TEACHERS DAY

“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank, but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.”- Forest Witchcraft

The above quote aptly portrays the philosophy of a teacher. Teachers play a significant role in the society because not only they educate us and make our country a better place to live but also their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth. After parents the second person who has a major influence on a child is the teacher. On an average one-fourth part of our life he/she plays the role of a knowledge imparting individual, motivating us towards success. And 5^th September is the day when we pay our gratitude to this selfless personality by celebrating Teacher’s Day in every educational institution throughout India.

Our country has been blessed with highly intellectual and informative teachers. Right from medieval times to today’s modern era there are several examples of eminent educators. Let’s discuss a few in chronological order starting from the great Chanakya. Chanakya or Kautilya is the first famous Indian scholar who was a professor of political science and economics at the Takshila University (in the Punjab province of Pakistan). He played an important role in establishing the first ever-recorded dynasty in India - the Maurya Empire.

 In popular texts he found a worthy successor in Chandragupta Maurya and helped him overthrow King Dhana Nanda. He was chief advisor to both Chandragupta and his son Bindusara. Aryabhatta, the great mathematician and astronomer was the head of an educational institute at Pataliputra (Patna, Bihar), where he went for his advanced level studies. It is also believed Aryabhata was the principal head at Nalanda University later in his life. He is commonly known as the 'inventor of zero'.

Tagore has his legacy, which has lasted till date, to speak for him. He is one of the most revered figures in India.He reinvented the concept of 'gurukul' when he took teaching out of the confined walls of a classroom and a fully-formed school. He personally mentored students at Visva Bharti school, which is a university at Shantiniketan in Bengal. Pupils were taught under the trees. He invested even his Nobel Prize money along with his time to build and maintain the school.

And finally Dr S.Radhakrishnan, the first vice-president of independent India, the man whose birthday is celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.He began his teaching career at Madras Presidency College. He became a professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore. He would frequently represent the University of Calcutta at international congresses in the UK and the US and even gave a lecture at Oxford on Comparative Religion. When some of his students asked him if they could celebrate his birthday he replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers' Day." And that’s how the tradition of teacher’s day started.

I guess now we all understand why Teachers day is given immense importance in India and holds a very close place to the heart. I hope this tradition continues to flourish for the coming generations too so that the concept of imparting knowledge is cherished throughout our lifetime and farther.

Nikhil, Pickyouropinion.com GURUJEE, Competition Intern - See more at: http://pickyouropinion.com