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Address to the Students during the
Silver Jubilee Technovision 6.0, 2010
At Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College
Nagpur
22 January 2010
Empower the nation through technology and innovation
Technology can lead to non-linear growth
I am delighted to participate in the inauguration of Silver Jubilee Technovision 6.0, 2010 organized by Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College, Nagpur. My greetings to all the participants of this Technovision programme. I am happy that as a part of the Technovision programme projects like Amphibots, Robowars and Battle of Trash has been taken up which will certainly promote creativity and innovation among the participants. Today, when I am in the midst of engineering and technology students, I would like to talk on the topic
"Empower the nation through technology and innovation."
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Friends, when you join any establishment, any organization or create an enterprise and become an employment generator, always one demand that will come in front of you, that is: the experience of system design, system integration and system management of the assignment or the task to be undertaken by you. I would like to present my experience of learning system design, system integration and system management while I was studying aeronautical engineering in MIT, Chennai, (1954-57) during the third year of my course.
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Learning integrated system design
I was assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with six other colleagues. I was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, I was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five of my team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft. My design teacher Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, was our
guide. He reviewed the project and declared my work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didn’t lend an ear to my difficulties in bringing together data base from multiple designers. I asked for a month’s time to complete the task, since I had to get the inputs from five of my colleagues without which I cannot complete the system design. Prof, Srinivasan told me," Look, young man, today is Friday afternoon. I give you three days time. If by Monday morning I don’t get the configuration design, your scholarship will be stopped." I had a jolt in my life, as scholarship was my lifeline, without which I cannot continue with my studies. There was no other way out but to finish the task. My team felt the need for working together round the clock. We didn’t sleep that night, working on the drawing board skipping out dinner. On Saturday, I took just an hour’s break. On Sunday morning, I was near completion, when I felt someone’s presence in my laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying my progress. After looking at my work, he patted and hugged me affectionately. He had words of appreciation: "I
know I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You have done great job in system design."
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Through this review mechanism Prof Srinivasan, really injected the necessity of understanding the value of time by each team member and brought out engineering education has to lead system design, system integration and system management. I realized that if someone is at stake, the human minds get ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. That’s what exactly happened. This is one the techniques of building talent. The message is that young in the organization, whatever is their specialization, be trained to system approach and projects, which will prepare them for new products, innovation and undertaking higher organizational responsibilities. Friends you should get ready to acquire knowledge in an integrated way for using multiple disciplines towards product development and its management.
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Now I would like to discuss, what type of India you are going to see within next ten years. What are the challenges you will undertake and participate? I am going to visualize the type of India in the year 2020, so that you can build the capacities to participate in this movement.
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Distinctive Profile of India by 2020
1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidate because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation, which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists and investors.
6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
7. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes are absent and none in the society feels alienated.
9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth plan.
10.A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.
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Integrated Action for developed India
To achieve the distinctive profile of India, we have the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food processing (2) Education and Healthcare (3) Information and Communication Technology (4) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport and Infrastructure for all parts of the country, (5) Self-reliance in critical technologies. These five areas are closely inter-related and if progressed in a coordinated way, will lead to food, economic and national security. One of the important areas of
rural infrastructure development is PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas).
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PURA MISSION
PURA programme calls for establishing 7000 PURAs through out the country and Vidarbha region can for 20 PURA complexes. The PURA provides physical connectivity, electronic connectivity and knowledge connectivity leading to economic connectivity of the cluster of villages. One of the key issues in Vidarbha region is the availability of water. Though, the region gets around 600 to 800 millimeter of monsoon rain, the region dose not have adequate provision to contain the water in the villages which enable enhancement of water table and use during non-monsoon period. A coordinated action is needed to de-slit and operationalize all the water bodies of Vidarbha region. Simultaneously, action is also required to create small check-dams and additional water bodies in villages which are located in elevated areas. This is an important action, which can be taken as part of the PURA development programme.
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One of the important agricultural commodities of Vidarbha region is cotton. I would like to give the experience of cotton farming in Punjab.
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Cotton Experience
I visited the village called Gheri Buttar near Bhatinda in Punjab, where I met the farmers who have successfully increased the production of seed cotton from four hundred and sixty kilogram per acre to eight hundred and sixty kilogram per acre in the year 2005. This has been achieved through a productive partnership among farmers, agricultural scientists, textile industry supervisors and the Government by following a scientific approach to farming, provision of quality inputs, strengthening of quality in every farming step, adopting pre-harvest and post-harvest techniques with an assured market for quality products namely seed cotton. Most important action is to enable
farmers to get quality seeds, quality fertilizers and quality pesticides from cooperative societies. I have suggested the farmers in that village to mount a programme of second green revolution in Cotton meaning that instead of selling the cotton produce directly in the market, they should add value to certain quantity of cotton into yarn, cloth and apparel in the village complex itself and market it in the national and international markets which again would need quality standards for processing, storage, packaging and delivery. This is a model which is available in the country, which will lift the farmers from the suicidal tendencies towards prosperity. Can we not replicate these successes in many pulse-growing areas where many farmers are in problem? There is a need to propagate certain unique crop cultivation methods specific to the region. It is the responsibility of the Government, Corporate, Agriculture research and educational institutions and societal transformers to spread the region specific solutions to the farmers. I would suggest the engineers and technologists assembled here to become the champions for creating cotton based, Soya been based, pulses based PURA complexes in which agriculture and agro- processing goes together for the integrated development of the Vidarbha region.
