New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in the 28th edition of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday and urged the citizens to observe a two-minute silence for the martyrs of the nation.
Modi said that on January 30 each year, the country observe the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He said that on January 30, two minutes of silence should be observed in honour of Gandhi and other freedom fighters who died fighting for the country's freedom.
He urged the youth of India to share stories of martyred jawans on social media and publicise their great deeds. He congratulated the families of those jawans who won gallantry awards on Republic Day.
He further addressed the students of the country, many of whom would take examinations soon. Speaking about upcoming school and college examinations in the country, Modi advised students to relax and asked families to create a 'celebratory atmosphere' for the exams. "Smile more, score more," Modi said.
"Why should exam time be a time of stress or sadness? Do not think about exams as pressure. They should be celebrated as festivals," the Prime Minister said.
He said that students should not be disheartened by failure. "Our former President APJ Abdul Kalam failed in his air force exam. If he had been disheartened by failure, history would have been very different," Modi stated.
"A happy mind is the secret of a good mark sheet. Exams are not the test of your life, but only of this year. Exams are not a benchmark of your success in life," Modi told students.
“You should compete with yourself to see how can tomorrow be made better than yesterday. Only studying for marks will lead to shortcuts and one will limit himself or herself; It's important to study for knowledge,” Modi advised students.
Citing the example of Sachin Tendulkar, the 66-year-old PM said that the legendary batsman kept breaking his own records for over 20 years in an effort to get better all the time.
Speaking about heavy school bags which have raised objections from parents, Modi said, “I urge parents to accept rather than expect. Our expectations from our children should not get heavy. Parents' expectations are much heavier than the school bags of students.”
He also advised students not to cheat in exams, after a caller said that cheating had cost him friendships.
The Election Commission on Saturday gave its go ahead to Modi’s monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address despite the Mode Code of Conduct being in place, but slammed some government departments like the ministries of finance and defence and the Niti Ayog for failing to seek its permission before holding similar decisions, which can affect the level-playing field during Assembly polls in five states.
Specifically mentioning the finance ministry, Niti Aayog and defence ministry, the EC said they “failed” to refer important matters to it, despite the poll code being in effect. The poll code came into force on January 4 and will last till the polls are over.
In the previous edition of the radio address, Modi lauded the national cricket team and the junior hockey side for their recent successes, saying that their performances have done the country proud.
In his 'Mann Ki Baat' address to the nation, Modi appreciated the sporting success that India has achieved in the past fortnight during which the cricket team routed England 4-0 in a Test series while the junior hockey team became world champion.
He also unveiled a number of award schemes, to push digitisation initiative of the government.
