Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out to students in his monthly radio address to the nation, telling them to “celebrate exams like festivals”, in an apparent bid to take the pressure of them ahead of the examination season in March. “A happy mind is the secret for a good mark sheet. When a student is under tension, knowledge takes a back seat. Do not let that happen. Celebrate exams like festivals,” Modi told students in his first radio address of the New Year. He added, “It is important to study to gain knowledge and not marks. For a student, studying for marks is limiting. It is important to study for knowledge.” The prime minister also requested parents not to pressurise their wards too much, particularly in the run-up to examinations. “I urged parents to accept rather than expect. Our expectations from our children should not get heavy,” he said. The board examinations in India are scheduled to start on March 9, a day after assembly polls in five states end. This was not Modi’s first interaction with students. He had been addressing them for the past two years during the examination season. He had also interacted with students on Teacher’s Day over the past two years through teleconference.