Students of the Indian Institute Management (IIM)-Shillong say the three-day special lecture by former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on ways to make India an economically developed nation proved to be an eye-opener for them.
"The former president has provided me a deep insight into the various issues faced by the planet, and how we as responsible individuals need to work towards a prosperous society. The course was an eye opener for me. It gave me a different perspective on how we also need to become better individuals and leaders," Abhishek Nanda, a student, told IANS.
The "Missile Man", as Kalam is fondly known due to his background in aerospace engineering and his role in India's indigenous missile development, was here since Sunday delivering lectures under a series titled, 'Economically Developed Nation - How to Realise', at the prestigious B-school. The lectures ended Tuesday afternoon.
Another student Ankita Kushwaha said: "After the lectures by Kalam, I felt that many of us have different ideas and theories but we lack the requisite vision to put them into practice."
"My interaction with him (Kalam) helped me realise that we as future leaders of the nation can drive our society to a prosperous growth. He has given me the inspiration to help elevate my thinking to an altogether new level," Kushwaha told IANS.
Students at the B-school will now be required to submit project proposals for creating scenarios based on multiple options for specific policy or institutional changes.
The faculty would comment on these proposals, and project teams would be able to consult subject matter specialists through invited lectures and interactions. The students could even visit the experts.
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"The biggest surprise for me was when Kalam actually went through all our presentations the entire night and gave us individual feedbacks the next morning. So much to learn from him," another student Nitin Srinivas said.
"The course by Kalam was one of the most enriching sessions I have ever attended. An amalgamation of optimism and established strategies showed the scope for a future prosperous India," said Sukshit Kapur.
"His zest for a nation with supreme technological innovations and free of the societal ills imbibed in me a sense of responsibility towards my nation."
Poulomi Pal told IANS: "Dr. Kalam made it evident that the success behind a progressive nation is to have a rural centric approach that facilitates the agrarian economy by combining it with the technological innovations. The youth needs to be actively involved in the empowerment and development of such a nation."
The IIM in the Meghalaya capital is named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. It was started in 2008 and functions from a makeshift campus at the Mayurbhanj complex, the erstwhile summer palace of the kings of Mayurbhanj in Odisha.
The Meghalaya government has allotted a 120-acre plot on which work is under way for a state-of-the-art academic-cum-residential campus.
(Raymond Kharmujai can be contacted at rrkharmujai@gmail.com)