Dear LIS Forum Moderator, Could you please post to LIS forum the brief interaction of MLIS students of Pondicherry University with Dr Kalama both text and video clips URLs uploaded on both university website and YouTube. *If it is too long, it can be sent in two parts. First part is Oath alone and second part is questions and answers. * Thanks for communicating to others through this forum, Prof. CK Ramaiah *LIS Student’s interaction with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at his residence on 15.3.2011.* The students of MLIS, Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS) of Pondicherry University, both I and II years accompanied by Prof. CK Ramaiah and Dr Singson had a golden opportunity of meeting and interacting with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at his residence in New Delhi on 15.3.2011. It was one of the most aspiring moments for these students to meet Dr. Kalam at his residence. This interaction is recorded and posted on YouTube and Pondicherry University websites at the following URLs: 1. Pondicherry University MLIS Students Interaction with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam New Delhi on 15 03 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62kCVQz5pgw 2. Also seen through YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62kCVQz5pgw After hearing from all of them, he suggested the necessity for setting up a HOME LIBRARY in every one’s house and advised to read one hour every day along with the family members. Though the oath is prepared for our group but it is applicable to each family not only in India but also the entire world. So, all the students promised him that they will set up the *home library* at their homes and develop life-long reading habit among their family members. Dr. Kalam’s oath to Indian youth is as follows: *1. **Today onwards, I will start a home library with 20 books and out of which ten books will be children books. * *2. **My daughter and son will enlarge this home library with 200 books.* *3. **My grand children will lead a great home library to 2000 books.* *4. **I consider our library is lifelong treasure and precious property of our family.* *5. **We will spend at-least one hour at home library to study along with our family members. * *He adorned the role of a teacher and invited the students to ask questions about matters of their concern. The questions asked by the students and answers given by the President are given below: * *Q: Sir, how to get black money and use it for the development of the Country. On this regard, what is your advice?* *Answer:* Don’t worry about the money. All of you should try to excel in education and get a good job. If money comes it is good but knowledge is more useful. So, concentrate in your studies and excel in education. Don’t get away with funny problems. *Q: Sir, I want to become a Lecturer. I have a dream to get respected by all the students of different mindsets. So how can that be achieved?* *Answer:* I personally believe that you must have a role model. The role model either in teaching or teachers you would have come across in high school level, private school level and in college level, so you have to concentrate in a unique person, to realize how worth a teacher is to you. You’re going to have two types of knowledge: one is to appreciate his/her knowledge, the teacher radiates his knowledge. The other is s/he radiates the purity of life. So you look for such a role model if otherwise nobody is available books will help you. Good books will talk about great teachers. *Q: Sir, if God comes in front of you and asks you, my child I want to take you from earth to heaven, then what is your answer? Would you request the God to give some more time to complete the goals set by you as this country to transform as developed country?* *Answer:* My feeling is such a thing will not happen. If it happens, then God knows what I need, after all he is God. He is supposed to know what his children dream. So if the dream is good, he will say you continue with the dream and complete it. Sometimes he says the dream is already met with you so you come with me. So you have to go. *Q: There are many welfare schemes in India, due to aggressive political personal gains there is not much development in the country. Sir, what is your advice to improve the present situation in the country without political intervention?* *Answer:* We are spending about hundreds of crores for the welfare throughout the country but this amount is directed in different forms. Government has accepted what is called “PURA”- Providing Urban Amenities in the Rural India. It means you cluster 20-30 villages with a huge population of 20,000 people and give them physical connectivity, electronic connectivity, knowledge connectivity, so that economic connectivity will come. Hence money will be pumped in the PURA. Government has also started nine states in the PURA system. Throughout the country we need over 7000 PURAs for the overall development. *Q: Sir, you have always been an inspiring role model particularly to youngsters on the part of education. So, what are the steps that we should follow to become better citizens of this country?