President’s address at the Birth Centenary Celebrations of General K.S. Thimayya at Madikeri Kodagu District, Karnataka
Following
is the text of the address of the President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at the
Birth Centenary Celebrations of General K.S. Thimayya at Madikeri, Kodagu
District in Karnataka, today.
“Indomitable
Spirit
I am indeed
delighted to visit the land of Kodagu. I always wanted to visit Kodagu because
of its beautiful natural environment, with rivers, hills and bio-diversity and
above all its people and it is the great birth place of the great warrior Gen.
Thimayya. Also, I cherish the memory of Mercara, in 1950, because I had a
classmate and hostelmate in St Joseph’s College Trichi,
I am happy to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of General KS
Thimayya. Gen.Thimayya with all the great honours he received felt that the
biggest honour was the love of his officers and men and the trust of the
country as its first soldier. In a tribute to Gen Thimayya, Lt Gen.PS Bhagat,VC
states “A Gen Thimayya is not born in every generation and in every nation. It
was fortunate for us to be of the generation and the nation of Gen.Thimayya.
The like of him there will seldom be – a Soldier General, the Army his soul,
his soul the Army”. I was very much interested to know Gen Thimaya’s strategy,
bravery and action to share with you, particularly with young people. Two days
back I came across a beautiful book of remembrance called Amar Jawan- edited by
Admiral Nayyar and sponsored by Ballarpur Industries. This book was brought out
to honour the supreme sacrifices made by the armed forces in defence of the
motherland during the last 50 years after independence. In this book two
inspiring war scenes are described. One about the battle of Zojila and Assault
on Zojila. Let me describe the bravery and decision making power of
Gen.Thimayya.
Operation
BISON LEH and LADAKH
On
September 1948, 77 Para Brigade went into action to capture Zojila Pass. So
strong was the enemy position that the Battalion attacking Zojila frontally
could make no headway, despite adequate artillery support and strafing the
enemy position by Tempest aircraft. Another attempt on September 13th also
failed. Instead of bashing their head against this strong enemy position on the
Pass, General Thimayya came up with a truly ingenuous and bold plan. He decided
to use light armour to dislodge the enemy from Zojila and then make a dash for
Dras and Kargil. Tanks had never before operated at such heights anywhere in
the world. The movement of tanks from Akhnoor in the plains to Zojila through
various passes was itself a Herculean task and involved many engineering
innovations. By October the tanks had arrived and the snow fall was also in the
offing. This is exactly what happened on D-day October 20, 1948 and Op-Bison
had to be postponed. A less determined Commander than Thimaya would have given
up as heavier snows were expected thereafter. Thimaya in another bold decision
declared Novermber 1, as the next D-Day regardless of the weather conditions.
Full credit must be given to the CO of 7 Cavelry who did not hesitate to accept
this seemingly impossible mission. During the assault, tanks were closely
followed by determined infantry soldiers. Gen.Thimaya travelled in the leading
tank up the treacherous gradients to the while hell of Zojila. It is to be
noted that Gen Thimaya always lead from the front, often at great personal
risk. We should all remember that because of this indomitable leadership of Gen
Thimaya attempting out of the box innovative solutions, we have protected LEH
and LADAKH.
I recall the farewell visit of Gen Thimayya to ACC Nowgaon, where he asked the
young army cadets undergoing training to "Acquire qualities of leadership,
impartiality, unbiased thinking and high sense of duty". General Thimayya
believed that the Jawans were the most important men. He never questioned their
motives and genuinely respected them. In this he demonstrated what Emerson once
wrote:
"Trust
men and they will be true to you, Treat them greatly and they will show
themselves great"
One is tempted to ask why does Gen Thimayya stand out as the most eminent
general of Indian Army?. The answer is in the excellence of the leadership, his
integrity, his loyalty, his influence on people and above all his courage - all
unsurpassable. He was definitely a role model for all the soldiers particularly
the Officers, JCOs and Jawans serving in the Indian Army and the youth of our
nation. The continued tradition of Gen Thimaya entered into all ranks of the
army. One such incident I would like to mention is that of Second Lieutenant
Arun Khetarpal, PVC of the Poona Horse, who laid down his life at the age of
twenty while defending the motherland during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971 in
the Sakhagarh sector. I appreciate his supreme sacrifice and valour in the face
of the enemy and his determination to hold his position gallantly. This is the
tradition set by Gen Thimayya. I greet the Federation of Kodava Samajas,
members of the Armed Forces, students and other distinguished guests
participating in this birth centenary function organized in the memory of the
great leader General KS Thimayya.
