Lessons beyond the classroom
Kalam Libraries all over India including Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh,”
Author
Srijan Pal Singh begins his book What Can I Give: Life lessons from My Teacher
by saying, “Throughout the rest of 2008, and till my graduation from IIM-A in
April 2009, I was in regular touch with Dr Kalam over email and occasional
phone calls. We would discuss the topic that we had chosen for research during
class —providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA).” Srijan’s inspiration
behind the book is to bring forth the values of Dr Kalam as seen from the
inside — and let readers discover what made him the person we adore.
His
philosophy of always asking — ‘What Can I Give’ inspired the title and much of
the content of the book. “His humility, impeccable dedication to integrity, and
his ability to let go of short term opportunities for lifelong values
influenced me the most. It is a composition from personal experiences I had
with Dr Kalam — working with him, learning from him while travelling to many
different places across the world,” states Srijan.
Dr
Kalam always gave a mission to everyone — that of a home library. “He made
people take an oath about this — and stressed on the emphasis of it. He told
the youth about the importance of reading. His philosophy was that a great
society is built upon knowledge-driven citizens. Hence, to take forward his
mission to give every youth access to the best of books, my team and I started
the Kalam Library Project. This mission strives to start community-driven
libraries across the nation, especially in villages and in urban
under-developed economic zones. These libraries are completely free and operate
in multiple stages — Trishul, Prithvi and Agni. With the resources from the
book What Can I Give and a few friends of the Project, we have established 25
Kalam Libraries all over India including Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh,” shares Srijan.
An
ardent believer of Kalam’s works, Srijan has penned three books with Dr Kalam.
Talking about his three books, he adds, “Target 3 Billion (Penguin, 2011) is
based on our research work on rural development and innovative solutions to
address issues of poverty across the world. Roughly half of the world (3
billion people) is living in moderate or extreme poverty, hence, the name of
the book. Reignited (Penguin, 2015) was targeted towards younger readers. It
was an account of how the world will shape in terms of science of technology,
and how can the youth position their careers in a changing world. Advantage
India (2015) was Dr Kalam’s final book. It was an account of our ideas on the
path India needs to take in its quest to become an economic superpower and a
socially equitable nation.”
When
Srijan is not writing or researching on his books, he likes to let his hair
down by spending time with kids, who are the future of our nation. “I enjoy
interacting with children and sharing their ideas. I also love playing the
drums and reading about history and science,” he shares.
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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