A LETTER TO PRESIDENT DR. A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM

Respected President,

Yesterday, I watched with fascination on NDTV how the Tamilnadu government's free Color TV brought electricity to a remote hilly village in Nilgiris District. I am sure in the coming months the entire state would be electrified in more ways than one. I am proud that the quality of those people's lives will have improved all of a sudden.

The thought I want to share with you is that we should be able to use technology to impart uniform quality of education to our children regardless of where they are. Just as you delivered a lecture to Johannesburg yesterday, I am of the opinion that we should use Webcasts to reach children in every school in every state.

This is because there are pockets of our country where schools will not have qualified and experienced teachers in higher classes for subjects such as Physics, Mathematics and Botany. Why cannot we have teachers from District Headquarters and State Capitals webcast curriculum on a periodic basis? That way you from a single classroom, you can reach every single student who needs to attend that class. And webcasts are interactive as well.

Politicians and the pessimists may say that where is the class room and where is the electricity! Both are within the realms of any state government in India and there are enough Charitable organizations who will be willing to fund this initiative as it will give this nation qualified students who can then be groomed into professionals in every walk of life.

I am convinced that the next social revolution in India has to be in our villages. Our cities are becoming characterless, heartless morasses and rapidly losing everything the word Indian stands for. There is still hope in our heartland, and how beautiful it is!

As someone from the post independent generation but still has the memories of Nehruvian socialism and Indira Gandhi's nationalism, I believe that all it takes is political will to make it happen. Actually most of the time, it is not lack of political will, but the politicians will only do things that will bring them votes. How else do you explain closing down 1400 schools in Karnataka (children don't have votes) and announcing Rs. 250 crores to make Belgaum the next capital in one year ( Mr. Kumaraswamy and his cronies must have realised that there is no better way to get the votes of North Karnataka electorate).

Sir, it is people like you, institutions like Infosys Foundation and ITC's e-choupal that are stellar examples of Public Private Participation in our country. For sixty years we have depended on Governments which have been run by people who are in it for themselves and not for the development of our country. It is time for us to show them that we will move forward and that if they don't change with the mood and the need of the nation, they will soon be cast into the dustbin of history.

Thank you. Jai Hind!