MODIS INTERACTION WITH STUDENTS ACROSS INDIA 1. The first question to Modi: How did you feel when you came to Delhi from Gandhinagar when became the PM? How has your life changed?Modis reply: I havent got the time to see Delhi. My life has been from home to work and back. On a serious note, not many changes have come. Thanks to the Chief ministerial experience I had, I know how to work and deal with officials of the government and ministers. 2. The next question to Modi: What has impacted your life more? Your teachers oryour experiences?Modi responds: Its a tough question. But if you have not got the right teachings, the right guidance, your experience, whatsoever it is, will not help you. In my life both have been equally important. 3. The next question to Modi: What has impacted your life more? Your teachers oryour experiences?Modi responds: I never fought any electionin my class or university. So i had never thought Ill be the PM. But I had dreams ofdoing something, achieving something. I urge students to dream of doing something. 4. The next question to Modi: As a student,did you ever think that you will become thePM?Modi responds: If I were to get any gains out of this, I wouldnt have done this. I feelgood interacting with children. Its like charging my battery. The biggest gain - that on TV for the entire day you children are all over. 5. A student asks Modi, What will you gain by interacting with students today?Modi responds by narrating an incident from his personal life. He says, Yes, I am a task master. But I work myself too. I dont make others work, I work along with them.6. A student asks Modi what kind of a person he is in real life.Modi responds by narrating an incident from his personal life. He says, Yes, I am a task master. But I work myself too. I dont make others work, I work along with them. 7. Modi now takes questions from students over video conferencing. A student from Imphal asks, How I can I become the PM ofIndia?Modi bursts into laughter and says,Prepare for elections from 2024. At least till then, there is no threat to my job. If anyone of you children becomes the PM, doinvite me for the oath taking ceremony. 8. A student from Gujarat asks: What difference did you find in Indian education system and Japanese education system?Modis answer: I went to a primary school in Japan. I found there was not much of teaching. But there was 100% learning there. The students there are disciplined. They are judiciously using technology in schools there. Cleanliness, discipline and the way they respect people is appreciable. 9. A student from Thiruvananthapuram asks, If you were a student, who would you concentrate on - an intelligent student or an average person who is hard working?Modi says: There should be no discrimination. A teacher should treat eachstudent as their own. Every student has positives and negatives. A teachers task isto see the positives in the student and givethem a direction. The teacher should be like a parent who does not differentiate between kids. As a teacher, I would not have discriminated. 10. A student from Leh asks, Do you remember any pranks you played with your friends in school? Would you like to share any such incident with us?Modi responds: Yes I also used to play pranks. When shehnai valas used to play the shehnai at weddings, we used to show them imlis as they are mouthwatering. Then the shehnaivalas used to come running after us. We used to go for weddings and staple clothes of men and women with each other. But you promise me you all wont do such things. 11. The next question comes from Dantewada: What would you do for higher education of girls in areas like Bastar?Modi: I have travelled through Bastar a lot.It is true that girls education should be given utmost importance. There is an old saying that if a boy studies, only one person learns. But if we educate a girl, twofamilies learn through it. Womens education plays an important role in the nations development. Why else do you think I have made girls toilets a priority for my government? So that they stay back in school and learn. I have given much thought to this programme and its results will be seen soon. I am happy that you haveasked me this question. It shows that you think about girls education in a place which is affected by Maoists. 12. Next question from Port Blair: What role do children play in the nations development?Modi: You all have to be good role models. Good citizens, good students. You have to ensure cleanliness around you. There are two kinds of children - the ideal one and the naughty one. The ideal would keep his things arranged in an order. But the naughty ones would throw his things around as soon as he reaches home. So its up to you how you model yourself. You have to ensure that electricity and water are not wasted. You have to take care of the environment. You dont have to worry about the big picture. Just think about the little details and take care of them. Rest will take care of itself. 13.Next question from Tinsukia: How can we take care of our pristine environment?Modi: It is good that young children are asking such questions. Its not climate change actually. Its we who have changed.We have destroyed the balance of nature. We have to stop fighting against Nature and instead, nurture it. We must take care of our environment. Our holy texts tell us to take care of our surroundings. But ever since we stopped, Mother Ganga has become polluted. I just met the mayor of Nagpur. He told me a wonderful thing. He told me that on full moon nights, he switches off the street lights and asks everyone to come out of their homes. He tells them to enjoy the full moon nights. Now I want to ask you, how many of you have seen the sun rise and the sun set or the full moon? We have lost all those habits. We have stopped living with Nature.We have to relearn it all14. Next question from Dwarka: Is politics a difficult profession? How do you deal with the pressure and tension?Modi: Politics is not a profession. It is a service. It is seva. And the feeling of seva will only arise when the leaders think of the people as their own. This question reminds me of an old incident. A 5-year-old girl was once crossing a bridge with her 3-year-old brother in her arms. Mahatma Gandhi asked her, wont you gettired? She replied, He is my brother. Mahatma asked her the same question again and the girl gave the same answer again. The Mahatma asked the question a third time. The girl said, Sir, he is my brother. How can I get tired when I am taking care of my own brother? That is what we all have to learn. 15. Next question from Gujarat: You have a programme in Gujarat - Gujarat Padho.Do you plan to take it on a national scale?Modi: I would say that everyone must cultivate a reading habit. I think we should have reading competitions. I havent thought about taking this programme on a national scale but I want all to cultivate a reading habit. 16. Next question from Delhi: How can children help save electricity?Modi: I will give you a small example. Your friends come home and you rush out with them to play. But you forget to switch offthe fan in your room. You can surely switchit off? Can you do it or not? Of course you can. Sometimes, when the weather is fine, you can actually switch off the fan or AC and keep the windows open to enjoy the fresh air from outside. When we brush our teeth, we let the taps run. Why cant we shut it? 17. Next question from Delhi: Are you planning to prioritise skill-development?Modi: It has been given priority the world over. Education and degrees without skills mean nothing. Thats why apart from personality development, every child should get the opportunity of skill development. We have so many educated youth but they are unskilled and hence, jobless. Thats why skill development is of utmost importance. When I was in Gujarat, I asked the Tata Group to educate and train the youth in the surrounding areas where they were planning to build their Nano car. So that they can find workers close to the factory itself. It will also promote regional growth.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 12:11:43 +0000
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