Dr Verghese Kurien: Unedited material collected for Effective People by Prof TV Rao

Verghese Kurien 1921-2012

IT was more than sixty years ago that Dr. Verghese Kurien came to Anand after completing a graduate programme in the United States, intending to soon leave its dust and heat behind. But drawn by the power of an idea – milk producers cooperating to build a better life – he stayed. Recently, after a lifetime of service that touched tens of millions of lives, Dr. Kurien breathed his last in the small town he never left.

When Dr. Kurien arrived in Anand, there was a fledgling dairy cooperative that had been born during the independence movement. The chairman of that cooperative, Tribhuvandasbhai Patel, was a man of extraordinary wisdom, ability and integrity. He drew the young Verghese Kurien into his vision of dairy farming transformed by cooperation, by people pooling their resources to achieve together what they could never accomplish alone. He quickly saw in the young man talent, intelligence and energy and together they were a team that over time transformed millions of lives.

Tribhuvandasbhai’s extraordinary skill in motivating people and raising resources, combined with Dr. Kurien’s entrepreneurial qualities and drive, helped to transform the business into a model for dairying in India, a model that was soon replicated in other parts of Gujarat.

The success of this cooperative drew attention in an Indian dairy scenario that was marked by stagnating domestic production and growing imports. In 1964, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Anand to inaugurate the cooperative’s cattle feed plant. He spent a night in a village and learnt the secret of Anand’s success: cooperation. He created the National Dairy Development Board to replicate the spirit of Anand throughout India and asked Dr. Kurien to be its first chairman. Kurien accepted on the condition that the headquarters remain in Anand, close to the cooperative, which was the model, and its members.

Promoting and establishing close to a 150,000 village cooperatives, with about 15 million members, and leading India to become the world’s largest milk producer was no mean feat. They are an ever growing testimony to the dream that Dr. Kurien pursued, a dream that continues to date and will live as an eloquent memorial to him for years to come.

It was Dr. Kurien’s single-minded determination against odds that would have overwhelmed a lesser mortal and the vision that he steadfastly strove to achieve that helped make this possible. It was the quality of leadership he provided that enabled NDDB to impact the lives of so many millions.

He strode like a Titan across the bureaucratic barriers and obstacles that at every stage of NDDB’s history could have brought it to its knees. Undaunted, he stood steadfast against the machinations of those who beheld his achievement with envy and were affronted by the sheer tenacity of the man. By his example, he taught us to act with courage when faced with those who oppose the interests of our nation and its farmers. The sense of professionalism, integrity and his constant search for excellence in everything that he did, set a shining example for those who followed him to live up to. He taught us that in order to succeed our integrity must be beyond reproach, for those who oppose cannot successfully defeat an honest man.

He had an extraordinary ability to convert threats into opportunities – never letting an opportunity pass him by that could be of advantage to the organization or those it served.

Today, the politicization of a number of cooperatives has resulted in their inability to evolve as professionally managed institutions truly serving their members. The ultimate tribute to Dr. Kurien would be for brave young men and women to defend and protect what he stood for.

At a personal level, it has indeed been a great privilege, and one given to very, very few, to have worked so closely and for so many years with such a great man. Every moment of my working life with him was a learning experience. He was demanding, set very high standards, had his own unique style of training and believed that there was no better way of helping people develop than by giving them greater and bigger responsibilities to shoulder.

May his vision continue to guide all those who work with and for farmers and farmer-owned institutions.

(http://www.india-seminar.com/2012/638/638_in_memoriam.htm)

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Unedited material collected for Effective People by Prof TV Rao

·         Work Hard

• Simple living high thinking
• Think big
• Take the team along and give them credit
• Invest in the Future of the Country

 

Abdul Kalam

APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He belonged to a very poor family of Rameshwaram. Kalam's father was Jainulabdeen Marakayar was the Panchayat Board President. He was the owner of a few boats which were used to ferry pilgrims between Rameshwaram and Dhanushkody.

Dr. Kalam was the youngest child in the family. He was the only one to do graduation. His brothers and sisters could not even complete their schooling. The poverty of the family can be judged from the fact that once his father had no resources even to pay his fee. Then his sister came to his rescue. She sold her ornaments to enable him doing higher education. Kalam was a typical case of a poor but determined person in his childhood. As a boy, he had even to sell newspapers. Abdul Kalam had his initial education in Rameshwaram.

Abdul Kalam was studying and working simultaneously. After the school gets over in the evening, again he will go around Rameswaran for collection of dues from customers. As a young boy Kalam was walking, running and studying all together. One day, when all his brothers and sisters were sitting and eating, Kalam mother went on giving him chapattis (even though they were rice eaters only, wheat was rationed). When kalam finished eating, his elder brother called him privately and scolded “Kalam do you know what was happening? You went on eating Chappati, and mother went on giving you. She has given all her chappatis to you. It is difficult time. Be a responsible son and do not make your mother starve”. First time Kalam had a shivering sensation and he could not control himself. Kalam rushed to mother and hugged her. Even though he was studying in 5th class, he had a special place in his home because he was the last guy in the family. There used to be no electricity. Their house was lit by the kerosene lamp that too between 7 to 9 PM. Kalam mother specially gave him a small kerosene lamp so that he can study up to 11 PM. Kalam still remember his mother in a full moon night which has been portrayed with the title “mother” in his book “Wings of Fire”.

http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/jsp/display_content.jsp?menuid=22&menuname=Dr.Kalam%F6s%20Page&linkid=130&linkname=Profile&content=896&columnno=0&starts=0&menu_image=-

 Later he studied at Schwartz High School, in Ramanathapuram. Subsequently, he moved to St. Joseph's College, Trichi. After completing the B.Sc degree course from St. Joseph's, he joined the Madras Institute of Technology, the best institution for technical education in South India at that time.

