The event at Delhi's Manekshaw Auditorium began with students offering tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, on whose birthday Teachers' Day is celebrated each year.
4:47 Concluding his speech, Modi asked students to learn from the life and teachings of Dr Radhakrishnan.
4:44 Towards the end of his speech, Modi asked the students to never let go their childishness, a child must not be as mature as they are at such a small age.
4:42 Remembering an incident from his life, he said that not many students keep in touch with their teachers for life. Modi said that there's a need to establish a deeper relation between students and their teachers and carry it along throughout his life.
4:39 Stressing ion the need for skill development in India, Modi said for a person, skill is as important as a degree, many students leave schools as early as in Class 7 and 10 while very few go to college for higher education. He said most of them are not only devoid of education but also skill.
To ensure that every youth is equally skilled, there's a need to establish a road map to implement skill development so that there are more and more skilled people, Modi said.
4:35 Modi said that to ensure that every girl child gets education, the government is trying to set up good schools everywhere around villages.
"In absence of schools close to their homes, parents hesitate to send their girl child to another village for higher education. We are planning to avail schools as close as possible," Modi said.
4:32 Answering to a student's question on saving electricity, Modi said that not just the Prime Minister can save power, everyone needs to take collective responsibility to save electricity and also water; not just at homes but also in schools.
4:30 He asked schools to motivate students to read more and more books, including comics and novels. Encouraging the students towards better education in India, he asked them to educate everyone around them.
4:27 To a question asked about his digital dream in India, Modi said he wants technology to reach every student and in all languages.
"Digitalization is a testing process to check if my mails and messages reach each and every school at every nook and corner of India," he said.
4:24 "Politics is not a profession it's a service to my family, my nation," Modi said.
4:14 Replying back to student's concern over climatic change, Modi said that "there's no climate change, instead we have changed, our habits have changed and deteriorated consequently affecting the climate," Modi said.
Earlier, parents would teach their children to respect nature, "mother earth" and "moon uncle," sadly these things have changed now. "We need to live with the nature again," he said.
He said that in order to change the climate back to normal, people need to change their habits and become more nature friendly.
4:07 A girl child's education must be given importance "When a girl gets education, two families get educated; her family and her husband's family," Modi said
4:00 A student asked if Modi was notorious in his childhood or not, to which he replied by sharing a couple of incidences from his past. He said that "every student is notorious and so was I."
"When I used to attend a marriage ceremonies, I would staple clothes of two people and run away from that place, it was fun," he shared with the students asking them not to do what he did.
He added that a child's innocence and naughtiness must remain consistent in a child, "unfortunately it is dying these days."
3:58 A student asked him he would be biased to students if he were a teacher, answering to her question, Modi said he believes each student is equal and must be treated that way. He said that a teacher must treat his students, as a mother treats her children.
A teacher should treat each and every student as one. Every student has something different and unique in them, and a teacher's job is to identify the hidden talent in each one of them.
"If I were a teacher, I would not have discriminated students," Modi said.
3:54 Remembering about his Japan visit, he told the students that in Japanese schools, students are independent and they get to learn a lot in school and from their parents. He siad that he was impressed to see the parents, waiting to take their children back home after school, treating other children like their own.
"In Japan, there is less teaching. But there's 100 percent learning," he said.
3:52 A student from Imphal asked how can he become a PM, to which Modi hilariously asked the student to invite him over to his swearing-in ceremony the day he becomes a PM.
"Prepare for 2024 elections. And that would mean I would not have any threat till then," Modi said.
3:49 Talking about hardwork, he said he does not only ask others to work harder, but he himself believes in doing the same.
"I'm a taskmaster, I do a lot of work and take more of it. I believe in completing every work on time," he said
3:42 He told the students that one must not be bothered about becoming a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer right from his childhood, because that does not always help in achieving one's dream. Instead one must dream about doing something in his life, which would eventually lead to one's profession.
"Dream about doing something, not being something in future," he said. "If one keep dreaming about becoming something, he would be unhappy all his life." "Dream about Doing Something in Life, You would certainly become something," he added.
3:39 "Your upbringing and knowledge influence your experience and your experience reflects your upbringing," Modi said. So everything is important in life, one is dependent on other.
3:36 Replying to a student's question, he said he had not witnessed much difference between being a Chief Minister and a Prime Minister. The responsibilities are the same, it increases but work is the same.
Though, "In Gujarat I wasn't concerned about speeches, as it was okay to misspell a few words, but as a PM I have to be careful after all its about nation," he said.
3:33 He asked the students to read more and more. He asked them to read different historical and autobiographical books as it will help them get closer to the history.
"Today people use google, but google does not impart knowledge, it only gives information," Modi said.
3:30 Modi said students should be well equipped with the present day technology, it is a crime if they are kept away from it. However, he also stressed on playing and indulging into physical activities.
3:27 Sharing his Japan experience, he said that he was told that teachers and children in Japanese schools clean their toilets together and was suggested to implement the same in Indian schools.
3:24 Earlier, teachers had an immense respect in India, a teacher in a village was the most respected and acknowledged person but things have changed with time.
3:20 "Dr. Radhakrishnan wanted to celebrated this day as Teachers' Day, not his birthday," Modi said.
3:19 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the students and teachers at the auditorium, said that this day was limited to offering prizes and momentum of appreciation to the teachers.
Students gathered at Manekshaw Auditorium expressed their excitement ahead of Modi's interaction with them on Teachers' Day.
Ahead of his live address on Friday, Modi expressed his gratitude to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and greeted the teachers on their special day on Twitter.
"Tributes to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Teacher, scholar & statesman, he remains an inspiration for the entire Nation," he tweeted.
"Sharing my greetings to teachers on the special occasion of Teachers' Day...in various languages. Teachers' Day greetings! We salute all teachers, who tirelessly light the lamp of knowledge," he had noted earlier.
