Pranab turns teacher for a day

NEW DELHI: Sixty students listened to President Pranab Mukherjee with rapt attention as he took a class on ‘Politics in India since Independence’ at a Delhi government-run

NEW DELHI: Sixty students listened to President Pranab Mukherjee with rapt attention as he took a class on ‘Politics in India since Independence’ at a Delhi government-run school to mark Teachers’ Day.

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For Class 11 student Hari Om Ojha, the 45 minutes lecture was a gateway to understand how political parties evolved before and after Independence in India.

“The President explained us about how the current political parties came into existence. Being a science student, I was not exactly aware of it but it was very interesting to understand the history behind the parties that exist today,” Ojha said.

This was the second year in a row that the President addressed students at Dr Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya inside President’s Estate.

“We are among the lucky few to listen to our President give a class to us. The way he explained everything was different from our regular classes as he has experienced most of the developments he talked about,” said Shabista, a student of arts stream.

Some students said they would have loved to have a longer class. “He taught us about many issues including political parties and economics. I would have wanted the class to be longer,” said Suraj Bhat, a Class XI student of Commerce stream.

Speaking to the students, Mukherjee said that “secularism is part of the life” for Indians. The President said it was the credit and success of India’s policy and acumen of the administration that has kept India “substantially free” from incidents of home-grown terrorism, the biggest menace to international peace and community.

“It is we who are attacked and we are the victims of cross-border attacks... But not so much of home grown terror,” he said.

As President taught the students of one school in Delhi, all the other 1011 government schools also were part of his teaching. Schools had made arrangements for the live telecast of the President’s address.

Students from the junior to the senior classes were a part of the address. “Last year also the President had held a class during teachers day so all of us recognise him. He should also come to our school not teach in the same school every time,” said Sakina Banu, a student of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Saket.