At this
moment let me share with you my feelings which I had, while saluting the
courageous soldiers who fought for our nation along with the Chiefs of Staff on
15 August 2005 at Amar Jawan Jyoti :
Lights our
heart with courage,
Radiates to
the nation, devotion,
Spread the
message of sacrifice,
Ignites
confidence upon our nation.
Courage to
defend the nation, courage to innovate, courage to invent and courage to
overcome the sufferings and to succeed, are indeed the traits that led to the
growth of human civilization. Let us remember the courageous acts and events of
our society on this occasion. I have selected the topic “Courage led to the
growth of Human Civilization”. Heroism has to be a national trait. It may be in
Armed Forces, politics, societal transformation, facing a dreaded disease or in
Science and Technology. Let me share with you some of the inspiring experiences
of heroic deeds in the field of armed forces, political life, social system,
individual life and science.
(b)
Upsetting enemy designs : Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh
Promoted to
Squadron Leader in 1944, Arjan Singh led the Squadron against the Japanese
during the Arakan Campaign flying close support during the crucial Imphal
Campaign and later assisting the advance of the allied forces to Rangoon,
Burma. For his role in successfully leading the squadron in combat, Arjan Singh
received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1944.
Later in 1965 Air Marshal Arjan Singh ensured that the air force struck the
Pakistani offensive in an hour after the request by the Defence Minister in
September 1965. He led the air Force through the war showing successful
leadership and effort. It must be said that the credit for thwarting Ayub
Khan's grandiose plans to capture Kashmir in September 1965 is shared by the
Army and the Indian Air Force, and Arjan Singh for leading the air force
through the war. Nation gratefully recognizes Arjan Singhji with the title
Marshal of the Air Force. The great tradition of heroism exists in our armed
forces.
Now I would
like to discuss the courage of a great leader who fought against the apartheid
and succeeded.
(c)
Courage to fight apartheid and virtue of forgiveness
While I
visited South Africa in 2004, I also a great personality who was responsible
for the freedom of South Africa. Particularly for the young people, you can
learn two lessons. They are: Courage to fight against apartheid and virtue of
forgiveness. Dr. Nelson Mandela is indeed an embodiment of these two traits.
In South
Africa, Cape Town is famous for its Table Mountain; it has got three peaks
called Table Peak, Devil Peak, and Fake Peak. Between the peaks it was a
beautiful sight throughout the day, sometimes dark clouds and sometimes white
clouds embracing the peaks. Table Mountain is very close to the sea coast of
the Atlantic Ocean. We traveled by helicopter to Robben Island from Cape Town
in 10 minutes flight. By fast powered boat it will take 30 minutes to reach the
Robben Island. When we reached the Island, except sea roaring, the whole
island, was a silent island symbolizing the thought: this is the place the
freedom of individual was chained. We were received at the Island by Mr. Ahmed
Kathrada a South African, who was a co-prisoner. What surprised me was this:
can you imagine a tiny room, where sleeping and all human needs have to be
fulfilled. It has to be remembered that Dr. Nelson Mandela, who was 6 feet tall
was imprisoned in that room for 26 years -fighting against the apartheid. The
major part of his life was spent in this silent Island. He used to be taken for
quarrying in the nearby mountain for a few hours in bright sun. This is the
time his sight partially got damaged. In spite of his body being tortured, he
revealed to the world the indomitable spirit in him. This is the time he
evolved a manuscript of freedom in tiny letters every day, when the jail
wardens went to sleep. This small tiny lettered manuscript finally became the
famous book of Mandela "A long walk to freedom".
It was a
great event for me to meet him in his house in Johannesburg. Dear friends, I
would like to share with you, when I entered Dr. Nelson Mandela’s house, I saw
his three dimensional form with cheerfulness: the mighty man who got the
freedom for South Africa from the tyranny of apartheid. And also a person when
he became the President of South Africa he gave the people freedom to move,
freedom to live in South Africa to those people who specialized in apartheid
and ill-treated and put him in jail for 26 years. Nelson Mandela accepted them
as equals citizens who ill-treated them practicing apartheid. Dear friends, a
big lesson that we learnt from this personality Dr. Nelson Mandela which is
explained in one of the Thirukkurals, written 2200 years before.
which means, for those who do ill to you, the best punishment is returning good
to them to make them feel their guilt.
Now I would
like to discuss the courage shown by a lady who was virtually abandoned by her
family.
(d)
Courage to face social stigma
Recently,
when I was in Bangalore, I addressed the members of CII attending the
Leadership Conclave. There I asked two questions to be answered by every one of
the participants. The two questions were (a) What I have learnt so far? (b)
What I will be remembered for? I asked the members to correspond with me
through email. One of the members in the Conclave was Smt. Asha Ramaiah. Smt
Asha Ramaiah, who is working as national advocacy officer for Indian Network
for people Living with HIV/AIDS., who herself is a HIV/AIDS patient since 1995
gave touching answers to both these questions
As an
answer to the first question Smt Asha Ramaiah said,
"The
true learning in my life began when I had to face the reality of my situation,
when my husband's family turned me away from their home and later when my
father told me to leave our house. I was like any other women who was allowed
to flow with the currents of destiny. I learnt that I have to stand up to hold
my precious life protected. At the first instance I had to stand up and face up
life in awe, but thanks to the strength of my womanhood, which made the feeling
of shock, a realization that my loved ones need support and I am responsible to
take efforts to bring change in the lives of People Living with HIV/AIDS in
India.
"I
always felt that I had my opinions. But, when I have to face HIV, I realized
the need to stand up and voice my opinion."
"Today
with constant efforts that I made, and the support that received from my fellow
people living with HIV, I received an acceptance in my community that even
people of good standing come to me for an opinion, guidance and counseling on
various personal issues. My parents are proud to share the testimony of my
experience as a role model for others to follow. With a convinced family and a
good peer support, I got remarried to another person living with HIV in 2000.
He has given me ample support to work with my fellow people living with HIV for
betterment of our lives."
"I
learned when we had to decide upon having a child, how difficult it is for one
to make decisions at the face of uncertainties; plunging in to the unknown that
may have the risk to hold the responsibility of giving birth to an HIV positive
child. We decided to follow the medical guidelines to reduce the risk. When we
came victorious waiting for years and confirmed that our child has no
infection, we learnt that, dreams come true only when you are ready to accept
the responsibility of any possible risk in taking steps."
"Now
we have the responsibility for planning the future of my child for the next 20
years. Our quality lifetime can be utilized for imparting our parental
responsibility by ensuring him education, security and future. I also learned
that I have the responsibility to share the message that all parents living
with HIV/AIDS should take effort to access information and plan their
children’s healthy future."
For the
second question What I will be remembered for? Smt Asha Ramaiah says,
"I will be remembered by the People Living with HIV/AIDS of many parts of
the country and my family, relatives and associates for the courage, I showed
to stand up and face life, and for my efforts in sharing the light I have
acquired in the midst of struggle."
Friends, the message we get from the above experience of Smt Asha is that as
human beings we may get into a problem. But we should not get defeated. We
should find out ways of converting this very problem to our advantage through
courage. Now I would like to discuss the courage of three of my friends who are
fighting cancer valiantly.
Warriors
of Indomitable Spirit
The first
one is a technologist, second one is an author and the third one is a painter,
all three are handling their blood cancers with courage. Undaunted by the
presence of a disease of poor morbidity in their bodies they are relentlessly
pursuing the mission of life. The technologist-industrialist who is suffering
from cancer for 20 years says, like a gladiator, he says he will defeat his
cancerous cells. He is continuously contributing technologically and innovating
for his industry. Every year he is publishing a book on me and releasing it on
my birthday for the last three years. The second courageous personality is a
biographer and he has written many books on people. He named the recent book as
"Celebration of cells" that narrates the indomitable spirit of the personality.
