NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 4  paid rich tributes to the teaching community of the country and hailed the role of mothers in shaping the lives of their children. He also interacted with young achievers from select schools across the country through video conferencing.

Modi was speaking at an event at the Manekshaw Auditorium to mark Teachers’ Day, which was attended by 800 hundred students and 60 teachers from various schools.

To highlight his point about the role of teachers, Modi invoked the life of former President APJ Abdul Kalam who he said “passed away while teaching.”

“True was his passion, he never left students for a moment in his life,” Modi added.

Speaking extempore, Modi said “all of us have a memory of something our teachers had taught us when we were young”.

Later, answering questions from students through media conferencing, Modi hailed the role played by youngsters in bringing change in the country through their innovative ideas. Interacting with Soniya Yellapa Patil from Telangana, Modi praised the support of her mother in helping her achieve the dream of becoming a sportsperson.

“Whenever a woman shines on the sports, the mother of the child has a very important contribution,” Modi said. Mixing anecdotes from his own life to drive home his points, Modi told a student from Senapati in Manipur that “politics had acquired a bad name in the country” and added that “good people and people from all walks of life are required in politics.”

“Leadership quality is essential. You must be clear why you want to be a leader: only to fight elections or to serve the people? If the feeling for latter is developed, then you will be on your way to be a great leader,” Modi added. Earlier, Modi also released a commemorative coin of Rs 125 denomination and a circulation coin of Rs 10 denomination in the honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former president and educationist, teacher and philosopher, on the eve of his birth anniversary. The event is being held on September 4 as September 5 – Teachers’ Day — is a school holiday and the country would also be celebrating Janamashtmi.

While nine crore students had participated in the interaction last year, the attempt is to scale up the numbers significantly this time, officials said, adding that states have been asked to ensure both public and private school students listen to the Prime Minister, beamed live through Doordarshan and All India Radio.