While Kalam was studying aeronautical engineering in MIT, Chennai, (1954-57) during the third year of his course, he was assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with six other colleagues. Kalam was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, he was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five of Kalam team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft. Kalam design teacher Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, was their guide. He reviewed the project and declared Kalam work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didn’t lend an ear to Kalam difficulties in bringing together data base from multiple designers. Kalam asked for a month’s time to complete the task, since he had to get the inputs from five of his colleagues without which Kalam cannot complete the system design. Prof. Srinivasan told Kalam "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." Kalam had a jolt in his life, as scholarship was his lifeline, without which he cannot continue with his studies. There was no other way out but to finish the task. Kalam team felt the need for working together round the clock. They didn’t sleep that night, working on the drawing board skipping their dinner. On Saturday, Kalam took just an hour’s break. On Sunday morning, he was near completion, when he felt someone’s presence in his laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying Kalam progress. After looking at Kalam work, he patted and hugged him affectionately. He had words of appreciation: "I knew I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You have done great job in system design”.

http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/jsp/display_content.jsp?menuid=22&menuname=Dr.Kalam%F6s%20Page&linkid=130&linkname=Profile&content=815&columnno=0&starts=0&menu_image=-

Kalam specialized in Aeronautical Engineering and became a full-fledged aeronautical engineer after being trained at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore.

After his college education, Abdul Kalam was keen on joining the Indian Air Force. But his dreams of joining the Indian Air Force were dashed when he just missed to make it to the selected list of candidates. Though he was sad at being unable to join the Indian Air Force, he went ahead and joined the Directorate of Technical Development and Production, DTD & P (Air), as a Senior Scientific Assistant

Abdul Kalam's job at the DTD & P (Air) became the launching pad for his glorious career in the defense field. After working for some time at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in USA, Abdul Kalam returned to India and helped the country to develop awe some weaponry.

Kalam was shocked and felt orphaned after Sarabhai’s sudden death in the early hours of December 31, 1971, due to cardiac arrest. Dr. Sarabhai had been in reality Kalam’s mentor - the man who influenced him the most and moulded his professional career. After the initial shock, Kalam decided to work as hard as possible to fulfil the dreams of Dr. Sarabhai, which he thought was the best tribute he could pay to the departed soul. 

Kalam, as project leader, believed in integrating people working on a project. He did not believe that solo performance helped very much in the execution of complex projects. What was required was coordination and excellent teamwork. The project leader was only the captain of the team. 

http://www.newindiadigest.com/kalam2.htm

 Kalam communicate freely with all the teams working on the SLV-3 project and acted as a sensor to every constructive idea or suggestion coming from any colleague at any level. A great deal of time was spent on communication which became his mantra. He fought against bureaucratic delays and insensitiveness and finally got the help of Dr. Brahm Prakash who delegated financial powers to the Project Team.

Kalam gave the maximum freedom with responsibility and accountability to all his team mates which he found produced good results. As the project leader he had somehow to keep abreast of all that was happening around in real time and had to update his knowledge which called for proper time-management. Perhaps his being a bachelor also helped, as he could devote all seven days in the week to the management of the project. 

In 1973 Prof. Satish Dhavan (the Chairman of the Atomic Energy and Space Commission) gave Abdul Kalam the task to build the satellite launch vehicle to launch a satellite in to the orbit. In 1979, they were ready with thousands of engineers, 10,000 of workers and staff all worked together with 44 sub-systems and thousands of components. It was built in Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and also of the Space Centre. Then they moved that vehicle from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre to the now Satish Dhavan Space Centre at Shriharikotta. The launch vehicle was on the launch pad and the day 17th August 1979, and Abdul Kalam was the Mission Director, Project Director and all were in the control centre and the computer takes over at T-8 minutes. Because it was very difficult for Kalam as a mission director to check hundreds of parameters so they hand over the whole launch of the rocket system to the computer at T-8 minutes, Kalam handed over to the computer for the launch, thousands of people were waiting at the launch mission canters and they were working throughout the country and some out range centre, at exactly T-8 minutes computer took over. And at T-4 minute’s computer put a hold. It said don’t launch. At that time the whole rocket system was alive. Every explosive system, propellant system, electronic system, all were on, and ready of launch and computer says don’t launch, at T-4 minutes. Then immediately computer printout comes out. There is some problem in the second stage control system; there is a leakage, so you don’t launch. Behind Kalam there were a number of experts; six-seven experts with 10 to 20 years experience. And Kalam turn to them and they have their computers to find out, what happened and they told him within a minute, they say there is problem in second stage control system and that we cannot launch; computers say don’t launch. But we believe as experts, the igniters i.e. oxidizers is sufficiently more there and even through there is a leakage in system you can launch. They asked Kalam to launch. Kalam put the rocket in the manual mode.  Rocket took off. 100 seconds. Beautiful launch and rocket first stage did its job. It’s a four-stage rocket system, and then second stage, within a second it goes into a spin.  It should be steady; it is a controlled system by guided system. But it was going into a spin. Kalam knew he lost the rocket system; within few seconds instead of putting the satellite in the orbit, the whole system went in the Bay of Bengal. It was a failure. 

