Modi’s Teachers’ Day Speech: Is It An Autocratic Move Or Are We Being Judgemental?

Teachers’ Day used to be a silent affair. The celebrations were confined to schools’ and colleges’ four-walls alone. People who used to be really excited about this day were senior secondary students as the day gave them a chance to imitate their favourite teacher for one day. But Teacher’s Day celebrations have taken a political turn as PM Modi decides to address students across the country.

The PM’s act of addressing students from class VI to XII through Doordarshan and All India Radio is under scrutiny, but what’s the entire hullabaloo all about?

People are seeing this as another dictatorial move by the Modi-led government. But is it really so? Forcing the students of democratic India to listen to the PM’s speech surely comes across as an autocratic move. The government could have avoided this unnecessary controversy by being more flexible in its approach and making listening to the speech voluntary.

Listening to the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on national events like Independence Day is not mandatory, then why on Teachers’ Day? May be the government intends to influence these young minds that can be moulded quite easily at this tender age.

Even the schools are going a step ahead to appease the Modi government. According to a report, Bal Bharati Public School in Noida has issued a circular stating that, “The school will remain closed (preparatory off) on September 5 for all classes. However, for classes III to XII, the key points of the Prime Minister’s address are to be noted and learnt for the school to evaluate the same (during the upcoming examination from Monday).” It further added that one question of two marks each will be asked in each of the five main papers.

In South, especially TamilNadu, where Hindi is not understood so easily, teachers have been asked to interpret Prime Minister Modi’s speech in the native language.

Are these events signalling the rise of a tyranny? Or would the PM prove the critics wrong by delivering an inspirational speech and choosing not to politicise this pious occasion. Let’s not be too judgemental and wait till the speech is delivered. Modi, after all, has the knack of proving his detractors wrong.