Mann Ki Baat: Sachin Tendulkar's advice to students about dealing with exams

New Delhi: Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday asked the students to stay positive during the exams, advising them not to succumb to pressure and expectations of others but to set realistic achievable targets.

Speaking during the 17th edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Tendulkar shared his rich experience of 24 years and said that the only way he could perform was he focused on 'every ball' and forgot about the expectations of the fans which increased with the passage of time.

"I know exams are going to start in a few days, some of you may be tensed. Your parents, teachers, family members and friends will expect many things from you. Everybody will ask you about preparations and expected marks. I just want to give you one message. I just want to say that you should set targets for yourself and do not come under any pressure. Do put in a lot of hard work, but set realistic achievable targets and work to achieve them," Tendulkar said.

"When I use to play cricket, there were innumerable expectations from me also. In last 24 years, there were many good moments as well as difficult ones also. But the expectations of the people were always there and in fact they increased with passage of time. I found a way to deal with it. I started focusing on my own goals. I decided to set my own targets and achieve them. If I am setting my own targets and achieve them, I am doing something good for my country. I kept my focus only on the ball and targets were achieved automatically," he added.

The Bharat Ratna awardee also asked the students to have positive thoughts because positive results will follow positive thoughts.

Chess maestro Vishwanathan Anand, who also shared his piece of advice during the programme, advised the students to stay calm.

"I find that exams are very much like problems you face in life. Stay calm, don't be over confident but don't be pessimistic either. Exams are very much similar to the game of chess. When you play you don't know which problems will appear similarly you don't know which questions will appear in exam. So, stay positive and be well nourished because then only you will be able to recall the answers in the examination hall,?'' Anand said.