INTERACTING WITH students at the seventh edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday motivated them to “compete with yourself and not with peers” and urged parents not to treat their children’s report cards as their own visiting card.

“Sometimes parents compare their children and the seeds of competitiveness are sowed early in [student’s] life. I urge all parents not to compare two children and compare their own child’s achievement with other’s,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have also seen that those parents who have not been very successful in their lives have nothing to say or want to tell the world about their successes and achievements, make the report card of their children their visiting card. Whenever they meet someone, they will tell them the story of their children,” he said, urging parents not to do it.

Addressing a query from a student from a school in Andaman & Nicobar Islands on peer pressure and competition, the Prime Minister said that there is a need for competition in life for inspiration. The idea, he said, is to have a healthy competition. He said, “A student can score 100 marks in an exam. You and your friend both have the opportunity to score 100 marks, then how can you say he is your competition?”

Pariksha Pe Charcha, an annual interaction with students, aims to help students deal with exam stress, especially for those in Class 10 and 12. In its latest chapter, the Prime Minister interacted with nearly 3, 000 participants at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event saw registration of 2.26 crore participants on the MyGov portal this year.

Motivating students to have a positive competitive attitude, the Prime Minister said: “Instead of competing with your friends, compete with yourself. Do not let jealousy get the better of you.”

On the role of teachers in helping students deal with exam stress, Modi emphasised on building and further developing mutual trust with students. “Teachers must ensure that they do not take their responsibilities as not just jobs but an opportunity to help shape students’ lives. From day one, teachers should try to build a relationship with students and by the end of the year, this relationship should deepen,” he said.

Responding to questions on dealing with external pressure, Modi gave tips to manage expectations of parents and teachers and deal with stress. “Stress is something that you should deal with by strengthening your own mind when dealing with challenges. We should deal with them head-on. However, I will not ask you to stretch your strength to a level that it eventually weakens your will power,” he said.

“When parents do not trust children, it causes them depression. It is important that mutual trust is built between members of a family so that they know that you are working hard,” he said.

Speaking on the importance of sleep and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the Prime Minister asked students to set aside ample time for sleep and exercise in the preparation schedule. “I, too, have a lot of work but not as much as you [students]. But when I sleep, I am in deep sleep within 30 seconds. When I am awake, I am fully present. Do not think of sleep as an interference in your studies, rather look at it as an opportunity to recharge yourself,” he said. “Like you recharge your phone which cannot work after its battery drains, you must recharge yourself.”

Responding to a question on how he handles pressure and stress as the Prime Minister, Modi said: “I am glad you are aware how much pressure a PM has to handle. It is in my nature that I challenge every challenge that comes my way. I learn with every challenge and try to evolve new strategies to deal with a problem.”

“I do not consider myself alone. I believe my country’s 140 crore population is with me. If there are 100 million problems then there are billions of solutions as well,” he said. “I try to take all mistakes as lessons in life. I do not mope in regret.”

Concluding the interaction, the Prime Minister said: “When you are not driven by self-interest, then there are no hurdles in taking decisions. I only work for this country and you students so that you don’t see the difficult days your parents saw back in their days.”