JOIN USIt was a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned teacher to lakhs of schoolchildren across the country. And he drove home his lessons with a generous sprinkling of humour.
In a first-of-its-kind event on Teachers’ Day, Modi reached out to students and teachers across the nation, taking questions from different parts, including Delhi, Leh, Port Blair, Silchar, Imphal, Bhuj and Dantewada. The event was aired live on Doordarshan and webcast on cyberspace.
In the 90-minute interactive session, the prime minister touched upon a number of topics, ranging from loving nature to developing reading habits to doing one’s bit for the nation. “People think working for the nation is giving their life for the country or becoming a politician. But that is not the case. You can serve the nation in many other ways,” he said.
He advised students to read as much as they can. “Even if it’s comics, it will get you onto reading good things,” he said, reminding them not to miss “masti” (fun) in life.
“How many of you sweat at least four times a day? One should play and sweat and one’s life shouldn’t be centred around studies only. This masti should be there in your lives,” he said, suggesting that children should not restrict themselves to studies or confine themselves before computers after school.
He said children should read biographies for a good grasp of history instead of banking on Google which gives only information, and not knowledge.
One student wanted a peek into Modi’s personality: “People say you are a headmaster. But you seem friendly. What are you like in real life?” Modi replied: “I am a task master. I work a lot and get work done. If your headmaster is nice and you consider me like that, I am thankful.”
Another student wanted to know what would Modi gain out of his televised address to children. Modi replied that he was not there to make any dividends out of the event.
“People are tired of seeing our faces. The nation is happier seeing your faces. For the first time, children have occupied the television. This is my gain. I also get my battery charged after interacting with you,” Modi said.
He also maintained that through the event he wanted to see the spread of Internet in schools. When a student asked whether he finds politics and his work difficult, Modi said: “I don’t find (my) work tiring because the entire nation is my family and every happiness and sorrow of its citizens is mine.”
Modi also revealed his naughty side as a child. He recalled how he and his friends used to carry tamarinds and go to marriage functions where there were shehnai-players.
“You know what happens when you see tamarind? Your mouth waters and the same thing used to happen to the shehnai players and they used to chase us out,” he said as the children burst into laughter.