It is very important, for entrepreneurs. Life is not so simple. We have to handle failures with a stout heart. Chairman, Prof. Satish Dhawan, at exactly 6.30 came to Kalam room, Kalam was very tired of continuously working; he asked Kalam to join him for a press conference. On that day, in the morning there is a press conference. Hundreds of press reporters, media people have assembled. Prof. Dhawan told Kalam that he is going to handle the press conference and you are going to come with me. He took Kalam there. There was the press, national press, international press. They asked a lot of questions, how you can put 20 crores in Bay of Bengal, one guy asked. And like that so many serious questions, after all people will ask questions, it is the people’s money. Prof. Dhawan said, ‘Yes, we had a failure’. First time we have launched. We have gained lot of system. And definitely we will succeed. And I will give all the support to my technologists; I will give all the support to my scientists. We will succeed in a year’s time, he said. Kalam was the Mission Director, Project Director, he has failed the mission. With Kalam five thousand people have worked. But Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, takes the responsibility of the failure. He completely switched Kalam failure to his failure. Exactly after one year, 18th July 1980 they go to the launch pad. And countdown starts. At T-8 minutes Kalam handover to the computer. Computer checks out. It initiates the rocket system. First stage gives the required velocity. Second stage gives the required velocity. Third stage gives the required velocity. And, fourth stage gives the escape velocity to put the satellite in the orbit. Kalam can see the performance in front of himself, he took the mike and he announce to all at the station. “Here is your Mission Director, the satellite is in orbit and we congratulate you.” Kalam told them. After thirty minutes, Prof. Satish Dhavan called Kalam and asked him to conduct the press conference. failure he took it and success he gave Kalam and to his team.

This great lesson no university taught Abdul Kalam. No book taught him. But that one person, that institution, that taught him such a big lesson.

http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache%3A8MHNjWozs54J%3Awww.ril.com%2Fdownloads%2Fpdf%2FDr%2520APJ%2520Abdul%2520Kalam.PDF+APJ+abdul+kalam+outstanding+qualities&hl=en&gl=in

Kalam joined the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as the Director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad on June 1, 1982. Kalam was aware of the work going on at DRDL in the indigenous development of missile systems. His first task before formulating an action plan was to have detailed discussions with the scientists of DRDL, to evaluate the ongoing work. For these review meetings, he followed what Dr. Sarabhai used to do at Thumba, namely, bring in experts from outside institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IIS), IITs, CSIR, TRIF and so on. Thus he opened the window so that fresh air and new ideas could enter the laboratory. 

Kalam was making full use of all the lessons he had learnt at Thumba during his long service of about 20 years there. He had found that participative management was essential in executing complex projects like the SLV-3. 

After much discussion, an action plan with a timeframe of 12 years and an estimated expenditure of Rs. 3900 million was drawn up and placed before the Government.

Kalam was asked to give a presentation at New Delhi. At a meeting presided over by the Defence Minister and attended by the three Service Chiefs, Dr. Arunachalam and other senior officials, proposals were made on the design of the heat shields for building long-range missiles in future. This was a project that interested Kalam very much. 

Everybody present at the meeting was quite excited about these proposals. At the end of the meeting the Defense Minister asked Kalam and Dr. Arunachalam to meet him later in the evening. At this meeting the Minister asked for an Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), and that too, by the next morning! It was indeed a tall order. But Kalam and Arunachalam worked the whole night and produced an action plan. The minister quickly cleared the proposal. 

The atmosphere in the eighties at the DRDL was very similar to that at Thumba during the sixties and seventies. Kalam could capitalize on the tremendous enthusiasm, exuberance and the strong desire on the part of all concerned to make a grand success of the IGMDP. He took his own time in selecting competent leaders for the five missile projects, from among the many talented scientists that DRDL had. 

 Using the consortium approach, he involved several institutions and organizations scattered all over the country to carry out various tasks directly related to the IGMDP. Through concurrent engineer in the period required to execute the project was reduced to the minimum possible. All the lessons learnt at Thumba stood him in good stead in the execution of the most complex and challenging project ever undertaken in the country. 

 A site had to be selected for the missile flight trials. It was finally decided to select Balasore in Orissa state as the Interim Test Range (ITR) which was made an independent establishment to be got ready by December, 1986. As a bachelor and a workaholic, Kalam could devote about 90 hours a week for his work. 

Much of the credit for the grand success of the IGMDP goes to Kalam, the captain of the team who headed the DRDL for about ten years, before he was called upon, in July, 1992 - to shoulder greater responsibilities as the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D. 

http://www.newindiadigest.com/kalam3.htm

It will be no exaggeration to state that Abdul Kalam is instrumental in firmly establishing India's core competence in missile technology. His efforts, along with that of his dedicated team, took India into the selected club of nations that call themselves super powers.

