THE GREAT INDIA
EMPOWERED SUMMIT
The Indian Express has been a pioneer in journalism – aggressive, innovative, investigative,
sensational. The India
Empowered Summit which it organized in Delhi on December 20 is yet another milestone in its unended quest and unending journey.
A lot of thinking and action have gone into the exclusive India Empowered series. Starting from 14 August 2005, persons from multiple fields contributed to the newspaper on the India empowered of their vision. The result was over 160 rich and thought provoking
articles of India’s multifarious problems and concerns. Hopefully the articles will be brought out as a volume along with the Summit events.
The Summit was the grand finale to this series. President APJ Abdul Kalam, who contributed the first article to the series, and who was the chief guest at the Summit, spoke with great élan and erudition.
Kalam, or in his words – he and his team - divided the articles into twelve broad interrelated areas of great national importance. These areas in their order are: Strength of Multiple Views; Corruption; Judiciary; Democracy in Development; Politics (Development Politics vs. Political Politics); Media; Science and Technology, and ICT; Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development; Infrastructure; Healthcare; and Education.
Kalam dwelt at length on each of these areas. Hailing the murdered IOC official Manjunath as a righteous man, Kalam reassured Manjunath’s bereaved parents who were present, that ‘Honest citizens will be protected and definitely it will be done because of your son's sacrifice’.
Kalam exhorted the nation that we should not let our problems become our master and should be ready to take on newer challenges.
The burden of Kalam’s presentation was that fast responsive elected government and righteous citizens interweave a great society.
Well said, the learned President; and well done the Super Fast EXPRESS!