Pariksha Pe Charcha: Reserve one gadget-free hour, one gadget-free room at home, says PM

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday donned a mentor’s hat for school students and their guardians, cautioning Indian families against becoming slaves of technology.

Addressing the third edition of “Pariksha pe charcha” event organised by the HRD Ministry, the PM asked parents and children to reserve one gadget-free hour in their days and also reserve one gadget-free room in every home.

“Can we do these two things? Can families keep one room in their houses free of gadgets? Can students reserve one hour in a day as a mandatory gadget-free hour? I am all for using technology to advance our lives but let’s not allow ourselves to be enslaved by technology,” the PM said, as he answered a range of queries from school students across India on how to beat exam stress, how to balance academic activity with co-curricular, how to overcome failure.

In an interactive session watched across India and 27 other countries, the PM over two hours gave students tips for a successful life.

He also said students should not be afraid of failure and take it as a part of life.

“There was a time when we had little options. Today the world has changed and we have endless possibilities. We feel frustrated with exams when we identify exams as the cornerstone of our ambition. It’s best to start thinking of doing something rather than becoming something. The latter gives rise to stress,” said PM Modi.

Addressing queries on dealing with failure the PM spoke of how he interacted with ISRO scientists after the failed Chandrayaan Landing because he felt like talking to them.

“I was told not to attend the Chandrayaan landing occasion. I was warned of the possibility of failure and I said this was precisely why I must go. After the landing failed I could have returned to work as usual and no one would have noticed but I stayed back and met ISRO scientists the next morning to speak to them about my dreams for India. That changed the mood of the scientists and the nation. Success is a lesson we draw from failures,” PM told students mentioning how cricketers Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble in the past concerted adversity into success.

Youngsters should never feel low, said PM admonishing parents to keep alive the same spirit of care and mentorship for children as they did when their children were small.

PM also asked everyone to keep the student in them alive.

“Never let the student in you die,” he said, adding that he personally still tries to learn every day.

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