5th September – National Teachers’ Day

In Important Days
September 5, 2015

Teachers’ Day

Teachers’ Day is celebrated as a special day for the appreciation of teachers (Gurus). Students show their love and respect by celebrating it in a very enthusiastic way. The date on which Teachers’ Day is celebrated changes from country to country. India’s Teacher’s day is celebrated on the 5th of September every year. Another day set aside for commemorating teachers in India is Guru Purnima, also called ‘Ashad Sukla Purnima’.

Why 5th September?

5th September 1888 is a birth date of the first Vice President and second President of India, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The day commemorates the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan, a philosopher and a teacher par excellence, and his contribution towards the Indian education system.

Once some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday. In reply, Dr Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teacher’s day”. From then onwards, Dr Radhakrishnan’s birthday is observed as Teacher’s Day all across India. Since 1962, this day is celebrated as teacher’s day in India.

About Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

He was an Indian philosopher and statesman.
He was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.
He was one of India’s most distinguished twentieth-century scholars of comparative religion and philosophy.
He was born in a village near Thiruttani India on 5th September 1988.
His primary education was at Primary Board High School at Thiruttani. In 1896 he moved to the Hermannsburg Evangelical Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati.
He joined Voorhees College in Vellore but switched to theMadras Christian College at the age of 17. He graduated from there in 1906 with a Master’s degree in Philosophy, is one of its most distinguished alumni.
In April 1909, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed to the Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College.
In 1918, he was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore, where he taught at its Maharaja’s College, Mysore.
In 1921 he was appointed as a professor in philosophy to occupy the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta.
He represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926.

Awards and Accolades:

1931: appointed a Knight Bachelor.
1938: elected Fellow of the British Academy.
1954: The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India.
1954: German “Order pour le Merite for Arts and Science”
1961: the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
1962: Institution of Teacher’s Day in India, yearly celebrated at 5 September, Radhakrishnan’s birthday, in honour of Radhakrishnan’s believes that “teachers should be the best minds in the country”.
1963: the British Order of Merit.
1968: Sahitya Akademi fellowship, The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer (he is the first person to get this award)
1975: the Templeton Prize in 1975, a few months before his death, for advocating non-aggression and conveying “a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people. He donated the entire amount of the Templeton Prize to Oxford University.
1989: the institution of the Radhakrishnan Scholarships by Oxford University in the memory of Radhakrishnan. The scholarships were later renamed the “Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships.”

Books by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Indian Philosophy (1923)
The Hindu View of Life (1926)
An Idealist View of Life (1929)
Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939)
Religion and Society (1947)
The Bhagavadgītā: with an introductory essay, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes (1948)
The Dhammapada (1950), 194 pages
The Principal Upanishads (1953),
Recovery of Faith (1956)
A Source Book in Indian Philosophy (1957)
Religion, Science & Culture

Celebration

Schools all over India celebrate Teacher’s Day by allowing the senior students to pose as teachers for a day. On this day, students bring gifts for their most admired teachers as well. These can be thoughtful gifts, useful fifts, or even funny gag gifts from a site like Noveltystreet.com. It is an equally special day for teachers, as they get to know how much they are liked and appreciated by their students. Gifts to teachers include flowers, greeting cards and other items. Some students also write poems and messages for teachers. This personal way of gifting is becoming increasingly common, with personalized gifts being made specifically for teachers to build on that connection they have with their students.

Students look forward to Teacher’s Day with a lot of anticipation, for the sheer spirit of the occasion. Acting as teachers, they get a fair idea of the responsibility, so efficiently burdened by their teachers. Teachers, on this day, are reminded of their school days and feel nostalgic. All in all, it is a celebration made for everyone!