Happy Teachers’ Day 2018, here’s why we celebrate this day on September 5

Teachers’ Day 2018: While World Teachers’ Day falls on October 5, in India, we observe it on September 5 to mark the birthday of the great teacher and statesman, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 every year and is dedicated to teachers who shape young minds. While middle-schoolers usually celebrate the day by gifting roses and chocolates or making cards for their teachers, students in senior school usually play teacher for a day to celebrate.

While World Teachers’ Day falls on October 5, every country celebrates it on a different date. In India, it is observed on September 5 which marks the birthday of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a great teacher, philosopher and statesman. Dr Radhakrishnan believed that “teachers should be the best minds in the country”.

He was also the country’s first Vice President (1952–1962) and the second President of India from 1962 to 1967. Bin a village in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (near the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), he was a brilliant student, who completed his education by winning scholarships. After completing his MA in Philosophy in 1908, Radhakrishnan taught the subject at Madras Presidency College.

He was knighted in 1931, awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1954, and made an honorary member of the British Royal Order of Merit in 1963.

An interesting anecdote about the day suggests that when Dr Radhakrishan became the President of India in 1962, his students approached him for permission to celebrate September 5 as a special day. He, in turn, requested them to observe September 5 “as Teachers’ Day” and to recognise the contribution of teachers to society.