Bangalore: President A P J Abdul Kalam said today (Jan 16, 2004) he accepted the Presidency with the sole intention of marketing ideas to political and various administrative systems on lifting millions of people from below the poverty line and bring smiles on the face of the entire population.

Addressing the faculty, students and staff of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Kalam was explaining how and why he landed in Rashtrapati Bhavan from being a Professor at the Anna University.

Recalling that he visited IISc a number of times, Kalam said he feels very much at home at the institution. "No stage feelings. I am at home here," he said.

Putting aside his prepared text, the President sought to invite questions from the audience at this function as well as in his scheduled address to participants of a workshop on "India Vision 2020: Role of Technological Universities".

"Vision 2020 is not Kalam's vision...it's the nation's vision..it's the people's vision," he said.