Narendra Modi tells students preparing for exams in ‘Mann ki baat’ radio address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday dedicated much of his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki baat’ to students preparing for their board and other competitive examinations across the country. In the first address of 2017, the prime minister exhorted students to consider examinations as ‘pleasure’ and not ‘pressure’. “Examinations should be celebrated like a festival. The whole family should come together as a team and help students,” PM Modi said. “The exams that you will give are a test of this year, not of a lifetime. So, smile more and score more”.

“Sometimes we forget what we learn because we are under a lot of pressure. Memory recall can only take place when there is no pressure,” the prime minister, speaking in Hindi, advised students.

PM Modi also took phone calls from students, teachers and parents and in return gave them tips on how to approach the board exams. To a student who asked him about ways of de-stressing during exams, the prime minister said it was important to take proper rest, adequate sleep and engage in a bit of sporting activity to keep the mind and body calm.

“Take small breaks. You will return to your books feeling fresh. Try taking deep breaths, it will help in relaxation,” he said. “P for prepare and P for play. The person who plays, shines.”

Adivising parents not to expect but to accept, PM Modi remarked that expectations of parents today are heavier than the school bags of students.

“Our expectations from our children should not get heavy,” he told parents across the country.

He also cautioned students against cheating adding it was the wrong approach to succeeding in life. “To cheat is to be cheap. So please do not cheat,” the prime minister told students.  “If you form a habit of cheating, there will be no desire to learn. Trying to cheat requires time, creativity. Use it for better purposes.”

At the beginning of his radio address, the prime minister expressed his condolences to the soldiers who lost their lives in the multiple avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir.