Increasing cyber-crime among teenagers pose the biggest threat to India. In July 2015 alone, Kerala witnessed the arrest of seven teenagers and four suicides, due to irresponsible use of social media. Technology or punishments cannot stop this.Self-control and responsible use of Internet are the only solutions to curb this national malady. To create an awareness among students, the birth anniversary of our beloved leader and former President Dr. APJ Kalam is celebrated as "Cyber Sureksha Day" in schools across Kerala. In line with this, 300,000 students from 15,000 schools across the state conducted "Internet Safety Pledge" on 15 October 2015.

1. | |GYAN VitaranamNovember 15 - December 14, 2015 7
INSPIRATION | K. Caroline Paul |
T
he student community of
southern Indian state of
Kerala commemorated
late President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam in a unique way. On his
birthday (October 15), three
million students, from 15,000
schools in the state took Cyber
Suraksha Pledge during their
morning assembly, where they
vowed to be good citizens of the
country and only use the In-
ternet to bring glory to them-
selves, their family, society,
state, nation and the world.
Instrumental in formulat-
ing the event and making it a
grand success was Sujai G. Pil-
lai, founder of 2tion.com, “One
Library Per Village” and also
MyGov Ambassador (one among 20 members in Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s MyGov Team).
On paying tribute to late Dr. Abdul Kalam in this unique
way, Sujai says, “I understand it was a habit of the late President
to encourage students to recite pledges. Keeping this in mind,
and also considering the rising rates of cyber-crime in Kerala, I
came up with the idea of an ‘Internet Safety Pledge’, which will
be recited by children across the state during or after their morn-
ing assembly. I believe reciting something aloud helps the child
understand it better and also leaves an imprint in the children’s
minds.”
“My hope is that Internet Safety Pledge may contribute, in
however a small way, in making our Online society safe and se-
cure. As today’s children will be the citizens of tomorrow, I feel
it is important for our educational institutions to partake in this
event, to help mould the minds of our children in the right way,”
added Sujai.
In his unique endeavour, Sujai had the backing of like-mind-
ed individuals and organizations. Prominent among his support-
ers is Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala, who echoed
Studentstake
Cyber Suraksha Pledge
onKalam’sbirthday

2. | |GYAN Vitaranam November 15 - December 14, 20158
Sujai’s thoughts on internet
safety. Excerpts from the Chief
Minister’s letter read: ‘The ‘In-
ternet safety pledge’ organized
by ‘One Library Per Village’ is
a laudable one. The world has
advanced through the medium
of Internet. People from differ-
ent walks of life are enjoying
its benefits. But, these days,
we are also confronted with an
increase in malicious activities
in the use of Internet that are
being unleashed by individu-
als who do not care about the
outcomes of such acts.’
“Increasing cybercrime
among teenagers pose the big-
gest threat to ‘Digital India’. In
July 2015 alone, Kerala wit-
nessed the arrest of seven teen-
agers and four suicides, due to
irresponsible use of social me-
dia. Self-control and responsi-
ble use of Internet are the only
solutions to curb this national
malady. Our education insti-
tutes should help mould the
mindsets of the students and
motivate them to become re-
sponsible online citizens. For
this purpose, we should pro-
vide continuous support and
conducting the Cyber Surak-
sha Pledge in schools was the
first step in that direction. I
extend my heartfelt gratitude
to our Honorable Chief Minis-
ter Mr. Oommen Chandy, who
appreciated our efforts and in-
spired us to go the extra mile,”
commented Sujai.
Rev. Dr. Abraham Mu-
lamoottil, Chairman, Peace-
peopleplanet.org - Innovate
our Space, wrote his apprecia-
tionfortheinitiativeasfollows:
‘Sujai has shown remarkably
commendable social aware-
ness and excellent resourceful-
ness to protect the impression-
able and vulnerable children
of our country from the lurk-
ing dangers on the World Wide
Web. It is initiatives like these,
which will take the country
forward towards a more just
and equitable way of life. Keep
up the good work and looking
forward to hear about new so-
cial upliftment movements, to
make India a safe country for
the youth to look forward to, as
we integrate with an increas-
ingly interconnected world.’
Part of ‘Digital Kerala
Week’, which was inaugurat-
ed by Mr. Oommen Chandy,
Cyber Suraksha Pledge was
jointly organized by IT@
School, Kerala IT Mission and
NGOs ‘One Library Per Vil-
lage’ and Kesari Foundation.
Held in line with a circular is-
sued by Kerala Department of
General Education, the partic-
ipating schools complement-
ed the Pledge by conducting
seminars and special classes
that highlighted Dr. Kalam’s
substantial contribution to the
nation and his messages to
students.
‘Digital Kerala Week’ is
a celebration of the state’s
achievement in becoming the
first digitized state in the coun-
try. Aimed at accelerating the
transition towards a ‘digitally
empowered’ Kerala, the event
seeks to create awareness
about the potential of digital
technologies and ensure public
involvement in building a digi-
tally strong Kerala. The event
is considered as a step towards
achieving late President Dr.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s dream -
Vision 2020. u