Indians should work to
make adopted countries a winner: Kalam
PTI
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
14:53 IST
WASHINGTON:
With millions of Indians now living abroad, former President APJ Abdul Kalam
has asked the diaspora to work with dedication to make their adopted countries
a 'winner'.
"Today the overseas Indian population is 23 million, either as citizens of
other countries or working there. So it is essential that whichever country you
go, you make that country a winner. That is your mission," Kalam said
addressing an enthusiastic audience on the occasion of the first Anniversary of
the JSS Mission at Gaithersburg,
Maryland.
"Whichever country the Indian population is there, particularly in the US, we
must
always give to that country your best of knowledge, your best of work.
Everything you have to give to that country," the septuagenarian leader
told the gathering which turned out in strength on a working day to listen to
him.
At a luncheon interaction, Kalam, who is considered as the father of India's
missile programme, said political parties should focus more on development
politics instead of 'political politics'.
"Politics has got two components. One of political politics and the
other is developmental politics. Political politics, every party has to do
it...is a necessary function" Kalam remarked.
"Developmental politics is when one party will say I will do it in ten
years to make my nation great and another saying it will do it in seven years.
But political politics takes up 30 per cent of the time 70 per cent of the time
it is developmental politics. But the reverse happens throughout the
world," the former President said.
Pointing that spirituality was common to all religions, Kalam said it should
be used to bridge the gap between various faiths.
"I believe religion has got two components.One is theology and another
is spirituality. Theology,no religion would like to change... But fortunately
spirituality is common to all religions," he said.
"So we have to see how we can bridge religions with spirituality."
Kalam, who arrived from New York yesterday,
went to the NASA Center
in Maryland
before coming to the JSS Mission in Gaithesberg to spend several hours with the
crowd that waited patiently for hours to hear the former President speak.
But Kalam did not offer any comment on current issues except to recall
briefly the visit of President George W Bush to India last year.
"When President Bush came to India I gave an energy
presentation--on how we can become independent of fossil fuel driven oil, gas
and coal. He (Bush) said America
and India
have to work together for energy independence. That means you go on solar
power,bio-fuels...." Kalam remarked.
He emphasising that it was the duty of the human kind to see how the divine
mission could be turned into a vision.
"Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the
character. Where there is beauty in the character there is harmony in the home.
Where there is harmony in the home there is order in the nation and when there
is order in the nation, there is peace in the world," Kalam said.
Several religious heads and politicians and diplomats, including Indian
Ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen, were present at the function.
Ambassador Sen noted the 'tremendous work' done by the JSS Mission through a
number of educational institutions including vocational training centers.
"The contribution of the JSS Spiritual Mission goes beyond all these
institutions. Above all it embodies India's greatest gift to the human
kind,that is the essence of our spiritual, cultural as our civilisational
heritage. And that is, the oneness of human kind," Sen added.
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