In his 14 year work-span as the Director of Defence Research and Development Laboratory he lined up Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash and Nag. He completed the long delayed 'Arjun' tank project and also pushed ahead with an indigenous Air Craft 'Kaveri'.

Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai from November 2001 and was involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he took up a mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country.

http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/jsp/display_content.jsp?menuid=22&menuname=Dr.Kalam%F6s%20Page&linkid=130&linkname=Profile&content=457&columnno=0&starts=0&menu_image=-

He is one of those few technologists who strive to find multiple uses for what they create. He developed light weight calipers for the polio-effected, out of the carbon material developed for Agni missile. This material made the caliper one tenth of its original weight of four kilos.

He doesn't favor the import of technology and encourages self-reliant in technology. He says, "Haven't we proved that we can do things with minimum foreign aid? All we need is determination and belief in ourselves."

Dr. Kalam is an extremely simple man. He is above seventy and a bachelor. He is a strict vegetarian and teetotaler. He is a 'work alcoholic' who knows no holidays in the seven day week. He works 18 hours a day. He is fond of music and spends his leisure hours practicing the lute (Veena). He is a great lover of books. He is a voracious reader of both 'Bhagvad Gita' and 'Kuran'. Dr. Kalam quotes, "for great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool".

He is a man of vision and wants to see India a fully developed nation by 2020. It is to this end that his book "India 2020: A vision for the New Millennium" is focused.

In his new book "Ignited Minds", he affirms, "Our youth must dream, dream, dream! Convert these dreams into thoughts; and then transform these thoughts into actions. We must think big, having low aim is a sin".

He always asks the teachers and the parents to be role models to the children. He attributes his success to his parents, teachers and the team with which he has been working for the past many years.
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/75951-Dr-A-P-J-Abdul-Kalam.aspx

  A born visionary and a teacher at heart, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities. During his entire tenure, he was often seen defying the security arrangement to reach out and interact with the young children during his public meetings. He will always be remembered for his vision of a developed India by 2020.

The key to Kalam motivation has always been to look at how far I had still to go rather than how far I had come. ‘From Wings of Fire’

Kalam remember his father starting his day at 4 am by reading the namaz before dawn. After the namaz, he used to walk dawn to a small coconut grove we owned, about 4 miles from our home. He would return, with a dozen coconuts tied together thrown over his shoulder, and only then would have his breakfast. This remained his routine even when he was in his late sixties. Kalam through out his life tried to emulate his father in his own world of science and technology. 

 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17646299/WINGS-OF-FIRE-AUTOBIOGRAPHY-APJ-ABDUL-KALAM

While there were many significant events during Abdul Kalam tenure( 2002- 2007 ‘President’), a question from a little girl Anukriti of Sri Sathya Sai Jagriti Vidya Mandir School, of Darwa village from Haryana, during children’s visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 22, 2006, rings in Kalam  mind ever after. Anukriti asked Kalam “why India cannot become a developed nation before the year 2020”. Kalam appreciated the question and said it was indeed a thoughtful question and assured her that that her dream would be taken to the highest institution of the nation and we would work for it to achieve before 2020. This question reflects how the desire to live in developed India has entered into the minds of the youth. The same feelings are echoed by over fifteen lakh youth, whom Kalam have met so far and who represent the dream of the 540 million youth of the nation. The aspirations of the young to live in a prosperous, safe and proud India should be the guiding factor in whatever profession we contribute.

http://www.abdulkalam.nic.in/speech_thanks.html

Abdul Kalam visit to Nagaland on 26th October 2002, assuming post of President. It was a unique experience for Kalam at Khuzama village to meet tribal village council members and discuss with them the village progress and the dream of village citizens. Kalam was very happy to see the empowered village council functioning with financial powers and taking decisions. Kalam saw a prosperous village with fruits and vegetables production. However, there is a need for providing physical connectivity in Nagaland through quality roads for enabling faster movement of products from villages to the market. That meeting gave Abdul Kalam a powerful message about the transformation which can take place to the 600,000 villages of India, if all the villages are empowered to deal with their development and are well connected among themselves and with the urban societies.

On February 24, 2007, at Coimbatore, Kalam had a very beautiful experience. As he got ready for meeting the first person out of twenty appointments, a wheel chair was in sight with a smiling person probably in his late fifties; unfortunately he has no hands and legs. His radiant face was revealing his happy state of mind. He introduced himself as Vidwan Coimbatore SR Krishna Murthy. Kalam greeted him and asked him how this had happened. He smilingly said that it was from by birth. He thanked God, his parents, teachers and many others for giving him confidence, training and help. Kala, asked him, what Kalam could do for him? He said, “I don’t need anything from you. I would like to sing in front of you”. Kalam readily agreed. He sang melodiously the Saint Thyagraja’s pancha ratna kriti entharo mahanubavulu in Sriragam giving me a glimpse of his talent. Kalam was quite touched. Despite being physically challenged, the latent talent of music could blossom in this person with his positive attitude and perseverance, encouraged by the parents, teachers, academics and rasikas. Now he wants to give, give and give his art to inspire others. Of course, by his merit of music, in July 2007, he performed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan art theatre.

