Antonio Diniz
“Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teacher’s Day”. This is what Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan said when some of his students and well-wishers approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday.
While in many countries Teacher’s Day is celebrated on October 5, as International Teacher’s Day since 1994, India decided to celebrate it on September 5, to coincide with the birthday of the famous teacher, academician and philosopher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who became the second President of independent India.
Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan was acclaimed as a great philosopher and a teacher par excellence. The decision to mark September 5 as Teacher’s Day all over India was an acknowledgement of Dr Radhakrishnan’s love and devotion for the teaching profession. This important event is celebrated annually by all the educational institutions in India, to pay homage and also to show gratitude to all the teachers who toil, sometimes in not so comfortable conditions to build, guide and expand the intellectual abilities and skills of all kinds of students, with great love and utmost dedication.
S Radhakrishnan was not only a philosopher and educationist but also a great visionary who strongly believed, that only the right kind of education could solve many ills such as poverty, ignorance and superstition afflicting the society and the country.
His ambition was to bring in a tangible change in the educational system by improving the quality of teaching and building up a strong relationship between the teacher and the taught. In his words, “teachers should be the best minds of the country, they should not merely instruct but should gain the true affection of pupils, and the respect for teachers cannot be ordered but to be earned”.
It is attributed to him that he remained a teacher in many ways and even adopted the authoritative tone of a headmaster in many of his letters addressed to his ministers.
A close study of his life history and his mental framework clearly indicated that his undivided attention and priority were focused on the sole objective, that is of the upliftment of downtrodden Indians through education and the responsibility to fulfilling this lied in the hands of the TEACHERS.
Now when we look back and seriously reflect on the views, beliefs and opinions of S. Radhakhrishnan, can we confidently say that all or some of these goals have been successfully achieved? The answer is both yes and no. It is true that a lot has been achieved over the years yet certainly much needs to be done in fulfilling the goals set by Dr S Radhakhrishnan.
In conclusion it is apt to remember what the great educationist said:
“A good teacher is like a candle, it consumes itself to light the way for others”.
