Indian Institute of Management Shillong is launching a Centre for Policy Research to honour former president APJ Abdul Kalam, whose 85th birth anniversary is today.
In keeping with the objective of former president APJ Abdul Kalam of bringing societal development, another initiative - ‘Nurturing Minds’, will be undertaken by the institute’s students to teach mathematics to school goers starting from class VIII once a week beginning this Saturday.
“The APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research is to be founded in keeping with the former President’s objective of societal development,” IIM-Shillong director professor Amitabh De said, announcing a series of programmes initiated by the institute, here in Shillong, during a special program to commemorate Kalam’s birth anniversary at the institute’s premises. He said that two-hour-long classes would be conducted for selected students nominated by local schools, in the initial phase of ‘Nurturing Minds’, beginning this Saturday.
“An annual function will also be organized to honour the former President of India, who delivered his last lecture at the IIM-Shillong premises, hours before his death,” the director said.
A 2,000 sq ft auditorium with the capacity to seat 200 students will be set up in the institute in Kalam’s honour and his bust will be placed there. As part of the anniversary celebration, a scientific seminar on ‘Science and Humanism for National Development’ was also organised remembering Kalam’s contribution to science and his objective of social development.