Teachers' Day 2019: Each year, Teachers' Day is celebrated on September 5 in India. Teachers' Day in India is marked in honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on September 5, 1888. Dr Radhakrishnan was India's first vice president and second president. He was a great scholar, philosopher and Bharat Ratna recipient. On Teachers Day, students across the nation honour the teachers and gurus in their lives. Often, special programmes are held in educational institutions honouring educators and the important - and often, thankless - work they do daily. In schools, students prepare Teachers' Day speech and present it in front of their classes or assembly as a tribute to their teachers.
On Teachers' Day social media platforms are flooded with tributes to teachers.
President Ramnath Kovind will be conferring the National Teachers' Awards to the winners of 2018 at a function tomorrow. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has already released the list of teachers who would be felicitated tomorrow by the President. A total of 46 teachers from across the country will be felicitated in an event which will be held in the national capital.
Read: Teachers' Day 2019: A Day That Honours Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Since 1962 - the year Dr Radhakrishnan's became president of India- the country has commemorated his birth anniversary by paying tribute to its teachers and gurus on this day.
Teachers' Day 2019: The day in India is marked in honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on September 5, 1888.
Dr Radhakrishnan was a celebrated academic. He taught at Chennai's Presidency College and Calcutta University. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, Dr Radhakrishnan was invited to fill the Chair of Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford which he retained for 16 years.
Read: Teachers' Day 2019: All You Need To Know About Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
It was in 1962 when Dr Radhakrishnan became the President of India that his birthday came to be observed as Teachers' Day.
It is said that Dr Radhakrishnan's students were keen to celebrate his birthday. However, he suggested instead of celebrating his birthday, it would be his "proud privilege" if the day was observed as Teachers' Day instead.
Dr Radhakrishnan had said that 'Teachers should be the best minds in the country' and 'A literary genius, it is said, resembles all, though no one resembles him'.
Read: Prime Minister Interacts With Recipients Of National Teacher Awards 2018
He also said 'True teachers are those who help us think for ourselves'.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of Dr Radhakrishnan's closest friends famously said: "He has served his country in many capacities. But above all, he is a great teacher from whom all of us have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is India's peculiar privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great humanist as her President. That in itself shows the kind of men we honour and respect."
Happy Teachers Day!
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