12^th President of India, Professor, author, scientist, Aerospace engineer

(1931–)

Dr. Kalam, who supported his studies as a newspaper vendor and rose on to become a scientist and later on to became the 11th President of India

Childhood

Dr Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 in a Tamil Muslim family at Rameswaram, located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He came from a poor background and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income. After completing school, Kalam distributed newspapers in order to financially contribute to his father's income. In his school years, he had average grades, but was described as a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn and spend hours on his studies, especially mathematics.

"I inherited honesty and self-discipline from my father; from my mother, I inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness as did my three brothers and sisters."

—A quote from Kalam's autobiography

Education

He became the first graduate in the large family when he passed the B.Sc. examination from Saint Joseph College, Thiruchirapalli, in 1954. Towards the end of the course, he was not enthusiastic about the subject and would later regret the four years he studied it. He then moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering. Abdul Kalam, later specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology.

While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean was dissatisfied with the lack of progress and threatened revoking his scholarship unless the project was finished within the next three days. He worked tirelessly on his project and met the deadline, impressing the Dean who later said, "I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline". For him becoming a fighter pilot was a “dearest dream” but he failed to realize that he had missed by a whisker as he had bagged the ninth position when only eight slots were available in the IAF.

Career as a scientist, Missile Man of India

·         Dr. Kalam made significant contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of Space Club.

·         He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle program, particularly the PSLV configuration. After working for two decades in ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr. Kalam took up the responsibility of developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defence Research and Development Organization as the Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

·         He was responsible for the development and operation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles and for building indigenous capability in critical technologies through networking of multiple institutions.

·         He was the Scientific Adviser to Defense Minister and Secretary, Department of Defense Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999.  During this period he led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon State.

·         He also gave thrust to self-reliance in defense systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects such as Light Combat Aircraft.

Vision 2020

As Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and as an eminent scientist, he led the country with the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India from the present developing status to a developed nation. Dr. Kalam served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001 and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) and piloted India Millennium Mission 2020.

People’s President

In 2002, India's ruling National Democratic Alliance helped him win election against the country's former president, Kocheril Raman Narayanan; Kalam became India's 11th president in July 2002.  He served from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007. Kalam was the third President of India to have been honored with a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, before becoming the President. He was also the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan

During his term as President, he was affectionately known as the People's President.

In his book India 2020, Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Kalam set a target of interacting with 100,000 students during the two years after his resignation from the post of scientific adviser in 1999. In his  own words, "I feel comfortable in the company of young people, particularly high school students. Henceforth, I intend to share with them experiences, helping them to ignite their imagination and preparing them to work for a developed India for which the road map is already available."  He continued to interact with students during his term as a President and also during his post-presidency period as a visiting professor at IIM-A and IIM-INDORE

Books

"Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India" have become household names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. 

Awards

Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 40 universities and institutions. He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997).

What made him effective?

·         Having a goal in life:

 From supporting his family at a tender age, being the first graduate in his family, to becoming a scientist and later the President of India. All these shows that Dr Kalam always had well defined goals in life that he strived to achieve.

·         Creating turning points in life that keep turning your life for good:

·         Graduation from MIT

·         His initiatives like vision 2020, India 2020

·         His books that have created a tremendous impact on the people of India especially the youth.

·         Recognize strengths and leverage them:

He gave thrust to self-reliance in defense systems by progressing multiple development tasks and mission projects. Thus as a scientist he utilized his strengths and leveraged him for the betterment of his nation.

·         Manage difficult times:

ü  In his interview with the Hindu, he recounts “staring into the pit of despair” when he failed to make it as an IAF pilot and how he pulled himself up and rose to become the man who headed India’s missile program and occupy highest office in the country.

ü  The controversy that surrounds Dr Kalam's role as a nuclear scientist is the lack of reliable and factual reporting of the yield of Pokhran-II tests. The director of the site test, K. Santhanam, publicly admitted that the thermonuclear bomb was a "fizzle" test, criticizing Kalam for issuing the wrong report However, Kalam dismissed the claims and R. Chidambaram, a key associate of Pokhran-II, also described these claims as incorrect.This shows that how; because of his respectable reputation his peers stood by him.

·         Strong values: Humility, integrity, humbleness, spirituality these are the qualities Dr Kalam portrayed in his entire life through his conduct and preaching. Be it his books, his visits to schools and colleges.

ü  The former President says that true nation building is not made by political rhetoric alone but should be backed “by the power of sacrifice, toil and virtue”.

ü  he is an ideal secular Indian and reads Quran and Bhagvad Gita daily with equal devotion.

