Ignited Minds

Ignited Minds is a book written by A P J Abdul Kalam, presently the President of India. The book was first published in 2002, and the full title of the book is Ignited Minds - Unleasing the Power Within India. Ignited Minds is a logical step forward from President Kalam's earlier book, India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium (ISBN 067004928X). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1486x2215, 327 KB) Summary Cover of the book Ignited Minds by Abdul Kalam, currently {2005) President of India. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1486x2215, 327 KB) Summary Cover of the book Ignited Minds by Abdul Kalam, currently {2005) President of India. ... Look up book in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (born October 15, 1931, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India), usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is the President of India. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Introduction

President Kalam has dedicated Ignited Minds to a high school child, named Snehal Thakkar, whom he met at a school, and while talking to the students, a question had come up: " who is our enemy?". President recalls that many anwers came up, but the answer on which all agreed came from her (Snehal Thakkar): " Our enemy is poverty". President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... High school is the name used for the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan (Republic of China), the United Kingdom and the United States. ... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... Students attending a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ...

It is a highly motivating book for young Indians, as also to anyone interested in understanding the reasons for remaining behind in the march of human civilization. The small book of 205 pages contains dynamic and original ideas, examins attitudes afflicating the Indians, and present prescriptions for rapid growth of India to enable the country to emerge as a developed country. The scientist and the seer inside Kalam has addressed the book to young citizens of India. A civilization (American English) or civilisation (British English) has a variety of meanings related to human society. ... A developed country is a nation that enjoys a relatively high standard of living through a strong high-technology diversified economy. ... A scientist is an expert in at least one area of science and who uses the scientific method to do research. ... Seer has several possible meanings: A fortune teller or prophet The fictional character on the television series Charmed The Seasonal energy efficiency ratio standard for air conditioning appliances This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The word citizen may refer to: A person with a citizenship Citizen Watch Co. ...

Chapters

The book is organised into nine chapters, dealing with various issues. These chapters are: Chapter has multiple meanings. ...

1. The Dreams and the Message
2. Give Us a Role Model
3. Visionary Teachers and Scientis
4. Learning from Saints and Seers
5. Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion
6. The Knowledge Society
7. Getting the Forces Together
8. Building a New State
9. To my Countrymen

Synopsis

• The book begins with a sad note. On 30 September 2001, Kalam’s helicopter, while on its way from Ranchi, Jharkhand state, India to Bokaro crashed, but all aboard miraculously survived. He was administered that night a tranquilizer, and he recalls having seen a very vivid dream. He writes in the book that he saw himself in a desert “with miles of sand all around,’ and there stood five men, namely, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor Ashoka, Abraham Lincoln and Caliph Omar. Kalam felt dwarfed by their presence, and recounts the words of these great personalities.
• The next chapter emphasises the importance of mother, father and elementary school teachers as role models.
• The third chapter tells that "Vision ignites the minds", and talks about the modern Indian visionaries like J. R. D. Tata, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Dr. Verghese Kurien.
• The next section of the book deals with the spiritual heritage of the Indian nation and talks about developing a model of development based on India's inherent strengths.
• The fifth chapter of the book exorts the Indians, constituting a nation of one billion people "with multitude faiths and ideologies" to develop a "national vision" and amalgamate into one "national forum."
• The next chapter begins with a Thirukkural, which states:
  "Wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction;
  It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot destroy".
  This chapter reminds the readers that Ancient India was a "knowledge society that contributed a great deal to civilization."
• The caption line of the seventh chapter is followed by the following inspiring words of Abraham Lincoln:
  "Determine that things can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."
  
• The eighth chapter exorts for a change in the mindset and to take pragmatic risks, which shall result into success.
• The ninth and the last chapter, with the caption line of "To My Countrymen" begins with few words of the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore - "let my country awake."
• The book ends with a "Song of Youth", with these opening words:
  "As a young citizen of India ,
  armed with technology and love for my nation,
  I realize, a small aim is a crime.
  

September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors (propellers). ... Ranchi is the capital city of Jharkhand state, India. ... Jharkhand (झारखंड in Devanagari) is a state in eastern India. ... Bokaro is one of the districts of Jharkhand state, India. ... A sedative is a drug that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), which causes calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. ... Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes: The Dream, 1883 A dream is the experience of images, sounds/voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep, with the dreamer usually not being able to influence the experience. ... A dune in the Egyptian desert In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation - less than 250 mm per year. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869–January 30, 1948) (Devanagari, Hindi: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी,Gujarati:મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી) was the spiritual and political leader of India who led the struggle for Indias independence from the British Empire, empowered by tens of millions of Indians. ... Albert Einstein photographed by Oren J. Turner in 1947. ... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... For other meanings, see Ashoka (disambiguation). ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Umar ibn al-Khattab, al-Farooq (in Arabic, عمر بن الخطاب) (c. ... Look up mother on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A father is traditionally the male parent of a child. ... A teachers room in a Japanese middle school, 2005. ... Role model refers to a person who fills his or her role as a good or bad example for others. ... Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (July 29, 1904–November 29, 1993) was a pioneer aviator and important businessman of India. ... Dr. Vikram Sarabhai (from NASA archive) Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (August 12, 1919 – December 31, 1971) was a great Indian physicist. ... Prof. ... Dr. Verghese Kurien (born November 26, 1921) is called the father of the white revolution in India. ... See: Spirituality Spiritual music Spiritual dance The Age of Spiritual Machines Spiritual possession This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Heritage can refer to: Heritage tourism Inheritance Kinship and descent Cultural traditions UNESCO World Heritage Site A novel in the BBC Books series. ... The word faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to belief, trust or confidence, but unlike these terms, faith tends to imply a transpersonal rather than interpersonal relationship – with God or a higher power. ... An ideology is a collection of ideas. ... Tiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari Tirukkural (திருக்குறள் in Tamil) is an important work of Tamil literature by Tiruvalluvar written in the form of couplets expounding various aspects of life. ... Prehistory The prehistory of India goes back to the old Stone age (Palaeolithic). ... The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ... Rabindranath Tagore (IPA: /rÉ™bɪndrəˌnät tÉ™gôr/, /täkur/; Bangla: রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর, transliteration: Robindronath Å¢hakur; May 7, 1861 – August 7, 1941), sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo philosopher, artist, dramatist, musician, novelist, and songwriter who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, becoming the first...

A quote

An inspiring quote of President A P J Abdul Kalam, taken from Ignited Mind:

"What is that we are missing? What is that needs to be corrected/ There seems to be an attitude problems, as if we cannot shake ourselves out of a mindset of limited achievement."