* *Answer:* Since you are studying you should excel in education. Don’t get into politics and don’t compromise anything for education because if you get 90 % mark, you get one type of profession. If you get 60 % mark you get another type of job, if you fail then another type of job. So if you excel in education you will excel in your profession too. If you get time, on Saturday and Sunday go 10 km away from Puducherry and catch hold of five people who cannot read or write and teach them and it is simple, you don’t need money. Then in your home or college campus, plant five trees and for that also you don’t need money. Then you could go to a good hospital. Most people are taken care by their friends and relatives. There are some five to ten beds which nobody takes care of. Go and meet those people with some fruits and flowers. They will be very happy and moreover you also will feel very happy. The evening will be very special. All these three things you can do on Saturdays and Sundays. *Q: Sir, what is the permanent solution to overcome terrorism and poverty in the country. As students what is our role to overcome this? What is your suggestion for global warming?* *Answer:* If poverty started decreasing, there is little scope for terrorism. A major problem to global warming is due to millions of car drives. It generates 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide throughout the world. If we purchase 80 billion dollars of oil from various countries, we are also purchasing that much carbon dioxide, so we have to go out of that. We get solar power, wind power, nuclear power and hydro power. We have to get rid of fossil fuels. These are the problems that generate carbon dioxide. Second, every tree absorbs about 20 kilogram of carbon dioxide and lets out about 20 kilogram of oxygen. It’s a beautiful environmental help. All of you should start a mission of million trees for million people. Each one should plant at least one. *Q: Sir, India is not paying much attention to global warming?* *Answer:* India now started a National Solar Power Program. It is supposed to generate 30,000 mega watt power similar to nuclear power by 2013. *Q: Sir, you have prepared a Mission Plan 2020 for this country. The country progressed considerably. What is your advice to the University students in terms of contribution to achieve this mission?* *Answer:* India 2020 is not my mission but it is India’s mission. So to achieve this, while studying you should excel in education means you are helping India 2020. If you excel in your education, you can become a good Librarian, good Doctors and good Politicians. Likewise, if you got time, the three things I told you are also helping India. Planting trees you are helping the environment. Try to educate those in need of. Each student suppose you take five people, teach them to read and write. Within ten years, literacy rate will be hundred percent. The third thing is going to a hospital and giving them happiness. *Q: Religion is the path to reach God. I am practicing Christianity. Through books I understand that you respect all religious equally from your childhood days onwards. Because of narrow thinking, there are lot of conflicts between religions which ultimately leads to terrorism. Sir, my question to you is - to achieve equal respect towards each religion, what should the government do to the youth in this country? In what way religious organizations or missionaries should help the Indian youth to achieve this?* *Answer:* First and foremost, every schools and college should introduce Moral Science course. One hour every day, respectable teacher should present a good life of a human being who connect religions and who work for others like Saint Augustine, Kalifa Mohammed, Lord Buddha, etc. Such type of people should be presented so as to realize that good human beings connect people. Only small people disconnect people. Great ones connect people. *Q: Every day you meet so many students, attending several functions and activities directly related to the progress of youth and country at large. How are you able to manage your time?* *Answer:* Recently, I had a program at Wayanad in Kerala at 6.30 pm in the evening. I have to go to Calicut and somehow missed my Calicut flight at Delhi. So, I went up to Bangalore by air and drove by car to Calicut. When I reached there at 1 ‘0’ clock in the morning, nearly 5,000 people were waiting for me including children, parents and teachers. I was astonished to see them. So, time is always available, only thing is you have to make up your mind what you have done with the time? *Q: Sir, what’s your feeling when you visited Bunglon village in Manipur? What’s your feeling about those people?* *Answer:* When I went to Manipur I visited the village. The teacher there, the great teacher built the whole school. He has the one man show. It’s a high school and he is the leader. The whole area loves him. People of this village love him because of his attitude and the students have come to a high position. I am happy to see that. ************************************************* *Dr. Chennupati K. Ramaiah* MSc (Meerut), MLISc (Delhi), PhD (Loughborough), FSIS, MACM, MASIST, MCILIP Dean, School of Media and Communication & Professor, Dept. of Library and Information Science, *Pondicherry University*, R.V. Nagar, Kalapet, PUDUCHERRY – 605 014. INDIA. Email: ckramaiah.lis@pondiuni.edu.in ; ckramaiah@gmail.com Website:http://www.pondiuni.edu.in/profile/dr-ck-ramaiah Tel(O): 0413-2654047; 2654592, Fax: 0413-2656766; Mobile: 9487605773. *************************************************** -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.