President Pranab Mukherjee interacted with students ahead of Teachers' Day in New Delhi.
A teacher gives himself to the students and the job of a student is to draw from him as much as possible: President Mukherjee
"If you feel bored, please feel free to tell me. I am not Minister or President today. I am your Mukherjee sir. I will be very happy if you call me that," President Pranab Mukherjee tells students
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President Pranab Mukherjee on the political history of India:
- It took three years to draft the constitution
- There were 300 members, elected in a very complicated manner
- The first job of the constituent assembly was to elect a president
- The Constitution starts with - 'We the people of India -'
- These two words secular and socialist were added through 44th amendment in 1975
- The constitution gave Indian people power to make their own laws
President Pranab Mukherjee is now interacting with teachers and students at the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya inside the President' Estate in Delhi.
Here are the highlights of what he said:
- I was an average student from a backward area.
- My school was very far, a little more than five kms. I used to walk through paddy fields.
- I used to tie a towel around my waist and another on my head to protect my books and belongings.
- I was a very naughty boy. I did not want to go to school because I had to walk five kms every day.
PM Modi's interaction session with students ends. He thanked them for participating in the programme.
A student then asked the PM about what he thinks about people calling him the brand ambassador of Indian clothing. "We really like your unique sense of dressing. 'Modi kurta' has become so very popular. What do you have to say about it?"
"There are many rumors that say I have a fashion designer. That's not the case. I have never met any fashion designer. I come from humble background...the weather in Gujarat is not that cold. So I wore kurta pyjama. I had to wash my clothes so I cut off the sleeves of my kurta."
Observing that he never uses a written script during his speeches, a student asked the PM, "How did you develop this mastery in oratory?"
"The first thing is, you have to become a good listener. Not just with ears but with eyes, thoughts - it will help your confidence. Secondly, don't think what other people will say. Don't worry. Thirdly, make notes on everything that interests you," the PM said.
"You are all Google-guru's students, take pointers from there. Watch speeches on YouTube", he added.
"Everybody gets a character certificate from school. I have issued direction to replace character certificate with aptitude certificate": PM to students
Rabia Nazir, a Class 8 student from Jammu and Kashmir wanted to know what fascinated the PM more when he was a student - classroom or activities?
The PM told him, "I used to like outdoors activities. I wasn't very good in academics. I had to work for a living. But I was a keen observer of things."
The next question the PM answered was from Anshika Miz of Jharkhand. He asked the PM, "What is the recipe for success?"
"There is no recipe for success. There can be a resolve for success," he said.
Atmik Ajoy, a Class 10 student from Bengaluru, Karnataka asked the PM, "How can we attract the youth of today to become a teacher?"
The said he believes there is no dearth of good teachers in India. "Teaching is a profession to inspire a generation. I want to see people who have achieved something in their lives to dedicate an hour every week or 100 hours a year to teach students. This will make a huge change. There is no shortage of talent, but we just need to channelize it."
S K Visalini, a B.Tech student from Tamil Nadu asks the PM, "How can I help the country?"
"We can do that with very small and simple things," the PM explained to him and added, "If a child saves even Rs 10 worth of electricity, that's a great help. Sometimes we waste food...if we don't do that, that's a great help. If we ensure that we don't don't waste natural resources, that's a huge help. If you teach your maid for half an hour and educate her, that's a huge help."
The PM was next asked about challenges faced by the Swachh Bharat Mission
The PM replied, "If class 9 girls can make an app for waste management, what challenges can be there? Swachh Bharat is connected to people's habits. Everybody is supporting Swachh Bharat campaign. "
Soniya Yelappa Patil of Goa's Disha School for Special Children asked the Pm, "What game do you like?"
"Everybody knows what politicians play," he laughed. When I was a boy, I had not heard of fancy sports. Kabaddi and kho kho only. I learnt swimming because I had to wash my own clothes and had to go to the lake."
Sarthak Bhardwaj from Uttarakhand, who participated in MasterChef Junior, asked the PM about his Digital India initiative. "It is a great effort, but many places in India do not even have electricity," he said.
The PM replied:
The next one to ask the PM a question was Nemdeiching Shelly Kipgen, a Class 8 student from Manipur
She asked: I want to be a great leader and contribute to politics. What should I do to become one?
The PM said, "Good people and people from all walks of life are required in politics. Do you recall how people from all walks of life joined Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle? It benefitted the nation. Leadership quality is essential. You must also be clear why you want to be a leader: to fight elections only or to make a difference.
PM Modi to begins the much awaited interaction session with students
The first one to ask question to the PM is Malavath Purna, the youngest girl to climb the Mount Everest.
"Who has been the biggest influence on you", she asked.
The PM responded: "It is about having a receptive mind, people keep teaching us something or the other. You can learn something new even during a train journey. I have learnt a lot from my teachers. I spent lot of time in the library. Reading about Swami Vivekananda had a big influence in my life."
PM Narendra Modi greets students and begins his address.
Here are the highlights of he's saying:
- Sometimes people ask me why do you spend time with students on Teacher's Day
- Students are the identity of a teacher
- Teachers play a big role in shaping students.
- A mother gives birth to a child, while his (guru) teacher gives him life (jeevan)
- When young, children are very impressionable
- Whatever their teacher says, they'll remember that for the rest of their lives
- If a teacher does not invest in his students, he is incomplete
- APJ Abdul Kalam loved children very much. Teaching was his passion. He wanted to be remembered as a teacher
- There must have been a great teacher behind every great doctor, engineer, scientist
- If a doctor saves someone' s life, his photo is published in a newspaper. But if a teacher makes a hundred doctors like that, they are hardly recognized. Today is the day to recognize and honour them
As part of the programme, students of Delhi's Sardar Patel Vidyalaya sing "
Chandan Hai Maati Mere Desh Ki..."
PM releases a coin of
Rs. 125 and
Rs. 10 in the honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President and educationist, teacher and philosopher, ahead of his birth anniversary.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani welcomes the PM and greets students. "Dream, take a vow and make a beginning," she told the students as part of her speech.
PM Narendra Modi arrives at the Manekshaw Auditorium, greets students. He will begin his address shortly
The PM tweeted yesterday saying the programme is "very close to my heart"
As students across the country wait anxiously to listen to the PM, NDTV spoke to some of them about their expectations.
Nearly 800 students from the capital will be part of the interaction. The PM will also connect with students from eight other cities via video conferencing. A few of them will get a chance to ask him their questions too.
The stage is set for PM ki Paathshaala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address students ahead of Teacher's Day at the Manekshaw Auditorium in New Delhi shortly.