Published on 12:00 AM, October 19, 2014

Kalam's inspiring words

Kalam's inspiring words

Youth should imbibe them to scale new heights

What could be a more propitious conjunction of events than the 110th birth anniversary of MCC&I, Dhaka, kicking it off with a celebration of the youth in a dialogue with 700 university students and that addressed by the iconic former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The outcome was suffused with inspirational messages of which Abdul Kalam is a brilliant wordsmith that have had a spellbinding effect on the youth. We thank the MCC&I, Dhaka for bringing the friend-philosopher-guide Abdul Kalam to address our youth to inspire them not to be held back by problems but to treat them as opportunities to succeed and to dream to scale new heights.
He has very rightly reminded us that youth in Bangladesh is a huge demographic asset, comprising 50 percent of the population. Two things follow from this which he flags off with an impassioned appeal to the government, private sector and the youth to embrace and attend to. First, he says: “Their concerns, issues and opportunities will be crucial for the growth and development of Bangladesh.” Then he beckons the youth to a patriotic calling: “Your dreams will be Bangladesh's dream, your thoughts will be Bangladesh's thoughts, and your actions will be Bangladesh's action.”
His definition of leadership should be a catchword with our youth: Leaders should be where the problem is; it is true about trade, commerce, business and politics.
It is imperative for the government to draw up and implement a youth development strategy that  enables them to dream high, attain newer heights entirely driven by patriotism to do maximum good to the maximum number.