Every Indian child is a "born politician" and knows how to get what he or she wants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday as he advised students who are facing exams to focus on learning without fearing the result, compete with oneself and not others, and adopt a 'never give-up' attitude.
Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during 'Pariksha Par Charcha' an interactive session with school and college students, at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo
Citing his own experience, Modi said for him election outcomes were just a "by-product" as his main drive was to use all his time and energy for welfare of citizens.
The remarks came during his interaction with students at the vent "Pareeksha pe charcha", ahead of the Class 10 and 12 board examinations, at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister's Office had received thousands of questions from students across the country, ranging from stress and parental pressure to yoga and how to deal with competition.
To a query on parents' expectation and pressure on children to perform well in the examinations, Modi, in a lighter vein, asked if he should pull up their parents.
"You (students) want that today I should take a class of your parents?" he said.
Modi said there were a number of parents who have also sent their queries regarding bringing about changes in their child's mentality to make him or her do well in life.
"First thing is that we should not doubt the intention of our parents and try to understand them by giving them due respect. They spend their whole life for us," he said, while mentioning the various "sacrifices" the parents make for their children.
"You should accept that the dream of parents is to see their children become something. And therefore, you (students) should not doubt their loyalty. And if you get to understand that they are doing this for your good, then the door of understanding opens," he said.
Modi said problems arise when parents, whose dreams remained unfulfilled, "transplant" those wishes in their children.
Advocating that students should be more open about communicating with parents, he said, "(students should) talk (specially) when parents are in good mood.
"This is something the Indian children are not required to be taught. Every Indian child is a born politician," he said.
In a joint family, Modi said, the children know how to get certain things, which their father won't approve. They get it done by taking the help of grandmother, elder brother, mother or sister.
Drawing a parallel between board exams and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a student from Delhi asked whether Modi was fully prepared or nervous about the general elections next year.
"I always believe that you keep on studying, keep learning and direct your whole focus towards learning... Sharpen your inner strengths as much as possible. One should move ahead keeping this as the dharma (religion) of the life. Results and marks should be the by product...I follow this theory in politics also," he said.
The prime minister said he wanted to use all his "time", "energy" and "wisdom" for the welfare of all Indians. "Elections will come and go, they are just by-products," he added.
"You have exams once in a year but we have them 24 hours. If we lose a municipality election in some corner of the country, then the breaking news is 'blow to Modi'," he said.
Image: Every Indian child is a born politician, PM Modi tells students during 'Pariksha Par Charcha'. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo
Referring to Jan Sangh, the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the precursor to the BJP, Modi said it was an example of the 'never-give up attitude' to excel in life.
"When I was not in politics, there used to be party called Jan Sangh. 'Deepak' (lamp) used to be its symbol. It was such a poor party that it found difficult even to get 'deepak' painted on walls. They put up 103 candidates in Gujarat, of whom 99 lost their election deposit," he said.
The prime minister said he remembered clearly that when the deposit of four candidates were returned, the party men celebrated it by distributing sweets.
"This is the attitude that takes a person from that position (losing election deposit) to this position (BJP's victory in 2014 general elections). (Former prime minister) Atalji used to say 'haar naa maanooga' (will never give up). This should be the attitude of all the people," he said.
Modi also asked the students not to think of him as the prime minister but as a friend and stressed on the importance of confidence and concentration in dealing with exam stress.
"Today, I am a student and you are my examiner. You can give me marks out of 10 later. Don't think of me as the prime minister but as a friend," Modi said, responding to questions from the students gathered at the stadium as well as those who wrote in their queries and doubts.
Students also asked questions through various television news channels, the Narendra Modi Mobile App, and the MyGov platform.
In the course of the event which lasted about one-and-a-half hours, the prime minister took questions on a range of issues, including nervousness, anxiety, concentration, peer pressure, parents' expectations, and the role of teachers.
He quoted Swami Vivekananda to invoke the importance of self-confidence, to deal with examination stress and anxiety.
He also cited example of 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 issue of peer pressure, Modi highlighted the importance of "Anuspardha" (competing with oneself), rather than "Pratispardha" (competing with others).
He said one should only try better what one has achieved earlier.
Noting that every parent sacrifices for his or her child, the prime minister urged the parents not to make the achievements of their children a matter of social prestige, stressing that every child was 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.
