PM's advice to students: smile more, score more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the nation to observe two minutes of silence at 11 am on January 30 as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The father of the nation was assassinated on this day in 1948.

“On this day, we pay rich tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our country. Let it become a natural, spontaneous practice to observe two minutes of silence at 11 am on the death anniversary of our beloved Bapuji on January 30,” he appealed to the nation during his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. The constitutional duties and rights of the citizens “must be stressed equally” and go hand in hand, he said.

The prime minister devoted this edition of the monthly radio programme in giving a pep talk to students ahead of their Classes X and XII board exams. Giving tips on the final preparations and speaking from his experiences on how to deal with stress, he said, “A happy mind is the secret for a good marksheet. Smile more to score more.”

He urged parents to create an “atmosphere of festival” at home during the examination period so that their wards take their examinations without any undue pressure. The prime minister asked the students not to resort to unfair means to clear their papers. “To cheat is to be cheap. So, please do not cheat. Scores that you obtain in examinations are not the benchmark of your success,” he said.