Srinagar, July 29
The President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam interacted with 225 students from different schools of the Kashmir valley at the sprawling lawns of the Raj Bhavan, on the second day of his Jammu and Kashmir visit here, this morning.

“You are lucky children to live in such a fantastic place”, said the President. He turned his interaction with the students into a virtual classroom. The Governor, Lt-General (retired) S.K. Sinha was also present throughout the interaction that continued for over an hour. Questions on science and technology were asked.

De-nuclearisation of the nation and Nano technology of energy were the two important questions asked by students. India could do so if other nuclear powers considered it he said.

He recalled the famous speech of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the UN in 1960. He expressed concern over nuclear arsenals, and said normally children perform last rites of their parents and in the nuclear holocaust parents might have to perform this ritual for their off-spring.

Dr Kalam urged the students to make library their best friend. He recommended two books to them for extensive study, they being ,“Empire of Mind” and “Light From Many Lamps”. He stressed the need for inculcating scientific temper among students and said teachers could play a pivotal role in this regard.

In his message to the children before replying their questions, the President said:

“When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms.

When the creativity blossoms, thinking emanates.

When thinking emanates, knowledge is fully lit.

When knowledge is lit, economy flourishes.”