GS Paper 4
Syllabus: Ethical Value from lives of great personalities
Source: Hindustan Times
Various instances from the life of APJ Abdul Kalam – showing the qualities of a good leader.
- Experience 1: On being appointed President of India (2002-2007), he turned Rashtrapati Bhavan from a magnificent, somewhat distant symbol of state power into an accessible place that ordinary people could visit all year round.
- Values: This incident shows the true value of a leader who is always reachable, humble, and understands the public.
- Experience 2: Once a letter came to the President from a public-minded person asking him to help three old ladies living in a dilapidated house in a village in Athavanadu in Kerala. Kalam called the district collector, who relocated the sisters to a safer place and provided all the necessary help.
- Values: This experience shows that a leader needs to have compassion, be prompt, and act as the need arises.
- Experience 3: Unlike any other President before him, he would sit down to interact with Members of Parliament (MPs) over breakfast with accompanying presentations on developmental goals for their respective constituencies.
- Values: This experience shows that a leader always respects his teammates/ Juniors and value their opinion before taking any major decisions.
Besides his relentless work to see India as a developed nation and his vision for India 2020, it is the sheer sense of possibility that he brought to millions of Indians. He made us confident that if we have the will, we could make it happen.
Insta Links:
Values for Civil Servants from the life of APJ Abdul Kalam
Mains Link:
Q. Highlight some of the Ethical values from the life of APJ Abdul Kalam, which can be of use in the personal and professional life of a public servant. 10M
