PM Narendra Modi addressed the Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020 event in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium.
Is it better to study early in the morning or late at night? Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his annual "Pariksha Pe Charcha" event on coping with exams, said this question from students warmed his heart and proved that the programme was a success. "The children feel I am their own, so they asked me a question they could have asked their parents or their siblings," said PM Modi.
A student had asked him this: "I am a night owl. I can't wake up in the morning. What is the best time to study?"
His advice? Wake up early.
"Early in the morning, the mind is as fresh as the sky after rain," said the Prime Minister.
During sunrise and sunset, even birds sound different, he pointed out.
He said he felt only "50 per cent authorised" to advice students on this. "I wake up early, but because of my duties, I cannot sleep early. So I have no moral authority to advise you on studying late."
At night, PM Modi continued, the mind was "preoccupied and highly engaged" after an entire day's work. "It is possible you cannot focus late at night," he remarked.
"Before sunrise, your mind is completely healthy. Whatever you study then registers more. By my experience and by general belief, morning is a great time to study. But everyone has their own habit and should do whatever one is comfortable with," said PM Modi.
He also joked how children kept mothers on their toes with their demands. "Some child might tell his mother he plans late-night study, so he wants pasta...Then he may say wake me at 6 am, I will study then. At 6 am, he tells his mother he will study late at night." Many schoolchildren giggled.