Turning Points (6 page)

I landed at Kumar post on Siachen Glacier on 2 April 2004. The post is located at an altitude of 7,000 metres. It was snowing and the temperature was minus 35 degrees Celsius with heavy winds. When I reached the field station, three soldiers – Naik from Karnataka, Williams from West Bengal and Salim from Uttar Pradesh – shook hands with me. The warmth of their handshakes dispelled the chill of the place. It gave me the confidence that our nation is safe in the hands of the soldiers defending it in this difficult environment. Extraordinary leadership qualities are required to generate such confidence among troops in such difficult conditions.

On 13 February 2006, I experienced a journey underwater in the naval submarine INS
Sindhurakshak
. The submarine dove to a depth of about 30 metres and started cruising. I visited the control room, where the crew explained the functioning of the submarine, showing me the manoeuvring operations and buoyancy-control mechanisms with great enthusiasm. It was a thrilling experience for me to cruise with the chief of naval staff, Admiral Arun Prakash, and the young sailors and officers. During the review, I was shown the underwater communication, target identification and launch systems. This was followed by the firing of a torpedo to simulate an attack to show the combat capability of our underwater force. The torpedo showed remarkable homing ability. I realized the complexities involved in underwater warfare.

I met the ninety officers and sailors in the vessel. Each was busy in his job. It is not an easy one but they feel proud of their challenging mission. I was given a delicious vegetarian lunch and shown a presentation on the navy’s submarine plans for the next thirty years. After three hours underwater, we surfaced and returned to shore. It was in all ways a memorable journey.

On 8 June 2006, I flew a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The previous night, Wing Commander Ajay Rathore gave me lessons on how to fly. He taught me how to pilot the aircraft as well as handle the weapons control system. It was something I had wanted to do since 1958, when I became an engineer. After we were strapped in, the Sukhoi took off and soared to a height of 7,500 metres – 25,000 feet – flying at a speed of over 1,200 kilometres per hour. Wing Commander Rathore suggested a few turns and other manoeuvres. Flying a fighter aircraft can be an intensive experience and I experienced a gravitational force of about three Gs, of course with a G-suit strapped on to protect against a blackout. During the sortie I tried to understand the various systems that were developed by Indian scientists and integrated into this aircraft. I was very happy to see the indigenously built mission computers, radar warning receivers, display processors and other equipment. I was shown how to locate a target in the air and on the ground with the help of synthetic aperture radar. The flight lasted for over thirty-six minutes. I felt it was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream.

I had opportunities too to interact with members of our paramilitary forces, central and state police personnel and internal security forces. Their dedication and valour left a deep imprint on my mind.

As president I had the opportunity to meet the entire cross-section of our society. I used this interaction to understand people, their aspirations and challenges. Equally important I could also bring people together for a common national mission.

WHAT CAN I GIVE TO THE NATION?

Vision elevates the nation

W
hat can I give to the nation? Honour and respect among other countries. Putting a smile on the faces of my one billion countrymen and women. This can only be achieved through economic development and education. Education is paramount for achieving dignity. Inculcating the habit of giving will help us draw our countrymen into the mainstream of development.

The president of India is privileged to address the nation
on the eve of Independence Day and Republic Day. He uses the two occasions to apprise the country about the developments that have taken place in the period and the challenges that it faces.

The address is in English followed by Hindi. However, in a departure, in every address I started to give the greetings at the beginning and a summary of the speech in Hindi.

My knowledge of Hindi when I became President was very rudimentary. However, I felt this small bit in Hindi at the outset would at least help convey the flavour of the speech to a larger audience.

There was always a theme to the Republic Day speech. Preparation for the speech normally began well in advance. We would generate a theme, then we would seek information from multiple departments and also try and get the international picture on the subject. We would send a questionnaire to experts. Then we would collate the information. The speech would go into numerous drafts. It was not unusual for there to be ten or more drafts. The R-Day speech in 2004, for instance, had as its theme smiles on a billion faces and went through ten drafts. The focus was on values. On 14 August 2005, the theme was energy independence. The speech went through fifteen drafts. One of the highest number of drafts was, of course, for my speech to the European Parliament on 25 April 2007. This went through thirty-one drafts.

