Srinagar, Oct. 15 -- Kalam's idea of the nation extends far beyond political geography; it is an ethical and metaphysical construct built on the vitality of human potential. The nation, in his view, is a living organism animated by the collective aspirations of its citizens. It exists wherever creativity, integrity, and compassion converge. In India 2020, he describes the country as "a nation of a billion minds, all seeking opportunity, all striving for dignity" (Kalam, 1998, p. 3). This statement transforms nationalism into an ontological proposition: the being of the nation depends upon the being of its people. A society that neglects the inner development of its citizens, he believed, suffers from metaphysical poverty even amidst mater...