·         Be compassionate and have an integrative mind:

“When grand plans for scientific and defense technologies are made, do the people in power think about the sacrifices the people in the laboratories and fields have to make?” he writes in his latest book, My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions”

These lines shows the compassionated nature of Dr Kalam

Referances

·         http://www.abdulkalam.nic.in/profile.html

·         http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/jsp/display_content.jsp?menuid=22&menuname=Dr.Kalam%F6s%20Page&linkid=130&linkname=Profile&content=896&columnno=0&starts=0&menu_image=-&myheader=My%20Mother&titlename=null

·         https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/former-president-apj-abdul-kalam-a-leader-should-know-how-to-manage-failure/

·         http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2040386,00.html

·         http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Kalam-tells-students-to-follow-their-heart/articleshow/4689858.cms?referral=PM

·         http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/failed-in-my-dream-of-becoming-pilot-abdul-kalam-in-new-book/article5035287.ece

Doctor Pratap Reddy : Unedited material collected for Effective People by Prof TV Rao

Doctor Pratap Reddy 

When Doctor Reddy came back from the US, he had a disadvantage being a cardiologist he can treat patients only to one extent. In case they don't respond to medical treatment or, if they need surgical treatment, there was no acceptable programme in India. So, he used to send those who could afford, to US, mostly to Denton Cooley in Houston.

Dr. Reddy worked as the Chief Resident of the Worcenter City Hospital in the US. He also had the distinction of heading multiple research programs. On November 9, 1979, he had a young man who had an appointment for a surgery in Houston. Unfortunately he could not go because he couldn't raise forty thousand dollars. The result was Dr Reddy lost him that morning. He saw his young thirty year old wife and his two children - four year old son and two year old daughter
He thought to himself. How many such patients are going to succumb to their ailments, just because we are not able to give them what they need at that point of time? And, how many can afford this forty thousand dollars? This set him thinking. If Indian Doctors are par excellent overseas, why can't we develop similar skills in India, with the required infrastructure?

Driven by a deep urge to create world-class medical infrastructure in India and make it more accessible and affordable to a large cross section of our people, Dr. Prathap Reddy opted to give up his successful practice in the US to return to India in the early eighties

That was the birth of the concept of providing to our people that level of care with the same high quality, but at a heavily reduced cost. Dr.Pratap Reddy revolutionized the health care system in India. He pioneered the establishment of private hospitals in India.  

Initially there were a lot of constraints, but that didn’t stop Mr. Reddy. But many couldn't and didn't believe to Dr Reddy concept. People thought that it can never be a Hospital. It could be a beautiful Hotel. How can they run such a Hospital, there was so much of disbelief.

It took Dr Reddy four years to build the first Hospital. In 1983 he set up the first centre in Chennai, when HM Hospital was set up as the first specialty hospital. At the time many questioned the wisdom of setting up a hospital in south Madras when the in-thing was to look for space on Poonamallee High Road, Purasawalkam or Kilpauk. "At the most, you will make Rs 100 here and go back," a gentleman warned him. However, Dr Reddy and other specialists stuck to their task and this was the seed of the massive institution and gave the name Apollo since he wanted to combine medicine and science and then it was followed by the setting up of The Indian Hospital Corporation.

Dr P C Reddy had a modest earning of only 100 rupees a day when started his own practice in Chennai. The secret of Reddy achievement is that “I have always believed that I should do the best possible to every person who comes to me. And to those who have trust in me, I should live up to their trust. For motivating our people, I have told them only one thing. Don't do anything more than what you would have done to your own kith and kin. If you do that much, it is enough. This is where they say that Apollo care is great. That is because we are giving to everyone the same level of tender love and care that we would have given to our own most dear ones. This is inculcated in each one of us. So you will do your very best, automatically.”

And secondly Doctor Reddy says that there are three P behind the success purity, patience and perseverance. You need patience if you want to do anything substantial. When I started this Hospital, if there are a million bricks in this building, I had a million problems. They said, you cannot start a hospital in more than five hundred squire yards. You can't fund a hospital. For importing your equipment, you should file twelve applications to twelve different offices. I had any number of such obstacles. So, I needed to have patience and perseverance. If these two are there and if your purpose is pure, success is yours.”

“When I came back, there was no infrastructure. My father told me that whatever I did, they (him and my mother) would admire. I could have told him there was no use in my returning to India when there was absolutely no infrastructure. Doctor Reddy worked very hard to build the excellent infrastructure and manage to attract the cream of Indian Doctors especially from the US and UK.

Doctor Reddy has been pro-active in modifying government regulations to suit current medical trends. (Resource spotting and Management).For this Doctor Reddy gives credit to Ms Gandhi. “I told Madam that only the powerful and rich can today have the best medical treatment. She didn't get annoyed. She asked me, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Powerful, that is, those who wield power with the government will get free air ticket and get their medical reimbursement in the US. For the rich, they don't bother about the money they spend. But it is the others who need this.' That is how she brought down the duty for medical equipment from 180 per cent to zero.

Doctor Reddy was told that Rajiv Gandhi doesn’t read long letters. And then Doctor Reddy sent a brief, crisp letter. “I said I wish I had started a beedi factory or a beer factory instead of a health-care project. If health has to come along with your vision of the twenty-first century, I would like one, two, and three. The first one was, I need funding for hospitals, which should be treated as an industry. Today if there is an ultra sound machine in a village, you must give credit to Rajiv Gandhi. In three weeks, he got the act amended in Parliament so that clinics and Hospitals became eligible for funding by Banks and other financial institutions. The second thing I sought was, 'Treatment today with all the technology we have is certainly more expensive, because we handle more things. But nobody could afford it at that time. So, we need access to the mechanism through health insurance or health plans.' He asked me what was needed. I said what was needed is tax exemption. He gave Rs 10,000 tax exemption. The third was much more. Suppose someone has a surgery in our Hospital. The guy who had had a by-pass surgery in my hospital would get a second heart attack when he sees the Income Tax notice. He said this was stupid. Thus he did these three major things in 1989 when he was the Prime Minister.

