Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a teacher, who went onto become the first Vice-President of India and then elected to become the second President of independent India. After assuming office, he declined from celebrating his birthday but expressed a desire to celebrate September 5 each year as Teachers’ Day.
That India has a special day for its teachers only shows the respect and reverence the nation bestows upon them. The role of the teacher in ‘Nation building’ is unquestionable, for it is the teachers who mould young minds and guide them towards recognising their strengths. Teachers are synonymous with knowledge and become the beacon of light in the life of students.
Every year Teachers’ day is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Not to be left behind, a contest was floated by a radio station last year where they invited the listeners to call in and talk about their favourite teacher. The prize - two return tickets to Goa, was won by a lady who called in and said “Google” was her greatest teacher. The answer “zapped” many as it was not only a smart answer but also a reminder of the times we live in. For children (as for adults) these days, Google is indeed their greatest teacher.
But teaching is not just a one-way knowledge transfer, it is so much more. It is nurturing and building a young mind, thereby sowing the first seeds of character development. A teacher also imparts and embeds values and skills that last a lifetime. Very often we hear achievers from various fields attribute their success to parents and teachers, and there can be no two thoughts about that. It is the inspiration that a teacher provides that is often the key to success for the students.
Sachin Tendulkar is an icon for the country, but if it was not for his coach Ramakant Achrekar, who knows if we would have ever known about the talent Sachin possessed. The same can be said about Pullela Gopichand - coach of Saina Nehwal. But then is coaching similar to teaching? While it is not necessary for teachers to be coaches, coaching does involve teaching.
Like we have Gandhiji - an icon of the pre-Independence era, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is widely accepted as a teacher who has inspired the young generation of India. Incidentally, Team M3.tv had the privilege to share with readers a exclusive excerpts from his recently launched book - My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions.
A leading luminary of Bengal once said that every individual should take a walk back to their student days and thank their teachers even if it is in the heart. What we are today is what our teachers have helped us achieve.
On this special occasion of Teachers’ Day Team M3.tv would like to thank all the teachers for their noble contribution. Thank you, dear Teachers – you make it all possible.
As a last thought, we leave our readers with this hugely popular and inspiring video – by late Professor Randy Pausch - Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.