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Convergence of Technologies
The information technology and communication technology have already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Information Technology combined with biotechnology has led to bio-informatics. Now Nano- technology is knocking at our doors. It is the field of the future that will replace microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science. When Nano technology and ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics, photonics are born and it can be said that material convergence will happen. With material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent Bioscience will be born which would lead to a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human
capabilities. Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to the development of nano robots. Nano robots when they are injected into a patient, my expert friends say, it will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then the nano-robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product.
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Convergence of ICT, aerospace and Nano technologies will emerge and revolutionize the aerospace industry. This technological convergence will enable building of cost effective low weight, high payload, and highly reliable aerospace systems which can be used for inter planetary transportation.
Now I would like to discuss, how the world has become borderless.
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Emergence of world order
Friends, when I was traveling in an Aircraft in the United States, I was told that much of its controls where software driven and most probably developed in India. When I presented my credit card, I was told that it was being processed in the backened server located in Mauritius. When I walked into one of the multinational software company in Bangalore, I was fascinated to find that it truly presented a multicultural environment. A software developer from China working under a project leader from Korea working with a software engineer from India and a hardware architect from the US and the Communication expert from Germany where all working together to solve the banking problem in Australia.
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The message we get from these events, indicate a new world order emerging. Technology has made world to come together. There is a resonance in thinking among components of the society. Technologically the world will move towards convergence of technologies in this decade.
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It is estimated that in the life of a scientist or an engineer, he or she will come across and world in at least seven new areas which are born out of convergence of multiple science and technologies. Such convergence has made the border between areas completely porous. In this situation let us see
the action to be taken by the educational institution in building the right capacities needed for the knowledge society of the 21
st century. |
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The knowledge society in 21
st century
The world in the 21
st century will be a knowledge based society with multiple opportunities. I was reading a book, "Empires of the Mind" by Denis Waitley. This book gives what type of the new world which we are facing now? What was yesterday and what is today. I have modified certain points of the author to suit our conditions. I have also added a third line which relates to actions of educational institutes. |
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It is specially says that,
"what worked yesterday, won’t work today". |
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1. Yesterday – natural resources defined power.
Toady – knowledge is power.
Educational Institution will be a powerhouse for knowledge.
2. Yesterday – Hierarchy was the model.
Today – synergy is the mandate.
Educational Institutions will be enabler of intersection of multiple faculties towards mission goals.
3. Yesterday – leaders commanded and controlled.
Today – leaders empower and coach.
Potential Leaders will be empowered through exposure to the needs of sustainable development.
4. Yesterday – shareholders came first.
Toady – customers come first.
Education should inculcate sensitivity to "customer" needs,
6. Yesterday – seniority signifies status.
Today – creativity drive status.
Educational Institutions is the breeding environment for creativity.
7. Yesterday – production determines availability.
Today – Competitiveness is the key.
Competitiveness is powered by research and institution has to have the motto of "teaching- research-teaching".
8. Yesterday – value was extra.
Today –value is everything.
Objective Value judgment to be introduced in education.
9. Yesterday – everyone was a competitor.
Today – everyone is a customer.
Educated customer is also from Educational Institutions.
10.Yesterday – profits were earned through expediency.
Today – Work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
Education with value system is the need of the hour.
5. Yesterday – employees took order.
Today – teams make decision.
Educational Institutions can inject team spirit.
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I am sure, the curriculum and the method of teaching in the Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College Nagpur has been designed to build the capacities needed for today.
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Conclusion
Dear friends, I have seen three dreams, which have taken shape as vision, mission and realization. Space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), AGNI programme of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) becoming the National Mission. Of course these three programmes succeeded in the midst of many challenges and problems. I have worked in all these three areas. I want to convey to you what I have learnt on leadership from these three programmes.
1. Leaders must have a vision.
2. Leader must have a passion to transform the vision into action.
3. Leaders must be able to travel into an unexplored path.
4. Leader must know how to manage a success and failure.
5. Leader must have courage to take decision.
6. Leader should have Nobility in management.
7. Every action of the leader should be transparent.
8. Leader must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
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For success in all the missions, it is essential to have creative leaders. Creative leadership means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach, manager to mentor, from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who facilitates self-respect. For a vibrant nation, the important thrust will be on the generation of a number of creative leaders who will pioneer integrated national development.
With these words, I inaugurate Silver Jubilee Technovision 6.0, 2010 organized by Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College, Nagpur, My best wishes to all the members assembled here success in all their missions.
May God Bless you.
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Eight point Oath for Engineering Students
1. Engineering and Technology is a life time mission. I will work, work and work and succeed.
2. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is what process or product I can innovate, invent or discover.
3. I will always remember that "Let not my winged days, be spent in vain".
4. I realize I have to set a great technological goal that will lead me to think high, work and persevere to realize the goal.
5. My greatest friends will be great scientific and technological minds, good teachers and good books.
6. I firmly believe that no problem can defeat me: I will become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.
7. I will work and work for removing the problems faced by planet earth in the areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management and environment through the application of science and technology.
8. My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.
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