus. Of course, at home, love and affection are imparted

but again most of the time of the day is spent in preparing school's

homework and study, eat, play and sleep. Hence the school hours for

children are the best time for learning and need best of environment,

mission oriented learning with value system. I still hear the echo

from Bestolozzy, a great teacher's saying, "give me a child for seven

years. Afterwards, let the God or devil take the child. They cannot

change the child." That is the great confidence of the teacher. What

a golden mission a school can have. All the more, the teachers are in

the center of the mission. We need hundreds and thousands and lakhs

of committed teachers, who can shape the minds of our youth.

Technology can also play a part to propagate good teaching through

tele-education. The best of dynamic triangle is child, teacher and

parents. For parents and teachers, school campus and home have to

have an integrated mission: education with value system. If the child

misses the value-based education in the school, no government or

society can establish a transparent society or a society with

integrity.

 

The Nations will target development milestones in a spirited

environment instead of spending tremendous energy and time in

problems initiated by small aims. This is the essential environment

need for transforming India into a developed nation.

 

Religion transforming into spirituality: A message, I have received

is that most Indians experienced and old, energetic and middle-aged,

young and innocent, they all look to religion for solace and safety.

I have also visited great many religious places and houses of worship

throughout the length and breadth of this great country and I have

met many of our religious leaders. The religions are like exquisite

gardens, places full of surpassing beauty and tranquility, like

sacred groves filled with beautiful birds and their melodious songs.

I truly think that religions are beautiful gardens. They are

enchanting islands, veritable oasis for the soul and the spirit. But

they are islands nevertheless. How can we connect them so that the

fragrance engulfs the whole universe? If we can connect all the

islands with love and compassion, in a 'garland', we will have a

prosperous India and prosperous world.

 

Poverty eradication through a national vision: Now I would like to

discuss what is needed at this juncture. Nearly 700 million people of

India live in the rural areas in 600,000 villages. Rural prosperity

depends upon building up both "content" and "connectivity"

simultaneously. Connectivity of village complexes providing economic

opportunities to all segments of people is an urgent need to empower

the rural sector. The essential needs of the villages today are

water, power, road, sanitation, healthcare, education, communication

and other services needed for sustainable entrepreneurship and

quality of life. For achieving this we need to establish 7000 PURAs

(Providing Urban Amenities) cluster across the country, which will be

a major source of rural enterprise development and employment

generator.

 

Essential Connectivities through PURA: The integrated methods, which

will bring prosperity to rural India are: the physical connectivity

of the village clusters through quality roads and transport;

electronic connectivity through tele-communication with high

bandwidth fiber optic cables reaching the rural areas from urban

cities and through internet kiosks; knowledge connectivity through

education, vocational training for farmers, artisans and craftsmen

and entrepreneurship programmes; these three connectivities will lead

to economic connectivity through starting of enterprises with the

help of banks, educational institutions, micro credits and marketing

the products. My visualization of that competitive Developed India

profile by 2020 is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

Profile of Competitive India

 

1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin

line.

 

2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution of energy and

quality water.

 

3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work

together in symphony, absorbing technology thereby resulting in

sustained wealth generation leading to higher employment potential.

 

4. A Nation where education is not denied to any meritorious

candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.

 

5. A Nation which is the best destination for the most talented

scholars and scientists all over the world.

 

6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all the

billion population and the communicable diseases like AIDS/TB, water

and vector borne diseases, Cardiac diseases and Cancer are extinct.

 

7. A Nation where the governance uses the best of the technologies to

be responsive, transparent, easily accessible and simple in rules,

thereby corruption free.

 

8. A Nation where poverty has been totally alleviated, illiteracy and

crime against women are eradicated and the society is unalienated.

 

9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy.

 

10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in, on the earth

and brings smiles on a billion plus faces.

 

These are the ten dimensional transformations needed for competitive

India thereby Developed India and we have to work for. As you all

know, India has a vision – India 2020. That is before the year 2020,

India has to become developed nations and the country has human

resource and natural resources, I have discussed in detail in my

website: www.presidentofindia.nic.in.

 

When I see you all the students I would like to conclude the event I

have witnessed during my South Africa visit, particularly I saw a

magnanimity in victory in a great leader, let me share with you.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion: Magnanimity in Victory

 

I met a great personality who was responsible for the freedom of

South Africa. Particularly for the young people, you can learn two

lessons. They are: indomitable spirit and virtue of forgiveness. He

is none other than Dr. Nelson Mandela.

 

Cape Town is famous for its Table Mountain; it has got three peaks

called Table Peak, Devil Peak, and Fake Peak. Between the peaks it

was a beautiful sight throughout the day, sometimes dark clouds and

sometimes white clouds embracing the peaks. Table Mountain is very

close to the sea coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We traveled by

helicopter to Robben Island from Cape Town in 10 minutes flight. By

fast powered boat it will take 30 minutes to reach the Robben Island.

When we reached the Island, except sea roaring, the whole island, was

a silent island symbolizing the thought: this is the place the

freedom of individual was chained. We were received at the Island by

Mr. Ahmed Kathrada a South African, who was a co-prisoner. What

surprised me was this: can you imagine a tiny room, where sleeping

and all human needs have to be fulfilled. It has to be remembered

that Dr. Nelson Mandela, who was 6 feet tall was imprisoned in that

room for 26 years – fighting against the apartheid. The major part of

his life was spent in this silent Island. He used to be taken for

quarrying in the nearby mountain for a few hours in bright sun. This

is the time his sight got damaged. In spite of his body being

tortured, he revealed to the world the indomitable spirit in him.

This is the time he evolved a manuscript of freedom in tiny letters

every day, when the jail wardens went to sleep. This small tiny

lettered manuscript finally became the famous book of Mandela " A

long walk to freedom".

