Exam blues: Modi to have heart-to-heart talk with students

Exam anxieties, sleepless nights, impossible pressures… Students, teachers and parents across the nation will get some pep talk from none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how to cope with the exam fever at his next edition of “Mann Ki Baat,” a monthly radio show hosted by him.

In an important outreach to the youth in a country with over half of its population young, Mr Modi broke the news on his favourite microblogging platform twitter.

To make sure that the show is not just a one-sided oration, Mr Modi has urged the students, teacher and parents to write to him about the exam experiences that would inspire the youth and also help them prepare for their exams.

“Was thinking about this month’s radio programme and thought… why not share ‘Mann Ki Baat’ with students preparing for board and competitive exams,” Modi said.

The experiences would “inspire youngsters and even motivate them during exam preparation”.

“Like always, I will share some of your thoughts, inputs and anecdotes during the programme. Do share them here. http://mygov.in/groupissue/inputs-for-mann-ki-baat-february-2015/show,” the prime minister added.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams will begin on March 2.

The choice of the subject – exam worries for the young – underlines the prime minister’s emphasis on connecting with the people on themes that impact their day-to-day lives.

Over four months ago, Mr Modi decided to leverage the power of the radio to connect to masses on a host of issues. In the last four editions of “Mann Ki Baat,” Mr Modi spoke about his pet themes like the purchasing of khadi (home-spun cloth) to contribute to the prosperity of the poor, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (clean Indian), the success of India’s Mars mission, scholarship for disabled children, tribute to Indian soldiers and appealing the youth to say no to drugs.

In the US, radio is a powerful medium which is often used by American leaders to preach, inspire and reach out to the masses and classes alike. However, in India the radio has been eclipsed by the omnipresence of TV. Being aware of the importance of communication, Mr Modi has invoked radio to bond with ordinary people.

The last edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was a diplomatic coup of sorts, which he jointly co-hosted with US President Barack Obama. The

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