Elect a leader who is righteous, one with integrity: Kalam

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar )

April 1, 2014

Mangalore, Apr 1: Former President of India A P J Abdul Kalam encouraged student electorates to exercise their votes in the Lok Sabha Elections 2014 and participate in the largest elections to be held in the world with around 150 million first-time voters in the country.

The Missile Man of India ' interacted with students from various colleges across the region at an interactive programme organised by the Dakshina Kannada district administration as part of Systematic Voters ' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme at TMA Pai International Convention Hall in the city on Tuesday.

In his inspiring speech, he advocated students to vote for a person of integrity and free from corruption and elect a righteous candidate based on his performance and quality of governance. The most important quality you must see in a leader is that he/she should not be afraid of problems, he said, urging them to cast their votes as it was the most significant privilege and responsibility ' they had.

Speaking on creative performance and its dimensions, he taught students the mantra of knowledge, creativity, righteousness and courage. Learning gives rise to creativity, which in turn gives rise to thinking, which provides knowledge and makes you great. Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in character, harmony in the home, order in the nation and peace in the world. If you elect a leader who has righteousness in his heart, there will be peace in the world and India needs such a leader,” he said.

He said that qualities such as having a great aim, acquiring knowledge continuously, hard work and perseverance would help them achieve things in life. “Education gives you wings to fly, and achievement comes from fire in your subconscious mind. Wings of fire along with great knowledge will make you fly,” he told the students, reciting lines from his famous poem I will fly '.

The former President also inspired the students to have courage to think differently, travel on unexplored paths and conquer the problems. Every citizen has the right to live with dignity. In a vibrant democracy, an empowered citizen is one who knows his rights and defends them with courage, he said.

As part of the SVEEP programme, an audio CD containing election songs in various languages was unveiled by Mr Kalam.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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