Be visionary, have great aim to prosper

Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam advised young science students here Friday to acquire knowledge, work hard to defeat problems with a righteous heart and emerge as creative leaders to attain prosperity for the country.
"One should have a great aim. Secondly, one should acquire knowledge, work very hard and persevere to achieve the goal," said the renowned scientist who had climbed up to the zenith of success to grace the presidency of India.
He sounded the wise words for the future leaders  at an interactive programme at a local hotel, as part of his two-day important schedule of public interaction in Dhaka.
The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) of Dhaka organized the dialogue with science students from different universities at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
It was part of the trade body's two-day celebrations marking the 110th founding anniversary of the chamber.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, also a renowned scientist, will attend the main event of the programme at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre today (Saturday).
In her welcome address MCCI president Rokia Afzal Rahman highlighted the contributions of the former Indian president, especially in the field of science and technology.
The programme was also addressed, among others, by Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and Dr. Ainun Nishat.
Highlighting the country's young population as a demographic dividend Dr. Kalam said, "Bangladesh has huge young population. This is a tremendous strength. Bangladesh needs to make use of this advantage."
He asked students to never let problems remain since every problem has a solution. Failures were always followed by success, he said.
Mr Kalam also spoke about the challenges his country, Bangladesh and the world as a whole were facing.
In this context, he emphasised the role of young scientists in tackling these issues and developing possible solutions to ensure socioeconomic development.  
He asked each student to plan their future accordingly and contribute in their own individual ways.
Dr. Kalam in his very eloquent speech enlightened the students, with success stories from his own life.
He also narrated how he barely missed achieving his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. But his dream, vision and perseverance took him to the position from where he could lead everything.
"Have courage in life, have the courage to think differently, invent, travel into unexplored paths, discover and combat and succeed. When the youth work with courage, they achieve success in all their missions," he told his audience.
Dr Kalam also narrated a story about his primary school teacher Shiva Subramanya Iyer who he said was a great teacher, an inspiration to Dr Kalam in his life.
He admired his teacher because of his purity of knowledge and Gandhian way of life.
He also said, "As the youth of my nation, you should work and work with courage to achieve success in your tasks and enjoy the success of others. Our motto should be 'Let not my winged days be spent in vain'."
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