Pareeksha pe Charcha with Wit, Humour & Illustrations

Last Updated on April 19, 2018 by Bharat Saini

Pareeksha pe Charcha, interactive session, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had with around 2300 school and college students including teachers and principals, besides speaking to as many as 10 crore people across the country through various platforms, lasted about two hours at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 16 February 2018. Prime Minister took questions on a range of subjects, including nervousness, anxiety, concentration, peer pressure, parents’ expectations, and the role of teachers. His answers were embellished with wit, humour and a number of different illustrative examples. Addressing students, their parents and family he began with, “You are not talking to the Prime Minister of India, you are talking to a friend.” He acknowledged his own teachers, who had instilled in him the values that enable him to keep the student in him alive till today. He exhorted everyone, “Always keep the student in you alive”.

• Prime Minister spoke of the importance of “Anuspardha” (competing with oneself), rather than “Pratispardha” (competing with others), on the subject of peer pressure; and added one should only try to do better than what one had achieved earlier. “Everyone has a different environment”, PM said.
• To invoke the importance of self-confidence, to deal with examination stress and anxiety he quoted Swami Vivekananda: that you may have the blessings of all the gods and goddesses, but if you don’t believe in yourself, then all those blessings are futile.
• “Self-confidence is very important. It’s not a pill or herb. There is no tablet that can be consumed for instant confidence. We have to build it every day”
• He gave the example of the Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, who won a bronze medal in the on-going Winter Olympic Games, just eleven months after suffering a life threatening injury.
• On the subject of concentration, PM recalled the great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s advice on the radio programme Mann Ki Baat. Tendulkar had said that he only focuses on the ball that he is playing at present, and does not worry about the past or future.
• “Yoga is a wonderful way to improve concentration”. PM said.
• On stress he said, “We must connect with Nature, Appreciate Nature. That at times works as a great stress-buster”
• Intellectual Quotient and Emotional Quotient both have significance in the life of a student, PM explained, “Emotional bonding is essential for your overall development. It helps in forging relationships. Intelligence without an emotional connect is worthless. IQ might help you achieve success, but EQ gives you a meaning in life”.
• On time management, PM 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.
• “During exams, sleeping is vital but more important is the quality of sleep”, PM emphasised.
• Noting that every parent sacrifices for his or her child, PM urged, “I would request parents not to make the achievements of their child a matter of social prestige. Every child is blessed with unique talents. Try to find out what they are good at and don’t force your dreams on them. Try to be friends with your children.”
• Towards the end, on being asked by a student if he was prepared for the Lok Sabha elections, he said he was confident of passing his “exam next year”. “I have the wishes of 125 crore Indians with me”.

Pareeksha pe Charcha, or ‘Exam Ki Baat’, was organised days after the prime minister launched his book ‘Exam Warriors’, which is a collection of anecdotes from his growing up years and lists mantras to help students to stay calm before the examination. Exam Warriors is an inspiring book for the youth written in a fun and interactive style, with illustrations, activities and yoga exercises, this will be a friend not only in acing exams but also in facing life. Non-preachy, practical and thought-provoking, Exam Warriors is a handy guide for students in India and across the world.

Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Ministry of Human Resource Development, addressing the gathering on the occasion, said that Exam is a non-political issue and is not only confined to school and colleges but is related to life, as every challenge in life is an exam.  He lauded the vision and mission of Prime Minister in providing holistic education from primary to higher studies. He recounted a number of initiatives of his ministry to change the structure of the entire education system:

• To promote quality education, the ministry has developed learning outcomes.
• Innovation in higher education is a key focus to support research within the country.
• Budget allocation of Rs 100000 crore for Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) will help to step up investment in research and related infrastructure.
• Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme will help improving the quality of research by attracting the best talents across the country.
• High technology research labs are being developed to promote brain gain.