 

It was a great event for me to meet him in his house in Johannesburg.

Dear friends, I would like to share with you, when I entered Dr.

Nelson Mandela's house, I saw his three dimensional form with

cheerfulness: the mighty man who got the freedom for South Africa

from the tyranny of apartheid. And also a person when he became the

President of South Africa he gave the people freedom to move, freedom

to live in South Africa to those people who specialized in apartheid

and ill-treated and put him in jail for 26 years. Nelson Mandela

accepted them as equals citizens who ill treated them practicing

apartheid. I felt that, I am touching the hand of a Mighty Soul. When

he started walking he used to have a walking stick, he discarded the

walking stick; I became his support – walking stick. Dear friends, a

big lesson that we learnt from this personality Dr. Nelson Mandela

which is explained in one of the Thirukkurals written 2200 years

before.

 

 

 

 

 

which means, for those who do ill to you, the best punishment is

returning good to them.

 

Now I would like to administer the Oath for enlightened citizenship.

Are you ready?

 

 

 

 

 

Ten point oath for enlightened citizenship

 

1. I will love whatever profession I take up and I will try to excel

in it.

 

2. From now onwards I will teach at least 10 persons to read and

write those who cannot read and write.

 

3. I will plant ten saplings/trees and ensure their growth.

 

4. I will go to rural and urban areas to reform at least five persons

from the habits of addiction and gambling.

 

5. I will take responsibility for removing the pain of ailing

persons.

 

6. I will participate in the mission of realizing the economic

strength of India by combining it with an education with value system

and by transforming religion into a spiritual force.

 

7. I will not support any differentiation on account of community or

language.

 

8. I will always be a friend of the mentally and physically

challenged and I will work hard to make them feel normal.

 

9. I will celebrate the success of my country and my people.

 

West Bengal is well known for freedom movement, for scientific

innovations, literary and poetic achievements. Dear young friends,

time has come for the West Bengal to become a pioneer for another big

movement. This movement has to start from our hearts, from home and

from schools. Our nation in spite of all our best natural and human

resources is haunted by corruption in public life, power and money.

Only youth can change the situation. I will request you to take a

following oath.

 

 

 

 

 

OATH:

 

I will lead an honest life free from all corruption and I will set an

example for others to adopt a transparent way of life.

 

Will you take up this movement towards corruption eradication right

from your home?

 

Let me once again greet all the members of the Scottish Church

Collegiate School on the occasion of 175th year of celebration. My

best wishes to all of you for the success in the mission of promoting

excellence in education.

 

May God bless you.

 

 

 

Questions asked by the students of Scottish Church Collegiate School,

Kolkata

 

1. Common people are scared about the destructive power of nuclear

energy. How would it be made to serve the common people?

 

Bitan Bhar, Class X

 

Ans. There are number of applications of nuclear energy to serve the

common people. It can be used in medical applications, increasing the

life of grains and vegetables, electrical energy generated by nuclear

power plant is a clean energy. We have already got nearly 4000 MWe

electric power. We are also installing a number of power stations. It

is expected that we will have at least 20,000 MWe electric power

through nuclear energy by the year 2020. This is how the nuclear

energy can serve the common man.

 

2. What is the latest development of Indian Missile Programme? Would

you like to say something about your contribution?

 

Avhik Khanra, Class IX

 

Ans. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the latest addition to

the missile programme. It flies at three times the speed of the

sound. There is no comparable missile in the world market. It has

been tested 10 times tested and all test have been successful. It can

be launched from multiple platforms. Navy has placed order for this

system.

 

3. What is global warming and what danger would it pose to mankind?

 

Saikath Basak, Class VII

 

Ans. The progressive gradual rise of the Earth's surface temperature

caused by the greenhouse effect in which Greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere allow short wavelength solar radiation to reach the Earth

but retain radiation of longer wavelength, which causes warming of

the atmosphere. Water vapour and carbon dioxide are among the main

greenhouse gases. Global warming is responsible for changing the

global climate patterns. For example timeliness of the monsoon,

temperature at different places, humidity in different places get

changed leading to unpredictability of the weather pattern.

 

 

 

4. How do you fare the progress of Indian science is compared with

that of other countries?

 

Debo Malya Chatterjee, Class X

 

Ans. India has made considerable advancement in Science and

Technology in many areas such as agriculture, dairy, space

technology, nuclear energy, ICT, Pharma and automobiles. IN many of

these areas they are comparable to the technologies available in

foreign countries. For example the Indica Car is plying in London

roads. We are exporting 18 billion dollars worth of ICT products. We

have got the capability to launch any type of satellite in any orbit.

 

5. What is Indian Mission to Moon?

 

Prabaha Roy Class V

 

Ans. Indian Mission Moon is called Chandrayan. An instrumented

satellite will be orbiting around the moon to gather data on various

characteristics of the Moon and search the materials on the surface.

This mission is scheduled for 2007-08.

 

6. What is the future India's power programme? How could it meet the

huge need of people?

 

Jayantho Basu, Class IX

 

Ans. Presently we are generating over 100 thousands megawatts of

power. Whereas we will be needing nearly 300 thousands megawatts of

power by 2020. This has to be generated through hydro-electric

system, solar energy, nuclear energy, thermal power plants and other

forms of renewable energy.

 

 

 

 

 

7. What is your secret of success in life?

 

Pradipto Mondal, Class VI

 

Ans. Sweat, Sweat and Sweat. I remember the advice given to me by my

Guru Prof Satish Dhawan while entrusting the SLV-3 project to me. He

said if you don't do anything there is no problem. When you do an

important mission there will always be some problems. You should not

allow the problem to become your master, instead you should become

the master of the problem, defeat it and succeed. This is applicable

to all of us.

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