Great men think alike

Compare the living status of an agriculturist and a peasant with that of the merchants living in the towns and enjoying good facilities. A rural area should be provided with urban amenities such as school, hospital, park, theatre, library, radio, good transport facilities, bus stand, police station, stationery and departmental stores etc.,

-Thanthai Periyar
(Source: Extract from the address delivered by Thanthai Periyar at the Annual Day Celebration of the Village Officers Training Institute at Erode on 31-10-1944)


Physical connectivity by providing roads, electronic connectivity by providing reliable communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing professional institutions and vocational training centres will have to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emanate. The PURA has to be a business proposition economically viable and managed by entrepreneurs and small scale industrialist, as it involve education, health, power generation, transport and management. The PURA scheme makes clusters of villages developed, in addition to maintaining rural beauty.

-Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam
( Source: Extract from the address at the dedication ceremony of JSS academy of Technical Education Complex, Noida, August 01, 2003)

P. S: This is published in “The Modern Rationalist“.