Patiala: Speech competitions dedicated to Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam were organized at the Government Girls' Senior Secondary School, Old Police Lines. The event was held under the guidance of State Award-winning Principal Mrs. Mandeep Kaur Antal and conducted by Mr. Kaka Ram Verma, Chief Trainer of the First Aid, Safety, and Health Awareness Mission. During the event, 36 students from nine schools paid heartfelt tributes to Dr. Kalam and spoke about his life, which was defined by struggle and perseverance.
They highlighted that while he faced immense hardships due to poverty during his childhood and youth, he—as a true, dedicated son of Mother India—rejected an $800,000 annual scholarship offered by the US government to settle there. Instead, he returned to India and worked tirelessly, using missile technology to transform the nation into a powerful country.
Providing details about the competitions, Coordinator and Lecturer Sushma stated that educating students about India's great revolutionary patriots could provide them with new direction, helping them face challenges and stay away from drugs and crime.
Mrs. Ravinder Kaur Sidhu, Jarnail Singh, Sukhnaib Singh, and Alka Arora recounted that on July 27, 2015, Dr. Kalam suffered a heart attack while delivering a lecture at a college in Shillong on the role of nuclear technology and science in fostering progress, prosperity, peace, ethical values, and health.
Tragically, he passed away because no student, professor, guest, or security official administered first aid, CPR, or placed him in the recovery position. In contrast, we are currently providing training in first aid, CPR, fire safety, and disaster management to students, teachers, police personnel, and factory workers, and we honor students who save precious lives every month.