02/09/2015
TEACHERS DAY
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, One of India's most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Radhakrishnan is considered through his efforts to have built a bridge between the East and the West by showing that the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other. He wrote authoritative exegeses of India's religious and philosophical literature for the English speaking world. His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University (1936–1952).
Among the many honours he received were a knighthood (1931) and the Bharat Ratna (1954). His birthday is celebrated in India as Teacher's Day on 5 September.
India has been celebrating 5TH September as ‘Teacher's Day, since 1962 commemorating the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan, a philosopher and a teacher par excellence, and his contribution towards Indian education system. Dr Radhakhrishnan believed that "teachers should be the best minds in the country". On this day, we gratefully remember the great educationist, apart from honoring all the teachers that have made our life much more knowledgeable and fulfilled, as serving as our beacons of light. It was in response to his friends wish to celebrate his birth day Dr Radhakhrishnan said that it would be my proud privilege if September 5th was observed as Teacher's day. Then onwards, Dr. Radhakrishnan's birthday is observed as Teacher's Day in India.
Teachers' Day is very important for all the people in India, as the teachers act as foundation for creating responsible citizens and good human beings. It is impossible to imagine our lives without teachers. They are the cornerstone of our future. We can never thank our teachers enough for their immense contribution in our life. Teacher's Day is celebrated to show our acknowledgement and recognition of the hard work put in by our teachers towards our development.
Schools all over India celebrate Teacher’s Day by allowing the senior students to pose as teachers for a day. It is a fun-filled activity, which is enjoyed by both the acting teachers and their junior students. On this day, students bring gifts for their most admired teachers as well. It is an equally special day for teachers, as they get to know how much they are liked and appreciated by their students.
National Teachers Day is an attempt to honor teachers, who play a crucial role in our lives. Through National Teacher's Day, we attempt to show our appreciation to the shapers of our future. Behind every successful person, there is an educator. National Teacher's Day acknowledges the devotion of all the educators of the world for the purpose of education. National Teacher's Day is the brainchild of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest professional employee organization, representing 2.8 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and the students preparing to become teachers.
NEA has affiliated organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities, across the United States of America. It is engaged in a range of issues that affect public schools, students and professional school employees. National Education Association, along with its affiliates lobbied the Congress for dedicating a day to teachers around the world. The first National Teacher's Day was celebrated on March 7, 1980. It was declared as National Teacher's Day for that year only. Later on, NEA Representative Assembly voted to make Tuesday of the first full week of May as National Teacher's Day.
About Dr Radhakrishnan:
Dr. S Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, forty miles to the northeast of Chennai (then Madras), in South India. His early years were spent in Tiruttani and Tirupati, both famous as pilgrim centers. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Arts from Madras University. In April 1909, he was appointed to the Department of Philosophy, at the Madras Presidency College. From then onwards, he was engaged in a serious study of Indian philosophy and religion, and went on to become a teacher of Philosophy.
Professional Life
In 1918, Doctor Radha Krishnan was appointed as the Professor of Philosophy, in the University of Mysore. Three years later, he was appointed as a Professor to King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science in the University of Calcutta. Dr. Radhakrishnan even 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 the Harvard University in September 1926. In 1929, Dr. Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by Principal J. Estin Carpenter, in Manchester College, Oxford.
In Oxford, Dr. Radhakrishnan lectured the students on Comparative Religion. From 1936-39, he served as the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University. In 1939, he was elected Fellow of the British Academy. From 1939-48, he was the Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University. He later held offices that dealt with India's national and international affairs. He was the leader of the Indian delegation to UNESCO during 1946-52. Dr. Radhakrishnan served as the Ambassador of India to U.S.S.R. during 1949-52. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
His Works
Dr. Radhakrishnan penned down a number of books during his lifetime, some of which are like The Hindu View of Life, The Idealist View of Life, Religion and Society, Eastern Religions and Western Thought and A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. He had also written for some of the most reputed international journals.
Presidency of India
Dr. Radhakrishnan was the Vice-President of India from 1952 to 1962 and the President, General Conference of UNESCO, from 1952 to 1954. He held the office of the Chancellor, University of Delhi, from 1953-62. In May 1962, Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India, a post he served till May 1967. He was honored with Bharat Ratna in 1954. He was also knighted by the British government in the year 1931, but, he used only his academic title ‘Doctor’ throughout his life.
