NEW DELHI: "I have an exam tomorrow," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, referring to the presentation of the Union Budget in Parliament on Monday.
The Prime Minister's monthly radio show, Mann ki Baat, was in part a pep talk for students who are appearing for their board exams, for which he even roped icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Vishwanathan Anand.
Modi said he was "full of confidence" ahead of his "examination" by 125 crore people, a trait that he wanted students to emulate when they appear for their examinations for Class X and XII starting Tuesday.
He emphasised that students should appear for their exams with a "positive approach" having a free and calm mind without any anxiety. He also asked parents not to put pressure on them.
In this context, he cited his example in the context of the presentation of the Budget, which all Indians will closely monitor and analyse.
"Friends, your exams are starting. I too have an exam tomorrow. The country's 125 crore people are going to take my examination," the Prime Minister said.
"But you must have seen how healthy I am feeling, how full of confidence I am. Let my exams take place tomorrow and yours the day after, and may all of us succeed so that the nation succeeds. Move ahead with a free mind, without any tension of success or failure," he said in his 35-minute programme.
To lay stress on a positive and tension-free approach, Modi roped in Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand, Bharat Ratna winning scientist C N R Rao and spiritual leader Murari Bapu, whose messages were played during the programme.
They gave their own examples of how they approached their exams in their respective fields, keeping tension aside.