Dr.Pratap Reddy started India's first hospital consultancy body-the Indian Hospitals Corporation. He consequently commissioned two more tertiary health centers in India.
The Government of India soon recognized his enterprising efforts leading to

» Financial institutions amending their funding legislation to include hospitals
» Board basing the scope of medical insurance.

From then onwards it was an upswing for the Apollo Group. It presently has over 22 centers in major metropolis in India and has a combined turn over of $100 Million. 

Dr. Pratap Reddy is a doctor and a businessperson credited with establishing the first chain of corporate hospitals in India-the Apollo Hospitals Group. Dr Reddy, 76-year-old currently holds the post of Executive Chairman in the group.

Having steered the Apollo Hospitals Group to a number of locations within India, Dr. Reddy embarked on an Asian expansion plan with the first clinic in Dubai established in March 1999. Now, projects in Sri Lanka, Africa, Bangladesh and Oman are on the anvil.

Doctor Reddy plan for improved accessible and affordable healthcare for the millions of our people are an ongoing process and to bring country-wide, comprehensive health insurance scheme to people is now his obsession.

The telemedicine technology that has been successfully introduced by Dr. Reddy and it will be a key enabler in transforming the healthcare delivery in India. His blueprint for the nation includes setting up of many rural hospitals. Dr. Reddy is now looking at secondary health centers in semi urban and smaller cities and has already identified 23 sites for the same. The maiden effort in this venture has been at Aragonda, his native village and Dr. Reddy envisages that this center will serve as a model for all such projects of the Apollo Group in rural India.

Dr. Reddy has been a keen promoter of active research and exchange programmes for doctors at Apollo with leading medical institutions for providing excellent opportunities for clinical interaction with their counterparts abroad and also for constant update of their knowledge for the optimum benefit of the mankind.

Dr. Reddy's firmly believes that the Indian doctors have not got their true entitlement. He is convinced that India is not only well poised to meet the healthcare challenges of the millennium, but also equipped with the talent and strength to contribute in further developing the health and economy of the world.

Dr.Reddy has also been pro-active in modifying government regulations to suit current medical trends. He helped to ease import restrictions and made the government take a more liberal view on organ transplants among others.

http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/health-life-style/dr-pratap-c-reddy.html

“I want to create a ‘health super highway’ that will touch every doctor, in all small and medium hospitals, and help them work together, towards a healthier India. The next decade will be one of inclusive healthcare, when we will take all our challenges and turn them into opportunities,” he said.

http://socaltelugu.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1971&Itemid=75

Today in India there are not enough teachers in every discipline and the worst affected is health. There are not adequate numbers of teachers in medical colleges, nursing colleges and para-medical institutions. Then, Doctor Reddy created eight years ago Medvarsity, a virtual Medical University. And they have the largest content, about twenty thousand hours of content for undergrads, postgrads, practicing physicians, specialists, nurses, technologists, and the whole range of it. "Med Varsity" is a virtual medical university providing total access to experts in the field of medicine anywhere in the world- and "MEDNET" - Hospital Systems Management package. Both the initiatives are expected to transform health care sector in India. He has a good foresight and work towards making it more systematic.

http://www.caclubindia.com/forum/-indian-business-tycoons--52260.asp
Doctor Reddy works in bringing quality health care in India by telling his team that if you are a wonderful factory, 99 per cent of what you produce is of excellent quality. The remaining one per cent is what you call the reject. So I tell them, please remember that the reject in a Hospital is human life. So you will have to maintain hundred per cent efficiency and you should be probably able to help almost all of them.

Doctor Reddy has a great sense of networking. In Metro cities, there are not only Apollo Hospitals, but other hundred hospitals too, which are giving excellent care in some of the specialized areas. Now, Indians need not go abroad for treatment. They are coming here from abroad. Seventy percent of Apollo patients are overseas patients. But then, this is a phenomenon restricted to the metros. But seventy per cent of people living in small towns and villages are left behind and now we need to do something for this. I am happy, on the basis of our representation; our Finance Minister has in the budget announced that Hospitals in non-metros will have a five-year tax holiday. At Apollo, we formed a new entity called Apollo Reach Hospitals. There is a potential to start seven hundred to thousand of these. We would start with twenty five to begin with Already we have procured twenty one sites. We want to launch it during our twenty-fifth anniversary.

Doctor Reddy has huge responsibility, but then also he manages to take out some time for his patients.  “What I do is, when patients meet my secretary - I have four Doctors who are with me for ten years - they are escorted to one of them. They get all the investigations done. I see all the patients whenever I am free - between 5pm and 8 pm, once a week or once in ten days. They are very happy.”

