From "Aura" banter to screen addiction and drug abuse: PM Modi's candid chat with National Teachers' Award winners

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hosted the National Teachers' Award winners at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, engaging in a light-hearted yet thought-provoking interaction with the awardees on innovative teaching methods, public speaking, screen addiction, drug abuse and the need to "keep childhood alive".

Sharing a video of the interaction on Teachers' Day, PM Modi on X wrote, "Teachers' Day is about appreciating the strong contribution of teachers to our society. It is also a day to pay homage to Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Here is what happened when the National Teachers' Awards winners were invited to 7, LKM yesterday."

One teacher told the Prime Minister that she was teaching children how to conduct interviews in an innovative way, prompting a witty response from PM Modi. "They must be interviewing their parents at home too. Like, 'Why did you cook this? Why did you cook it this way? Who made this decision? How much was spent on the budget?'" he quipped. The teacher laughed and added, "Yes, sir. And now, just for fun, all the kids in my school want to be reporters."


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Another teacher, who mentors students in public speaking, found herself put on the spot when PM Modi asked, "If I were your student and wanted to become a skilled orator, what tips would you give me? What should I do?"

"First of all, you need to be confident. Confidence comes through a lot of practice," she said, only to admit moments later that she was feeling nervous herself.

"Sorry, sir... even I was a bit nervous myself, seeing your aura," she said, drawing a smile from the Prime Minister, who asked, "So, you mean to say that to be a public speaker, one shouldn't have an aura?"

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Quick to clarify, she replied, "No, one should have it. Yours is already there, sir." To this, PM Modi remarked, "Then people won't listen! They will just keep looking at your aura." The teacher added with a smile, "They could just keep looking at you, sir."

PM Modi also asked the teachers whether they made efforts to identify hidden talents in students who may not excel academically.

"It's possible that a child might not be good at academics. But God has given everyone some strength. Do you teachers try to identify their talent?" he asked. A teacher responded, "We try a lot. In fact, that's our endeavour, because I believe every child in our school or class has a different quality, a different talent, a different challenge."

One awardee credited PM Modi's Eklavya schools initiative with transforming first-generation learners' aspirations. "By opening Eklavya, you didn't just build a school... rather, in my opinion, you've connected with as many families who are first-generation learners today; they never saw a school. Their children are now dreaming of NITs and IITs, and qualifying for medical exams," she said.

A teacher working on breast cancer awareness among women spoke about her efforts in schools, saying, "Even today, breast cancer is a subject that women are very hesitant to talk about. So, we do things within our capacity, like primary screening or telling them certain things so that they can initially identify if they need a doctor's advice."

Responding to this, PM Modi recalled his own campaign in Kashi. "Since you're working on this subject, I'm the MP from Kashi. So, I started a campaign there for breast cancer awareness. And I'm very happy that these days, women are coming forward on their own for check-ups," he said, adding that the initiative had once helped register a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of people screened in a day.

Turning to contemporary challenges, PM Modi flagged rising screen time among children as "a kind of addiction" and suggested sports and creative engagement as a way out. "Either that child will start taking a lot of interest in sports... and by sports, I don't mean video games but actually playing on the field. Then slowly, they can come out of it. And we should make it a habit to involve kids as much as possible in creativity, and we should design some programmes for that," he said.

He also raised concerns over drug abuse among students, asking teachers to remain vigilant. "Now take the case of drugs. It's not just in big cities or universities anymore, nobody even knows what it is; someone just comes and gives it," he said, urging teachers to watch for behavioural changes in children.

Concluding the interaction, PM Modi made a broader appeal to the education community. "We need to step outside of books and the syllabus much more than before and get into the lives of children. Childhood shouldn't be allowed to die. And the biggest task of keeping childhood alive can be done by a teacher. It's the teacher's job to ensure the child within remains," he said, extending his wishes to the awardees.

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Teachers Awards on 48 school teachers at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday. The awardees were selected through a three-stage process at the district, state and national levels.

The awardees, comprising 26 men and 22 women, represent 27 states, seven Union Territories and six central government organisations.

Teachers' Day is celebrated every year on September 5 to mark the birth anniversary of former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a philosopher, scholar and teacher whose legacy continues to be honoured through the day dedicated to educators across the country.