When protecting neighbour’s TV was more important

“The electric wires of TV and cable were passing current. Students’ safety is more important, so we shifted to a small room in ruins nearby.
Even this place had no roof, so we covered it with torn plastic sheet and stood with umbrellas to cover the TV so that it was not damaged. After all it had to be returned to the neighbour,” said Amrik Kaur, in-charge of Government Primary School.

And in the end, the enthusiastic students did listen to Modi. “It was looking quite impossible till yesterday. We were instructed not to use a radio but only television. It started raining heavily and water filled the entire plot. Still we ensured the TV was on,” added Kaur.

“Raindrops were louder than PM’s voice but we liked that he talked in Hindi. I understood that we should save electricity. But electricity should be there in our school too,” said a Class IV student of the school.

However, power snag in middle of Modi’s interaction cut the cable connection. “I agreed to lend the TV and cable as I too studied in the same school, when its building still existed,” said Kaka, the neighbour who immediately got busy in packing his TV set to take it back.
School under tree opts for radio

Heavy rains that lashed city during PM’s address proved spoilsport for Government Primary School, Moti Nagar, where some 35 students, out of 180, had stayed back to listen to Modi on radio. The students had to be shifted inside the ‘unsafe’ building and radio was turned on.

“I liked PM talking to children and teachers, especially his advise to protect environment and saving water. But I request him to arrange a permanent sitting place for us,” said Puja, a Class V student.

“We tried for television but it was not possible. We also contacted area councillor Sukhdev Singh Gill from Akali Dal but he said he is helpless. At last we teachers contributed and got a radio set worth Rs 1,000, but due to disturbance in signals the voice was not clear still students listened. They were happy that for first time PM addressed them directly,” said a teacher requesting anonymity.

Government Primary School, Dharampura, running from a building of dharamshala, without its own building since 53 years, too opted for radio. “We were happy that all 47 students agreed to stay back and they liked when PM talked about his childhood but TV connection was not possible,” said the headmistress.