Doctor Reddy want to start Grandma's Medicine Centers. When he was young, He has seen a lady suffering from cancer in her jaw. Even major institutions said she would live for only six weeks. She lived for sixty years after that. But the barber who came and operated on her and applied some leaves there, died a few years later. And, we lost that medicine. What is it that he did? So, he seriously wants to rediscover, reinvent. As alkaloids used for cancer treatment are from the roots of plants. Doctor Reddy determination to put forward his aim is always seen. He says that “we have already formed the Advisory Committee. I told them that at least twenty five per cent of whatever is spent should be on alternative system of medicine.”

The ambition of Doctor Reddy to make India the healthcare destination of the world is by
Firstly, there are a number of people who do not have the facilities, like those in Africa and some other countries. They go to US or UK. But in US and UK, they are not able to treat all those who are sick either because there is no space in their hospitals and there is a waiting time or, it is too expensive. In US, there are three strata- one which is covered by Medicare, the second which is covered under insurance and the third, who have nothing. The third strata have no access to health care. And, we should be the saviors for them. Even the second strata who have insurance cover feel that the insurance cost is going up steeply. We must be able to help them as well. I think if India continuously develops our skills and develop enough institutions, we should become the global destination. The advantage is, when a foreigner comes, we are happy, because we are attracting foreigners. But, from day one we strive to produce the best of quality.

There is an important thing that we at Apollo are doing. We don't take them to general wards. We take them to Special rooms. That cost subsidies my general ward. So, I have done two things at a stroke. I am able to treat more number of those belonging to the lower middle class who are in my general wards with the subsidy. This, we thought on day one - to have a general ward, single rooms and deluxe rooms. The treatment is the same for all three - the same operating room, the same post-operative care. This is how I could bring in international level of care for various cross sections of our people.

Doctor Reddy devotion towards health care is visible by various incidents which shock the country. He has set an example to others and especially to private hospitals. His team work and synergistic thinking is remarkable.

”I think we have succeeded in creating a feeling in all of us that when someone is in distress, you must give top priority, attention and everything that is possible. When the Latur earthquake occurred, my ambulances flew from Hyderabad and Delhi. The Railways were considerate enough to give me eight bogies. Doctors, nurses and technicians, equipment and even operation theatres went there and we looked after them almost for seven weeks. 

When Tsunami struck, Apollo ambulances in Hyderabad, without even waiting to seek our approval, rolled out and reached all places from Chennai coast to Nagapattinam. What I must admire there is not merely the work of Apollo doctors and Apollo ambulances, but the help and assistance they got from the local nursing homes and local doctors. That is what I appreciate. If I have done so much, it is not because of us alone. It is because we could easily bring them into the picture. And they all cooperated across. In Colombo at 4'O clock they said they are short of medicines, a container of medicines left by that evening's flight. That is the response system to any emergency. I think we have succeeded in creating a feeling in all of us that when someone is in distress, you must give top priority, attention and everything that is possible. When the Latur earthquake occurred, my ambulances flew from Hyderabad and Delhi. The Railways were considerate enough to give me eight bogies. Doctors, nurses and technicians, equipment and even operation theatres went there and we looked after them almost for seven weeks.

Similarly, when the bomb blast took place in Hyderabad, all Apollo ambulances were pressed into service. Our entire lobby was turned into an examination room. All our routine surgeries were stopped. All the eleven operation rooms undertook only the emergency surgeries for those affected in the blast. Almost all of those who arrived alive were saved. This is our response. We did it for floods as well. This is not something that we should boast about. We are humans and we are doctors. Therefore we respond to any disaster or crisis.  http://www.chennaionline.com/personality/interview_with_pratap01.aspx

Doctor Reddy says that the best innovation that is available today for India is our superiority in technology. Fortunately two thirds of our country is wired. I thought, why don't we use it; touch every single doctor along the length and breadth of the country and the small, medium and large nursing homes; and support them, so that they who are treating a billion people are automatically facilitated with the means of better care. For this, I have brought IBM as a partner for data storage. Today, there is no data storage. The doctor prescribes on a piece of paper and it goes off. Hereafter, when this is launched very soon, things will be different. I have termed it the Health Superhighway. This will reach all doctors. Wherever there is no power connection, I have tied up with Erricson to use wireless technology. With this I will be able to reach every single nook and corner of the country and help every doctor to treat the patients better. By providing connectivity, the power and capacity of those hospital managements could be increased.

Dr. Reddy’s pioneering leadership has laid the foundation for making India a global health care destination. In globalization of healthcare Dr. Reddy has led hospitals to become health clinic, illness to health, surgery to healing & patient treatment to patient care. He is making the brand APOLLO a globally recognized health care facility and also putting effort to make a footprint world wide.

Apollo over the last decade has demonstrated that Indian skills are equivalent to the best centers in the world and has produced world-class results in the most complicated Cadaver Transplant.

Recognizing his pioneering role in transforming the Indian healthcare industry, the Government of India awarded him the prestigious Padma Bhushan in February 1991. He was also presented with the Sir Neel Ratan Sarkar Award for medical excellence in June 1998. Nominated by Business India as one of the Top Fifty personalities, who have made a difference to the country in the fifty years since Independence, the country has certainly recognized his contributions. The Royal college of Surgeons of Edinburgh has conferred the Award of fellowship Ad hominem.