Prime Minister Narendra Modi's annual interactive program, Pariksha Pe Charcha, is set to return this year in a fresh format, incorporating a broader range of influential personalities to engage with students preparing for board examinations.
The event, organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, will take place at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital and will be conducted in a town hall-style format.
This year's edition will feature notable figures from various fields, including Deepika Padukone, Mary Kom, Avani Lekhara, Rujuta Divekar, Sonali Sabharwal, FoodPharmer, Vikrant Massey, Bhumi Pednekar, Technical Guruji, and Radhika Gupta. Their participation aims to inspire and empower students, providing them with guidance beyond academics.
Since its inception in 2018, Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) has evolved into a nationwide movement, transforming exam-related stress into a celebration of learning.
The initiative has witnessed remarkable growth, with the 8th edition in 2025 registering an unprecedented 3.56 crore participants—a significant jump from 2.26 crore registrations in the previous edition, marking an increase of 1.3 crore.
Over the years, PPC has transitioned from being just an interactive session to a full-fledged Jan Andolan (people’s movement), resonating with students, teachers, and parents alike. Its core message of treating exams as a festival (Utsav) has gained widespread acceptance, emphasizing the importance of mental well-being and holistic education.
In a bid to further strengthen PPC’s reach, a series of engaging activities were conducted nationwide from January 12, 2025 (National Youth Day) to January 25, 2025 (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti).
These activities, held across schools in different states and union territories, encouraged participation from students, parents, and teachers, reinforcing the idea of making exams stress-free.
A total of 1.42 crore students, 12.81 lakh teachers, and 2.94 lakh schools took part in these initiatives. The events included traditional sports like Kho-Kho and Kabaddi, short-distance marathons, creative meme contests, street plays (Nukkad Natak), poster-making competitions, and student-led discussions.
Additionally, yoga and meditation sessions were held to help students cultivate mindfulness and relaxation ahead of their exams. Schools also organized workshops, plays, and guest lectures featuring experts who shared valuable insights on handling academic pressure.
Since 2018, PM Modi has used this platform to interact directly with students, parents, and teachers, offering practical tips to remain stress-free during board exams. The first three editions of PPC were held in New Delhi in an interactive town hall format.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth edition was conducted virtually and telecast on Doordarshan and major TV channels. The program then returned to the town hall format, with the fifth, sixth, and seventh editions hosted at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.
With its growing popularity and increasing participation, Pariksha Pe Charcha continues to serve as a unique initiative, encouraging students to approach exams with confidence and a positive mindset.