The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today held a Town Hall session with students on subjects related to examinations. He took questions from students at the event venue in Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Students also asked him questions through various television news channels, the Narendra Modi Mobile App, and the MyGov platform.

Beginning the conversation, the Prime Minister said that he had come to the Town Hall session as a friend of the students, and their parents and family. He said that he was speaking to as many as 10 crore people across the country, through various platforms. He acknowledged his own teachers, who had instilled in him the values that enable him to keep the student in him alive till today. He exhorted everyone to keep the student alive in them.

In the course of the event which lasted about two hours, the Prime Minister took questions on a range of subjects, including nervousness, anxiety, concentration, peer pressure, parents’ expectations, and the role of teachers. His answers were embellished with wit, humour and a number of different illustrative examples.

He quoted Swami Vivekananda to invoke the importance of self-confidence, to deal with examination stress and anxiety. He gave the example of the Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, who won a bronze medal in the ongoing Winter Olympic Games, just eleven months after suffering a life threatening injury.

On the subject of concentration, the Prime Minister recalled the great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s advice on the radio programme Mann Ki Baat. Tendulkar had said that he only focuses on the ball that he is playing at present, and does not worry about the past or future. The Prime Minister also said that Yoga can help in improving concentration.

On the subject of peer pressure, the Prime Minister spoke of the importance of “Anuspardha” (competing with oneself), rather than “Pratispardha” (competing with others). He said one should only try to do better than what one had achieved earlier.  

Noting that every parent sacrifices for his or her child, the Prime Minister urged parents not to make the achievements of their child a matter of social prestige. He said every child is blessed with unique talents.

The Prime Minister explained the significance of both the Intellectual Quotient, and the Emotional Quotient, in the life of a student.

On time management, the Prime Minister said that for students, one time-table or a schedule cannot be appropriate for the full year. It is essential to be flexible and make best use of one’s time, he added.  

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