4th September 2015
PM Modi Shares Advice and Anecdotes With Students: 10 Developments
“Mother gives birth, the guru gives life,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech full of tributes to teachers at Delhi’s Manekshaw Auditorium this morning. His interaction with students was relaxed and filled with quips.
Here are the 10 latest developments:
- “We all know the games politicians play,” the PM said when a student from Goa asked him what his favourite sport is. He asked the winner of a TV cookery show whether he cooks for his friends in hostel at school.
- 800 students and 60 teachers from schools in Delhi participated in the event at the auditorium. Students from nine other states joined the programme through video conference.
- The achievements of students from across the country were highlighted through short films after which they asked the Prime Minister questions.
- Among the students who interacted with PM Modi was K Visalini, 15, a student from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu who has the highest IQ in the world.
- This is the second year that the PM is interacting with students on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, which celebrates the birthday on September 5 of India’s second President and scholar Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
- “I always learn from everything. I was always very inquisitive, even as a child. That helped,” the PM said to a student who asked what inspired him.
- To a question on parents inflicting their career choice on students, the Prime Minister said: “I have asked my officials to explore how students can replace character certificate with aptitude certificate, so students can go for a career of their choice.”
- Union education minister Smriti Irani welcomed PM Modi and teachers and the students gathered. “Dream, take a vow and make a beginning,” she said in a short speech.
- Shortly after the PM’s interaction, President Pranab Mukherjee, who was a college teacher and a journalist before he joined politics in 1969, taught India’s political history to students of class 11 and 12 at a school in Delhi.
- Nine crore students had participated in the PM’s interaction last year and the attempt is to scale up the numbers significantly this year, officials said.
Story First Published: September 04, 2015 09:35 IST, NDTV, Teachers Day