ADDRESS DURING THE CHILDRENS' DAY CELEBRATIONS ORGANISED BY THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATION DELHI1


AIR ADDRESS ON CHILDREN'S DAY - Fifth in the Series of AIR talk2


Express Newsline: President reads poetry to MCD schoolchildren3

Daily Pioneer: EDUSAT, a landmark in the field of education, says APJ

Staff Reporter/ New Delhi

It was a delight for thousands of school children to hear the President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam speaking Hindi at the Children's Day celebrations in the Capital on Sunday.

Kaka Kalam read out his famous knowledge slogan in Hindi and his pledge on how to be a good citizen. Dr Kalam began his speech by saying, "children, I have something for you today. I will attempt a poem in Hindi and you have to repeat after me." He read out the slogan Vidya Lati Nayi Kalpana, Kalpana Lati Naye Vichar in a South Indian accent amidst a grand applause from the children at the Dr Ambedkar Stadium.

President Kalam also described the launch of the education satellite (EDUSAT) as a landmark achievement by the country in the field of education. "It would connect thousands of schools all over the country with each other. While sitting in one city, children can ask questions from teachers in another place and students can interact with each other from great distances," Dr Kalam said.

Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit praised the children and said that the cultural programmes presented by the MCD school students was one of the best programmes she has witnessed in the country. Also present on the occasion was Mayor AR Verma, Standing Committee Chairman Mukesh Goel, MCD Commissioner Rakesh Mehta and various councillors, senior government officers and school teachers


Asian Age: Kalam reads out a poem in Hindi

By Our Correspondent

New Delhi, Nov. 14: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Sunday called upon the municipal authorities to ensure that all their schools get an Edusat terminal so that it connects over a lakh schools and enables lessons from a teacher thousands of kilometres away.

On the occasion of Children’s Day, for the first time ever Mr Kalam read out in Hindi his famous Knowledge Slogan and his pledge on how to be a good citizen.

At a Bal Diwas celebration attended by thousands of students from various Delhi schools, Mr Kalam began his speech by saying: "Children, I have something for you today. I will attempt a poem in Hindi." He went on in his characteristic style: "You have to repeat the poem after me."

He read out the slogan Vidya lati nayi kalpana, Kalpana lati naye vichar in accented Hindi to a grand applause from the children at the Ambedkar Stadium. Noting that "knowledge is a beautiful thing," Mr Kalam, ever a scientist, said he wanted to tell the people about "the men who built the rockets and the men who built our steel plants."

He also recalled the struggle for "industrial independence" fought by people like Jamshedji Tata. "He would go all the way to America to get steel for his industries and went on to build a huge steel plant," he said.

Rounding off his speech with another poem in Hindi, the President made the children take a pledge to complete their education and be good Indians and asked them to "ignite" their minds. "An ignited mind is the most powerful resource on the surface of earth," Mr Kalam said.

Earlier, Mr Kalam took a round of the stadium, had a brief interaction with the children and released tricolour balloons into the sky.

The children from the MCD schools also made song-and-dance presentations, including a Tamil folk dance, which looked like a reciprocal gesture for the President, who hails from Tamil Nadu. The function was also attended by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi mayor A.R. Varma

  • 1. http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/eventslatest1.jsp?id=756
  • 2. http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/eventslatest1.jsp?id=755
  • 3. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=106654