The third courageous personality is a painter whom I invited to stay in the
Rashtrapati Bhavan. He created beautiful paintings capturing the beauty and
life in Mughal Garden. He showed me a painting which was most beautiful and he
said the paintings was his best. I asked him how it got evolved. He said when
he went through chemotherapy at the Tata Memorial Hospital, the pain was very
heavy during the process of chemotherapy. The painting got evolved out of the
pain and he said during the process of painting he got great relief from the
pain.
The message of these three friends of mine is that cancer can be defeated
through courage, medical treatment and blessings of the Almighty.
Now let us
discuss the scientific contribution of Madame Curie with courage and
determination.
Madame
Curie
Madame
Curie was born to Maria Sklodowski in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of
five children. When she was born, Poland was controlled by Russia. Her parents
were teachers, and she learned at an early age the importance of education.
Marie studied physics and mathematics and quickly received her masters' degrees
in both subjects. She remained in Paris after graduation and started research
on magnetism.
For the
research she wanted to do, she needed more space than her small lab. A friend
introduced her to another young scientist, Pierre Curie, who had some extra
room. Not only did Marie move her equipment into his lab, Marie and Pierre fell
in love and married.
A friend of the Curies, A. Henri Becquerel, had been playing with recently
discovered properties of the element uranium. He talked to Pierre and Marie
about those properties and they became interested in them too. Marie Curie set
about investigating the effect, which she named "radio-activity" for
her Doctorate research.
Marie Curie
checked many other elements to determine whether they too were radioactive. She
found one, thorium, and also came across a source of radiation in a mixture
called "pitch-blend," which was much more powerful than either
thorium or uranium.
Working together, it took Marie and Pierre four years to isolate the
radioactive source in the pitch-blend. Marie named it radium. For the discovery
of radium, Marie and Pierre won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, which they
shared with their friend A. Henri Becquerel. Shortly, Marie found that what she
had discovered was not pure radium, but she was able to isolate the element
itself after quite a struggle. For this work, she was given the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry in 1911. Madam Curie achieved the distinction of getting two Nobel
prizes.
During her work, Marie discovered radiation could kill human cells. She
reasoned that if it could kill healthy human cells, it could kill diseased
human cells and went about isolating radium for use in killing tumors.
In 1906
Pierre Curie was offered the position of director of the Physics Laboratory at
the Sorbonne. Before he could take the position, however, he was run over by a
carriage and killed. After her husband died, Marie was offered and took the
position, the first woman to become director of a research laboratory.
During the
first World War, Marie Curie went to work for the French designing and building
X-ray machines. Knowing that moving soldiers to a hospital before they needed
surgery was not always possible, she designed the first mobile X-ray machine
and traveled with it along the front lines during the war.
On July 4,
1934, Marie Curie died in Paris, killed by her own experiments. She died of
radiation poisoning and may have been the first person to do so. Marie Curie
had brought herself up from poverty, struggling to get her education and
succeeding brilliantly. The work she did, she did with patience, often getting
results only after years of careful experimentation, while struggling for money
to support her work. For her struggles, she received two Nobel Prizes - the
first woman to win even one. Through the knowledge she gained, thousands of
lives have been saved. The courage and perseverance shown by Madame Curie in
her pursuit of scientific mission and achieving successes are indeed remarkable
and stimulating.
Conclusion:
Indomitable spirit
Let me
share with you young and experienced a beautiful message on courage from a
Indian Nobel Laureate Sir CV Raman, at the age of 82. The message is still
reverberating in my mind: "I would like to tell the young men and women
before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by
courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you. I can assert without
fear of contradiction that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the
quality of any Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps
courage, what we lack is perhaps driving force which takes one anywhere. We
have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in
India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of
victory, a spirit that will carry us to our rightful place under the sun, a
spirit, which will recognise that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization,
are entitled to a rightful place on this planet. If that indomitable spirit
were to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny."
So far we
have seen how the courageous and creative minds with indomitable spirit
converting the challenges, which confronts them into possible opportunities,
and defeat the problems and succeed.
I am very happy to inaugurate the Birth Centenary Celebrations of General K S
Thimayya. My best wishes to all the participants of this programme .”
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YSR/DS/SKS
(Release ID :17216)