I gave ten national addresses during my tenure. The subjects of these addresses were of immense importance. They included translating vision to mission. There were also subjects like what should we be remembered for;
education for dignity of human life; an action plan for employment generation; energy independence; one billion people: one vision; national awakening; and what can I give to my nation. All these topics originated from the common idea of transforming India into a developed nation. This message had spread to citizens and professionals, leading to debates and action in their own domain. For example, as a part of employment generation, when I talked about plantation of Jatropha
curcas
in the country, a large number of states took this up as a mission and today lakhs of hectares are devoted to the plant. In addition, our experts in jatropha cultivation have enabled countries in Africa to develop plantations there with the help of our farmers, so that they can use the plant for biofuel production. Jatropha can be grown on wasteland too. Once planted it has a life of fifty years and every year it yields fruit whose seed yields an oil which can be mixed with diesel.

In the field of education, thoughts on instituting different types of student evaluations, without the threatening environment of a final examination, emerged. The Central Board of Secondary Education has introduced a grade system instead of the absolute marking system to prevent students from getting overanxious about marks, which has led to healthy competition.

On the issue of energy independence, I had suggested the creation of 55,000 MW of capacity through solar energy power plants to help the nation achieve this goal by 2030. India’s energy scenario needs an integrated look. India is able to meet only 80 per cent of its coal requirements and while power demand is going up by over 5 per cent per
annum, coal production increases barely by 1 per cent. In many states around the country, there are power cuts for as many as eight hours a day. Hence the development of alternative power resources becomes mandatory.

Also for maintaining the environment, we have to reduce our dependence on power plants based on coal, oil and gas. The emphasis has to be on generating clean power though the solar, wind, nuclear and hydro route. The government has announced a solar mission with a proposed generating capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020. There are other issues connected to increasing generation by solar power. For instance, extensive research is required for enhancing the present photovoltaic cell efficiency of 15 per cent to at least 50 per cent by the choice of suitable substrates. Also development work is required for using the solar power route during the day and biofuel during the night so that energy is available continuously. In Gujarat, a collaboration with the private sector has resulted in a 600 MW capacity plant for solar power. Three million units are being generated every day and bought by the state government at Rs 15 a unit.

Today, the state governments and central government have a single vision of transforming India into an economically developed nation, which has percolated down to all citizens across the length and breadth of the country.

Through all these examples, one can see that the president is fully empowered to communicate directly with the citizens and make an impact that is beneficial to the nation.

Alongside my addresses to the nation were the speeches I delivered to parliamentarians.

My address on the occasion of conferment of outstanding parliamentarian awards for the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 on 21 March 2005 made some important points.

I said: Freedom and democracy have all along been an integral part of India’s culture. In fact, its history can be traced back to the very ancient period when
Sabha
and
Samiti
were two highly respected institutions in our village republics which performed functions similar to those of the popular representative bodies of today. Our choice of a democratic political system on achieving Independence was therefore an automatic continuation of the ethos that had always been there in India’s culture.

We have been proud of the unparalleled distinction of India being the world’s largest parliamentary democracy, one that is multi-religious, multi-language and multi-cultural. What amazes the world perhaps is the sagacity and maturity of the Indian voters who have always tried to exercise their mandate conscientiously and have proved that as envisaged in our Constitution, the people are sovereign and power flows from them. The people have a right to live in a developed India. In that context, developmental politics becomes important.

Politics has two dimensions. One is the familiar world of political parties as we know it that was essential during the time of the independence movement. However, what is needed for India today? With 260 million people living below the poverty line and an illiteracy rate of 34 per cent, and more than 36 million employment seekers, our mission
has to be to make India a developed nation that is free from poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. This situation necessitates developmental politics.

I would like to visualize a situation in which the political parties perform in an environment of developmental politics in our country, competing with each other in putting forth their political vision through their manifesto. It goes like this – let me narrate some sample scenarios:

1)  Suppose Party A says, within fifteen years, we will lead India into becoming a developed nation and also give a development growth plan for every five years and execute it. Party B says, we will lead India to being a developed nation within twelve years through a clear-cut action plan. Party C may unveil a new strategy for national development with different indicators and excel in ideas related to our role in the global arena. It might give a road map to ensure that India becomes a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council within a period of X years.

2)  In my scenario two, Party A says, we will create a nation where there is no unemployment. They suggest achieving this through a mechanism of generating more employment providers rather than employment seekers. Party B will say we will provide an environment and mechanism where no cases are pending in the courts and ensure that law and order problems are minimized and people live in a harmonious environment. Party C says that no Indian will go to sleep hungry. It has a vision to make sure that all the
nations look up to India to provide the intellectual leadership to make the world a peaceful, stable and beautiful place to live in. World peace will be India’s target.