The Hindu Business Line : Get creative, says Kalam

Quoting author Ray Kurzweil, the President, Mr A.P.J. Adbul Kalam, said that it was predicted by 2019, the computational ability of an ordinary PC would exceed the capability of human brain. However, he said, the creativity of the human mind will always be superior to the most powerful computers in the horizon. "Creativity comes from beautiful minds," he added, in his usual eloquent manner.

President Kalam made these observations while participating in an IBM event held here on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meet attended by IBM's Chairman Mr Sam Palmisano and other dignitaries, Mr Kalam urged "knowledge organisations" such as IBM to make creativity their business.

Challenges ahead

Calling on IBM to help enable joint design and development across countries, Mr Kalam pointed out specific challenges that were ahead. One was the development and marketing of cost-effective tablet PCs. Detailing the configuration of such a sample gadget for researchers and students, he said that a 1GHz CPU (processor) machine, with an 8.4-inch screen and 20 GB hard disk drive, running open source operating system such as Linux and sporting WiFi connectivity would be suitable. This would also have to be multi-lingual in nature, he envisioned.

Another drop of wisdom by the President was, "Think together. Technology co-operation is needed to innovate across borders." Calling on technology innovators working in IT firms to join hands in creating a network for sharing of knowledge, he said that the average age of an employee of IBM was 24 years, which was when creativity.

Mr Kalam also spoke about the creation of a world knowledge platform that would connect all R&D institutes in the country with those abroad, providing students, researchers and teachers access to information. "We will be part of the worldwide grid ecosystem. We are also working on specific areas of technology innovation in healthcare and education," said Mr Shanker Annaswamy, Managing Director, IBM India.

There is a need for public-private partnerships for empowered bodies, said Mr Kalam, on the PURA project. PURA provides urban amenities in rural areas and has reached around 30 villages.